Indigenous care a federal responsibility

Thanks to the online transcripts of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory there is now a wealth of information showing the NT government has little regard for the third of its population that has a unique Indigenous history and culture (Martin McKenzie-Murray, “Don Dale lessons”, July 1-7). The question has to be asked: Should the Northern Territory government with a population of 240,000, smaller than many local councils, continue to govern its Indigenous population? There are 25 members of the NT Legislative Assembly. There are eight cabinet ministers, most with multiple portfolios, and six of them come from electorates around Darwin where the majority of the population is non-Indigenous. Olga Havnen, an experienced Indigenous bureaucrat, suggested NT governments were not capable of fixing the problems. Although very critical of the federal government’s last intervention she recommended it should be responsible for implementing the commission’s report for a transition period. Federal responsibility would hopefully mean the rest of Australia could ensure the Don Dale lessons had been learnt.

– Julie James Bailey, Abbotsford, NSW