Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Thorpe for her question. Clearly, as we've said in the Senate on many occasions, the area of justice is a state and territory issue. But the senator is correct: when we met in November in Perth I did meet with all Indigenous affairs ministers, as well as the Coalition of Peaks, who represent around 800 Aboriginal organisations from across the country, along with my co-chair, Pat Turner. What we did do at that ministerial council is call on every minister at that table to go back to their cabinet and to look at the issue of remand. We are deeply troubled at the rising rates of remand in this country, especially with our youth, and the overcrowding that's taking place. It's not just our youth across the other jurisdictions. I'm also very concerned about the area that I come from in terms of the Northern Territory. On the question around whether the ministers have responded, a letter has been sent off to ministers following up on where they are at with it. That is something that both Pat Turner and I are following very closely.