SOCIAL SECURITY AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (WELFARE PAYMENT REFORM) BILL 2007
NORTHERN TERRITORY NATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE BILL 2007
FAMILIES, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (NORTHERN TERRITORY NATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND OTHER MEASURES) BILL 2007
Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 1) 2007-2008
Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 2) 2007-2008
In Committee
Senator JOYCE (Queensland) (10.30 p.m.)—I have two questions. I acknowledge that Senator Scullion is what I would consider a good friend but, nonetheless, this is the committee stage, so I will ask the questions. That is what we on the side of conservative politics do: we believe in the integrity of the Senate and ask questions. Can you please tell me what the consultation process has been with the Indigenous community in its present form and what is the intended consultation process with the Indigenous community into the future? I will leave the next question. The first question is on the consultation process with the Indigenous community, because I know there is a discrepancy. I know Warren Mundine is completely on side with us and believes it is a good program, but there are people who have every right to and have been lobbying the Senate in their belief that the consultation process has not been adequate. Can you please comment on that?
Senator SCULLION (Northern Territory—Minister for Community Services) (10.32 p.m.)—I thank Senator Joyce for the question. We have been over some of these questions, but for the benefit of the senator I will go over the two aspects. The first is the present consultation. I think you were referring not to consultation right now but to the consultation leading up to the interdiction. I understand what you are asking. There was a large process of consultation that, as a consequence of a whole range of government inquiries over many years, was effective. Senator Heffernan was referring to a substantive report he chaired on the matter some years ago. We could all recognise that this has been an issue for a number of years and, in the media, this government has been roundly criticised for what it has done in 11 years.
In relation to the consultation and recognition of the crisis of child abuse that is occurring in some Indigenous communities, the Little children are sacred report indicated very clearly that the sexual abuse of children was not only happening but happening across a whole range of communities and was largely underreported. When we have gone into the communities, we have been welcomed. As we move into the communities, we are providing an education package to ensure that people understand exactly what we are trying to achieve and to explain what the legislative changes will mean to them, including particular aspects of the requirements—it might be alcohol or pornography; it might be a whole range of things. It is very important that the intervention teams have a good network and are able to communicate to the communities what their roles are and exactly what is going to happen. This has been happening and, I have to say, I am very heartened by the reports back from the intervention teams that they have been very welcomed in the communities.
For the future, for all the changes in the community, we now know that we have to have an education package that is consistent with every aspect of the interdiction. As people become more aware of the interdiction, we will have a sharper package and we will have a package that, I suspect, becomes more and more effective. At the moment, every aspect of the package that we are rolling out comes with an education system, ensuring that everybody in the community understands what we are on about and particularly understands some technical aspects of the law in what we are trying to achieve. They can then have an understanding, for example, of what the 1350 millilitres of alcohol means. It is very important that we can explain it in ways that people understand. We can talk about personal penalty points, but we have to explain exactly what that means, so part of the role of the intervention team is an education role. We have been rolling that out and it is a fundamental plank of the intervention. We will continue to ensure that people are as completely informed of the intervention as they can be.
Senator JOYCE (Queensland) (10.35 p.m.)—Thank you very much and I appreciate your answer, Senator. My second question is about pornography. This is obvious but needs to be restated because there are some minor queries brought by some. Why do you believe that pornography has a detrimental affect on the kids who are exposed to it? I am stating for the record that I have clear beliefs about how it affects them and why it is detrimental, but I think it is very important to get on the record why we have made a specific statement against pornography and are getting it out of these communities.
Senator SCULLION (Northern Territory—Minister for Community Services) (10.36 p.m.)—A particular concern in respect of this tragedy, in my view—and in the view of those who have read many of the reports or who have been associated with the communities—is the very young age of some of the offenders. That is a fundamental concern for me. I wonder how people thought that this behaviour could be normal—that children of 11 and 12 years of age could be perpetrators. It is a difficult area to even understand, let alone talk about, but some of the experts say that the use of pornography grooms young people—that, if they are exposed to explicit pornography, it is perhaps seen as a function of a normal physical relationship. If young people see that as being the norm—as something people do all the time—it is a great problem.
There has been much documentation on the impact of pornography on young people. As Senator Crossin pointed out, it is not so much that it is explicit pornography but the fact that it is available to such young people. We have laws in this country that prohibit young people from accessing pornography and laws that prohibit the showing of pornography to them. The laws in respect of protecting people from pornography are often related to age. These circumstances are no different. I think the nature of the isolation of the communities and the length of time that people in some of these communities are exposed to television put them at an even higher risk. That is why removing pornography is a fundamental part of the intervention. Pornography is a very negative aspect of their lives and, as with alcohol, we need to remove pornography whilst we provide some normalisation to the community.
Senator JOYCE (Queensland) (10.38 p.m.)—My final question goes to the issues that have been so clearly pointed out by you and your department with regard to Indigenous children in the Territory. Do you believe these issues are also prevalent in the states? If so, how do we deal with that? Should we explicitly concentrate on children in a certain part of Australia, when the same maladies are present for other children of other races and Indigenous children in other parts of our nation?
Senator SCULLION (Northern Territory—Minister for Community Services) (10.40 p.m.)—There are reports on the Northern Territory and also in a general sense that indicate that there are alarming trends. Many of the communities that are found outside of the Northern Territory have the same demographics—the circumstances of the communities are exactly the same, and I am quite sure that drawing a political line would not change the behaviour of any demographic. I cannot provide you with any evidentiary, scientific process but I do not believe that political borders on a map would differentiate anything. I th