AGREEMENT VITAL STEP IN HELPING CLOSE THE GAP

CLOSING the gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous people is everyone’s business. By closing the gap we can improve the Northern Territory and – more importantly – improve the lives of the Territory’s First Nations people.

That is why the NT Aboriginal Justice Agreement – due at the end of the month – is so important.

Aboriginal Justice Unit director Leanne Liddle is hoping the agreement will lift the lid on the government’s failings and produce concrete action rather than “symbolic gestures” such as reconciliation action plans and cultural awareness programs.

These programs are important to help non-indigenous people gain a wider understanding of the nuances of Indigenous culture, but more can and has to be done to create equality between Indigenous and non-indigenous people.

Ms Liddle said bureaucrats could expect to see some requirements for government to implement to help shift systemic racism.

“It’s going to make agencies recognise that they’re going to have to change the way they work, they’re going to have to meet outcomes not just outputs, they’re going to have to do a huge shift in their agency on how money is put on the table,” she said.

It is hoped through the NT Aboriginal Justice Agreement fewer Indigenous people will be sent to jail – thereby improving the lives of all Territorians as less money will be spent on the justice system.

The intention through the agreement is, according to the Aboriginal Justice Agreement, to “hold people accountable for conduct before it becomes criminal behaviour”.

The less money spent on keeping people in jail, the more cash there is to spend on other services such as housing health, education, and protecting the environment.

This is a win for everyone – and something we as a society should back.

And in a place as accepting as the Northern Territory, any hint of racism needs to be stamped out immediately.