❓ Dr. Hames (Opposition) questions the Minister for Indigenous Affairs on rising Aboriginal imprisonment rates, declining lifespan, and perceived failures in Indigenous affairs policy. The Minister defends the government's record, citing increased investment and long-term commitment.
AnsweredQoN 658Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS - SANDERSON REPORT
Under the minister’s government, Aboriginal imprisonment rates have skyrocketed and the lifespan of Aboriginal males has plummeted; the government has taken an ad hoc, policy-on-the-run approach in both Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing; it has had to outsource the Indigenous affairs portfolio to Lieutenant-General John Sanderson and then gagged him; it has failed to fund John Hammond, the lawyer representing Indigenous families in the current coronial inquest; and, according to its own annual report, the Department of Indigenous Affairs has failed to improve and sustain social, economic or cultural outcomes for Indigenous people. (1) Why has the minister failed to adequately support Indigenous people in Western Australia? (2) Why is she silencing Lieutenant-General Sanderson, and what is she hiding from the people of Western Australia? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS
Under the minister’s government, Aboriginal imprisonment rates have skyrocketed and the lifespan of Aboriginal males has plummeted; the government has taken an ad hoc, policy-on-the-run approach in both Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing; it has had to outsource the Indigenous affairs portfolio to Lieutenant-General John Sanderson and then gagged him; it has failed to fund John Hammond, the lawyer representing Indigenous families in the current coronial inquest; and, according to its own annual report, the Department of Indigenous Affairs has failed to improve and sustain social, economic or cultural outcomes for Indigenous people. (1) Why has the minister failed to adequately support Indigenous people in Western Australia? (2) Why is she silencing Lieutenant-General Sanderson, and what is she hiding from the people of Western Australia? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
(1) Why has the minister failed to adequately support Indigenous people in Western Australia? (2) Why is she silencing Lieutenant-General Sanderson, and what is she hiding from the people of Western Australia? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
(2) Why is she silencing Lieutenant-General Sanderson, and what is she hiding from the people of Western Australia? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
(1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
(1) Why has the minister failed to adequately support Indigenous people in Western Australia? (2) Why is she silencing Lieutenant-General Sanderson, and what is she hiding from the people of Western Australia? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
(2) Why is she silencing Lieutenant-General Sanderson, and what is she hiding from the people of Western Australia? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: (1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
(1)-(2) What a sad commentary from the member. Perhaps he should reflect on his own performance and the performance of his government when he was a minister and, I understand, had responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The Court government did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that our government has spent on Indigenous affairs. It did not give it anywhere near the priority that we have given it. There is no quick fix. This is not a matter of just throwing money at it and fixing it in a year or two or three or four. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : The government embarked on a plan several years ago. In fact, in 2002 when the Gordon inquiry report was released, the government made a $70 million commitment - the commitment now vastly exceeds that commitment - to address some of the issues for Indigenous people in this state. It is not something that can be fixed in a year or two. It will take a generation to fix. However, our government took the lead, with no assistance from the commonwealth, despite the then Premier requesting the commonwealth’s assistance. As I said in this house only a couple of weeks ago, members should consider the belated intervention by John Howard in the Northern Territory and the complete lack of leadership on this matter by the commonwealth. The Prime Minister is not even big enough to say sorry, which should have been his first step. The fact is that he has acknowledged, some 11 years down the track, that Aboriginal people should be acknowledged in the Australian Constitution. He had an epiphany at the last moment and has realised that he has failed to show leadership for Indigenous people in this nation and that Indigenous people in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in particular do not enjoy the same health and welfare conditions and standards of living as people enjoy in other parts of Australia. The fact of the matter is that it has been acknowledged in the report titled “Little Children are Sacred” and by people who have gone into the Northern Territory that putting a permanent police presence in those communities has delivered the greatest dividend for Aboriginal people. It is not borne out in police statistics; it is borne out in the health - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the first time and the member for Murray for the second time, I think. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is borne out in the statistics that are kept by health centres in remote Indigenous communities. The number of women who are being bashed and bashed severely has declined when a police presence has been put in place. I was very pleased when I was police minister to see that increased police presence; in fact, one of the first moves that we made when we came to government was to start patrols going out of the town of Balgo, where there had been a remote patrol, so that there was a permanent police presence well ahead of the construction of the police station in Balgo. Likewise at Kalumburu, we did not wait for the police station to be constructed. When the houses were ready, we located officers there and used a temporary facility for a police station. The fact of the matter is that what we are seeing now are largely the results of the government allocating intensive resources for community safety in Aboriginal communities. Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mr P.D. Omodei interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
The SPEAKER : I call the Leader of the Opposition to order for the second time. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Since the intervention in the Northern Territory earlier this year, there have been no arrests for child abuse or a range of offences such as those that have been made in Western Australia. The federal government is beginning to acknowledge that there must be people on the ground in the community to gain that trust and support. That is what we are finding now. Many more people are coming forward. I hope that many more people come forward so that these issues can be brought into the open and we can deal with them. Yes, in recent months literally dozens of Aboriginal people have been charged, particularly throughout the east Kimberley, because we have put the people there to support those communities. We are building on that now by supporting the victims of those perpetrators and also looking at programs for the perpetrators for when they eventually come out of prison.
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