Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion. I refer to the minister's confirmation that his department advised him in October 2015 that

…the Northern Territory Government need to seriously consider the findings of the Children's Commissioner …

Can the minister detail what action he took as a result in the nine months following the receipt of that advice?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not sure where the quote exactly came from, or the context, but I can assure you that I received no such report from the Commonwealth government or from my department. In fact, the entire conversation is about: I wish I had received the sort of information that we have seen on the Four Corners report. My whole submission in the media conference the following day was to say that I wanted to change some of those particular ways under which I received information. I had decided that I would embrace it even if, conventionally and traditionally, it had been outside the purview of the Commonwealth minister. I am not exactly sure about the context of the question, but the entire conversation around this has been around ensuring the fact that I did not receive that information. So somehow you are saying that I have confirmed that I have received this report. Well, that information is incorrect, because I did not receive, in 2015, that particular report.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the media report which quotes Senator Scullion in the terms that Senator Cameron has before.

Leave not granted.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, your supplementary question.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I refer to Professor Calma, who says in relation to Minister Scullion:

Any minister who is not willing to engage with the community they represent and want to listen to them and work cooperatively with them, shouldn't be a minister.

Has the minister heeded Mr Calma's advice?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will put Mr Calma's remarks in the context of unfortunate. I have yet to speak to Tom about his remarks. I hope to meet with him in the coming weeks. I am not sure what motivated Mr Calma to say such things. I think the inference was that because it had been reported by some aspects of the media, by some people in the media—the remarks about not piquing my interest—that people thought the remark was actually about the people, that I did not care about the people. That, of course, was a very wicked conflation of those two issues. I have yet to talk to Mr Calma about that matter, and I do not intend to continue our discussion about those particular matters in this place.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, your final supplementary question.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I refer to the comments by the head of the Northern Land Council who, even before the Don Dale revelation, said:

This Minister is not up to the job, and I would implore Malcolm Turnbull … to look among his caucus and find a new minister.

Given the minister has failed in his duty to Indigenous Australians and made incorrect and misleading statements, will the minister accept that he is not up to the job and resign as Minister for Indigenous Affairs, or will he just wait for the Prime Minister to sack him? (Time expired)

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank you for the question. In Indigenous affairs, and indeed many portfolios, we are talking about relationships and criticisms they have had from time to time. It was a fact that at that stage our relationship was a bit tense. I had brought to the attention of the entire Northern Land Council that Mr Morrison had made a submission to a Senate inquiry that not even the chairman of the land council knew about. Yes, that put us into a period of time where I would say we were not the best of friends.

I am not sure how he would describe our relationship, but it has had a significant thawing. I am really looking forward to working with the land council. We have had a full land council meeting of both land councils since that time. I am working very closely with Mr Morrison. We have a very good relationship, and I intend to make sure that continues.