Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory

03/08/2025

John Paterson A confrontation is brewing between federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy and Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, with signs Canberra is preparing to use its financial leverage to rein in the NT government's hardline youth justice agenda.

The Country Liberal NT government's newly passed amendments to the Youth Justice Act and associated regulations triggered a wave of condemnation. The reforms reintroduce spit hoods, remove the long-standing principle that detention should be a last resort for children, and expand the list of offences making young people ineligible for diversion programs. Indigenous legal services and children's advocates warned the changes will worsen youth incarceration rates and push more Aboriginal children into detention without addressing the root causes of offending.

National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss spoke out against the measures, alongside Justice Not Jails, the Justice Reform Initiative and the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.

On Tuesday, independent Member for Mulka, Yiŋiya Guyula, moved a censure motion condemning the NT government for "their gross neglect to consult and work with Aboriginal leaders, communities and organisations to create solutions to current problems of crime and disadvantage, and their implementation of laws and policies that significantly increase the incarceration of Aboriginal people in inadequate and dangerous conditions without any focus on addressing underlying issues, rehabilitation, or pathways for community healing".

Senator McCarthy has already flagged a direct confrontation with the NT Government, warning that the Commonwealth, which funds nearly 80 per cent of the Territory's budget, will not stand by as punitive measures undo years of youth justice reform efforts.

"The balance of incarceration is far outweighing efforts to keep the community safe," she told Sky News this week.

"In Alice Springs, nearly half the prison population is on remand, many of them children who haven't even had a chance to face court. That is a human rights issue we cannot ignore."

However, the Minister told the ABC that federal funding for the Territory is "for all citizens of the Northern Territory… So, we have to be very responsible at the Commonwealth level about how we respond to those requests".

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy - Northern Territory
Lia Finocchiaro MLA
Steve Edgington MLA

Read in full

https://nit.com.au/03-08-2025/19427/youth-justice-flashpoint-mccarthy-challenges-finocchiaros-hardline-tactics

03/08/2025

John Paterson Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves has joined growing calls for federal intervention into law and justice policies in the Northern Territory, in a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Speaking at the Garma Festival on Sunday, Mr Hargraves said his community of Yuendemu had "suffered a lot", and that new laws under the Country Liberal Party (CLP) government had "ripped the guts out of us".

The outback town has suffered several traumatic losses in recent years — the police shooting death of Kumunjayi Walker devastated the community, and the death in custody of Mr Hargraves's 'jaja', or grandson, Kumunjayi White in Alice Springs earlier this year, adding to the hurt.

Mr Hargraves today read out a letter he had written, addressed to the prime minister, urging him to intervene on the Northern Territory's Country Liberal Party's tough-on-crime agenda.

"The NT government is acting from a criminal mindset — like an illegal occupying foreign power," he said, reading from the letter.

Indigenous incarceration rates have worsened significantly under laws and bail reforms introduced over the past year of CLP governance, with more youth laws introduced in the past week.

Mr Hargraves said the CLP's policies were archaic, "like something from the 50s or 60s".

"The CLP government proudly announces that even more of our people will be jailed," he said.

"They are using their power to destroy us, to take away our rights."

Read full report

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-03/indigenous-elder-plea-to-anthony-albanese/105606868?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy - Northern Territory
Marion Scrymgour MP
Steve Edgington MLA
Lia Finocchiaro MLA
NACCHO Aboriginal Health Australia
Coalition of Peaks
Katie Kiss - Social Justice Commissioner
Office of the Children's Commissioner NT
Selena Uibo: Member for Arnhem
North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
NATSILS - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services
Dheran Young: Member for Daly
Yingiya Guyula Mla

02/08/2025

John Paterson Political leaders have been warned their attendance at one of Australia's largest cultural festivals is not enough to make progress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Speaking at the annual Garma Festival at Gulkula, in northeast Arnhem Land, to a crowd that included several senior ministers and the prime minister, Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden said their presence was a powerful signal.

"But don't leave Garma and leave things on endless repeat," she said.

"Don't be here to think your attendance here is enough."

Minister Anthony Albanese used his time at Garma to announce an economic partnership with Indigenous organisations, which he said built on Closing the Gap commitments and would empower communities to advocate for infrastructure on their lands.

In her powerful address to the festival on Saturday, Ms Bowden told the crowd that despite the success of Garma, now in its 25th year, visitors would be leaving behind a "world that remains in crisis mode".

"On Tuesday, we will return to a life dominated by the simple fact that Aboriginal people in remote areas of Australia remain the most marginalised people in the country, if not the world," she said.

Ms Bowden highlighted high rates of rheumatic heart disease in Arnhem Land, saying the community of Maningrida, in the Northern Territory, has the highest rate of the condition in the world.

She also pointed to the over-representation of First Nations people in custody to bring home her point, with the NT second only to El Salvador when it comes to incarceration rates.

We've become numb to this data and immune to the horrors that lie in the statistics," she said.

Ms Bowden said the status quo was not acceptable, with recent Closing the Gap statistics showing four targets going backwards - adult incarceration, children in out-of-home care, su***de rates and child development.

She said the Yothu Yindi Foundation had long argued the Closing the Gap data reflected a fundamental failure in Australia's governance systems, and that must change to make a real difference.

"There are good intentions and what is described as hard work, but without crunching systemic change, there will be no betterment," she said.

"People suffer because of these failures of governance that are imposed upon us."

13YARN 13 92 76

Lifeline 13 11 14

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy - Northern Territory
Marion Scrymgour MP
Steve Edgington MLA
Lia Finocchiaro MLA
NACCHO Aboriginal Health Australia

02/08/2025

John Paterson The shift in language comes amid increasing pressure on the federal government to use all powers at its disposal, including funding arrangements, to compel the CLP Territory government to meet its obligations under the Closing the Gap agreement.

The CLP government was elected in 2024 and has brought a "tough on crime agenda" to the territory, including lowering the age of criminal responsibility and reinstating the use of spit hoods in youth detention.

The North Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency estimates 40 Indigenous people have been taken into custody every day since the CLP came to power, and overall prison populations have increased by 40 per cent from 2019 to June 2024.

Read full story

A federal minister has reminded the Northern Territory government that there are "no blank cheques" and Commonwealth money needs to be tied to positive outcomes.

Education Minister Jason Clare made the remark at the Garma Festival, after Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden issued a grim warning to the federal government ministers in attendance.

“It is a destructive tide that keeps breaking in on Aboriginal people,” Ms Bowden said.

“If we do not stem this tide of history, it will do its work and wash away the ancient knowledge and the ceremonies and traditions that keep the world in balance and give us hope.

“Don’t be fooled by the beauty of Garma. The day-to-day life of Yolŋu people remains forever challenging. It's exhausting, it is soul-crushing.

"Action is needed now. Don't leave Garma and put things on endless repeat, don't be fooled into thinking your attendance here is enough."

Shortly after her address, Mr Clare was asked what his obligations were as education minister.

"It's not a blank cheque. The money has got to be tied to the sorts of things that we know work," Mr Clare said.

"I want kids in school, not in jail, and that's what that funding is all about."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-02/federal-government-territory-funding-blank-cheques/105605332?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy - Northern Territory
Marion Scrymgour MP
Steve Edgington MLA
Lia Finocchiaro MLA
NACCHO Aboriginal Health Australia
Coalition of Peaks
Katie Kiss - Social Justice Commissioner
Selena Uibo: Member for Arnhem
North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency

01/08/2025

John Paterson The Northern Territory's controversial youth crime laws was in the spotlight at Garma Festival a major Indigenous cultural festival.

Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was a hot topic at the annual Garma Festival on Friday during a panel with Northern Territory Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington and Opposition Leader Selena Uibo.

Ms Uibo accused the government of cutting Aboriginal people out of the conversation.

The move would lead to bad policy, she said, pointing to changes to youth justice legislation which passed in the Territory this week.

The changes included the reinstatement of spit hoods and the removal of detention as a last resort.

"We are starting to see a government go down a dangerous path of disengagement with the very people they are making laws for in the Northern Territory and cut them out of the conversation," Ms Uibo said.

Asked if the government had consulted with land councils or other Aboriginal groups in the lead up to changes to youth justice laws, Mr Edgington said he did not have the information in front of him.

But he said the corrections minister had gone out to speak to "different people" about the issue.

Mr Edgington said the government was focused on tackling the "root causes" of crime, pointing to the issue of housing.

He said the focus was on "changing the landscape" when it came to remote communities.

"People living in remote areas feel like they've lost control of their communities," he said.

"People want to take control of their communities. That's what I'm hearing."

Young people have been a significant focus on the first day of Garma, which marks 25 years in 2025.

School students and educators presented their achievements, speaking about the importance of learning on-Country and in a system which values Yolngu and Western knowledge.

Gumatj Corporation operations manager Michael Yunupingu, the grandson of the late Gumatj leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu, outlined his aims for Yolngu people in his opening address.

"My vision is to see a place that provides all-round support for Yolngu, in employment, education, health and wellbeing, and cultural laws," Mr Yunupingu said.

As the sun set on the Garma festival's opening day, it was the children who stole the show at the nightly bunggul (ceremonial dance).

The importance of passing down cultural knowledge was on full display as the smallest dancers kept pace with the adults on the sand that makes up the bunggul grounds, in front of crowds gathered for the festival.

Garma's 2025 theme, "rom ga waŋa wataŋu", or "the law of the land, standing firm", pays homage to those who started the event.

Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden said the 2025 Garma theme also reflected the Yolngu fight for empowerment and land rights.

"This year is a real acknowledgement and a proper nod to the Yunupingu brothers who had some pretty large ideas for the Garma Festival," she told AAP.

"Many of us had some catching up to do when we realised what they had created because now it's a nationally iconic event attracting 3500 people each year to a very remote location."

01/08/2025

John Paterson "Domestic and family violence is a complex issue and what we are doing is not enough; not for our families, our communities, and most critically, not for the women who have lost their lives,"

The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory has expressed disappointment at the NT government's response to the coronial inquest into the deaths of four Aboriginal women, which was tabled this week "without notice or meaningful consultation — particularly with Aboriginal organisations".

AMSANT noted that the Territory continues to have the highest rates of domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) in the country.

"Coroner Elisabeth Armitage's inquiry laid bare the catastrophic extent of the crisis, and her 35 recommendations offered a clear and achievable path forward to address a failing system — one that is particularly failing Aboriginal women," the Alliance said.

"Rather than engaging with the seriousness of the findings, the Government sought to diminish the work of the Coroner, while disregarding the lived experience of families and victims, the professional workforce, and particularly the expertise of Aboriginal specialists and community-led services who have been responding to DFSV for decades."

AMSANT chief executive Dr John Paterson said the NT is "at a critical juncture".

"Every woman and child deserves to be safe. We wouldn't accept this level of violence anywhere else, and we must create the conditions that stop it from happening at all."

AMSANT acknowledged the government's recognition of DFSV rates and its investment in some areas but said "in the face of this crisis, the overall response is disappointing", noting that key recommendations such as indexation of grant funding for frontline services struggling to keep up remain unaddressed.

"Real consultation means working with, not around, the Aboriginal Community-Controlled sector," Dr Paterson said.

"Domestic and family violence is everyone's issue — but the strongest solutions often come from within communities. When we support community-led work, everyone benefits."

"This was an opportunity to show leadership, partnership, and action. Instead, it was a missed chance to listen and act on what communities and the Coroner have made so clear."

Read full article

https://nit.com.au/01-08-2025/19417/aboriginal-medical-services-alliance-disappointed-by-territory-governments-response-to-coroners-domestic-and-family-violence-recommendations

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy - Northern Territory
Marion Scrymgour MP
Steve Edgington MLA
Lia Finocchiaro MLA
NACCHO Aboriginal Health Australia
Coalition of Peaks
Luke Gosling MP
Katie Kiss - Social Justice Commissioner
Office of the Children's Commissioner NT
Selena Uibo: Member for Arnhem
North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
NATSILS - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services

01/08/2025

Office of the Children's Commissioner NT correction

01/08/2025

John Paterson Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will announce at the Garma Festival today funding projects for the First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance , a partnership between the government and our Coalition of Peaks

Funding of $75 million for Native Title holders and $35 million for mobile TAFE is also expected to be committed.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to unveil a plan to lift Indigenous communities out of poverty, saying it's time First Nations people were supported to "unlock the true potential of their land".

Mr Albanese is expected to address the Garma Festival in north-east Arnhem Land on Saturday, announcing a new "economic alliance" between the Commonwealth and First Nations people.

The address marks the first significant announcement from the federal government on Indigenous affairs since it swept back into power with an increased majority at the May election.

The prime minister will tell Aboriginal leaders gathered at Garma that past policies have cut off First Nations people from "the wealth of their land and waters".

The Indigenous land estate in Australia is estimated to be around 70 per cent, however, these communities have often been locked out of economic development on their own country, as noted in the recent Yoorrook Justice Commission report.

The government will invest in the First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance — a partnership between the government and the Coalition of the Peaks, the representative body for more than 80 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations.

"This builds on our commitment to the Closing the Gap Agreement, to its call for a new way of doing business and to the principle of shared decision-making," Mr Albanese will tell the Key Forum.

"Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people right around our nation to boost skills and education, create jobs and back businesses."

The first announcements under the new partnership are $70 million for First Nations clean energy projects, and $75 million for Native Title reforms.

"This is the tone and the standard we want this partnership to set, from the very start — pragmatic action that brings economic development, ownership and equity to communities," the prime minister will say.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-01/embargo-10pm-albanese-speech-garma/105603410?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

Read full article

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy - Northern Territory
Marion Scrymgour MP
Steve Edgington MLA
Lia Finocchiaro MLA
NACCHO Aboriginal Health Australia
Chansey Paech: Member for Gwoja
Luke Gosling MP
Office of the Children's Commissioner NT
Selena Uibo: Member for Arnhem
Yingiya Guyula Mla
Dheran Young: Member for Daly

01/08/2025

01/08/2025

Luke Gosling MP

01/08/2025

Jailing is Failing

01/08/2025

John Paterson Diplomacy, Yolngu style, is the art of the possible, and Mayatili Marika has learned from the best.

The respected art curator is walking forward with the skills that have defined so many strong leaders in Arnhem Land, including her late father, clan leader Wandjuk Marika.

It has been a little more than two years since the death of Galarrwuy Yunupingu, the Gumatj clan leader whose legacy includes leading his people towards private enterprise and economic independence.

Anthony Albanese, some of his ministers, federal MPs from all sides of the political divide will this weekend join thousands of Australians in Arnhem Land for the Garma festival of Indigenous culture Yunupingu and his late brother, Mandawuy, created more than 30 years ago.

They will be greeted by Yunupingu’s successor at the Yothu Yindi Foundation, his younger brother, Djawa.

Ms Marika will also be there in a role that could become more prominent as elders around the nation urge the next generation of leaders to be seen and heard.

The mother of two teens is proud of the Yolngu style that has drawn a succession of prime ministers since William McMahon to their lands for conversation and negotiation. One important discussion between Tony Abbott and Yolngu leaders famously led to the people of Gunyangara getting permanent control over their community.

“This all began with talking, listening and finding common ground. It is often called Yolngu diplomacy. Diplomacy is inherently, deeply, embedded in our DNA,” Ms Marika said.

During the year since the last Garma festival on the escarpment at Gulkula, the Yolngu have been deep in grief over the sudden death of one of their elders.

But they are also reflecting on one of the most significant land rights victories since Mabo – the High Court decision that they are owed compensation for the bauxite mining that began on their land in 1968 against their wishes. The case, brought by Yunupingu in his final years, is his parting legacy. It marks ultimate triumph in a saga that began in 1963 when Wandjuk Marika organised the now-famous Yirrkala Bark Petitions asking the Australian government not to allow the mine.

The Yolngu lost the Gove Land Rights court case but their evidence about their life and culture was invaluable as proof of the systems and people who occupied Arnhem Land before white settlement. It led directly to the nation’s first land rights laws and ultimately made Mabo possible.