Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Senator Patrick Dodson says public hearings are being held in the NT this week as part of an inquiry examining the impacts of ending the stronger futures legislation

Transcript

Senator Patrick Dodson says public hearings are being held in the NT this week as part of an inquiry examining the impacts of ending the stronger futures legislation · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: As I mentioned, the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and
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  Speaker 1: Torres Strait Islander Affairs is traveling to the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: this week to hear from key stakeholders about the impacts
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  Speaker 1: of sun setting the Stronger Futures legislation. Hearings are going
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  Speaker 1: to be held across both Darwin and Dallas Springs, with
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  Speaker 1: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organizations, local community groups
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  Speaker 1: as well as government agencies now joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line to tell us more about the hearings is the
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  Speaker 1: committee chair, Senator Patrick Dodson. Good morning to your senator,
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to.
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  Speaker 2: You, and good morning to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Senator, what is the aim of the hearings that are
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  Speaker 1: going to take place this week?
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  Speaker 2: I think, in a very simple sense, it's to see
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  Speaker 2: how the transition from the intervention has improved the lives
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  Speaker 2: and territorians. What has been what how was the preparation
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  Speaker 2: for the transition undertaken and really greater levels of community security,
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  Speaker 2: employment and other aspects of the individual was intended to achieve.
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  Speaker 2: So how has this worked, has it been a benefit,
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  Speaker 2: has it failed in various ways? And what are the
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  Speaker 2: lessons to learn out of it.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know that there's been quite a few concerns
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  Speaker 1: raised about, you know, about the ending of the Strongest,
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  Speaker 1: Stronger Futures legislation and alcohol being able to be accessed
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  Speaker 1: back in some of our remote communities. Is that something
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  Speaker 1: that's going to be a real focus of these of
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  Speaker 1: these hearings.
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  Speaker 2: Certainly alcohol management is one of the one of the
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  Speaker 2: terms of reference that we'll be looking at.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, now, there has, like I said, been some pretty
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  Speaker 1: pretty serious concerns, right, So who are you expecting to
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  Speaker 1: hear from, Well.
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  Speaker 2: We will hear from the average agencies in in the
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  Speaker 2: territory will be in Alla Springs as well. We'll be
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  Speaker 2: hoping that the government and obviously the people that represent
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  Speaker 2: the alcohol industry in due time. We hope that they'll
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  Speaker 2: come along and explain how they've changed or not changed
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  Speaker 2: in the way they go about delivering their particular services.
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  Speaker 2: So the police of course will be hearing from them,
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  Speaker 2: and we'll hopefully join the night patrol in Allo Springs
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  Speaker 2: and have a look at how that all works. So
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  Speaker 2: we're anxious to hear from the community people, the people
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  Speaker 2: that have been at the forefront of these things. We
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  Speaker 2: were going to go to men and greet it. But
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  Speaker 2: that the request that we defer that because of sorry business,
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  Speaker 2: so we'll do that, but we hope that we can
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  Speaker 2: get them on through virtual you know, we're taking of
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  Speaker 2: evidence later on.
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  Speaker 1: So Senator, when exactly do the hearing start? Talkers through
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  Speaker 1: the you know the program like when you're in Darwin
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  Speaker 1: and then when you're going to be an alis.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we start on tomorrow morning, I think, yes, tomorrow
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  Speaker 2: morning and down it's Wednesday. The hearings will be up
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  Speaker 2: at at the Parliament House. There'll be various witnesses come
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  Speaker 2: forward throughout the day and we'll finish about four or
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  Speaker 2: five o'clock in the afternoon, thank you. And then we'll
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  Speaker 2: catch a plane on Thursday and go to other springs
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  Speaker 2: and have a half a day of hearings there. Then
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  Speaker 2: we'll have a full day of hearings on Friday, and
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  Speaker 2: the committee will then go back to their respective locations
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  Speaker 2: on Saturday.
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  Speaker 1: And what is going to happen once the hearings are
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  Speaker 1: complete and that evidence and you know the different concerns
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  Speaker 1: or you know, the whether it's positive or negative that
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  Speaker 1: feedback is received, what will you then do with it?
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  Speaker 2: We've got to report to the Senate on the first
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  Speaker 2: of March, and we'll be making recommendations to through the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory. I suppose that may impact the Northern Territories
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  Speaker 2: way in which it goes about its implementational policies. And
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  Speaker 2: we'll also be making those recommendations of the Commonwealth. So
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  Speaker 2: once we get the evidence in, we'll assess that and
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  Speaker 2: we'll look towards we'll write a report. Of course it
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  Speaker 2: goes back to the Senate will make recommendations.
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  Speaker 1: And Senator, have you had sort of much I guess
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  Speaker 1: pre feedback or pre discussion, because obviously we've got you know,
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  Speaker 1: we've got the likes of MELANDERR. McCarthy here in the
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  Speaker 1: Territory who has spoken about this issue before, same as
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  Speaker 1: Marian Scrimjaw and also just Enter Price and Looke Gosling
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  Speaker 1: like they've all been vocal in different ways on this issue.
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  Speaker 1: Have you had much feedback before these hearings get underway.
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  Speaker 2: Well, this terms of reference has come to the committee
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  Speaker 2: I chair was moved by Melanderry McCarthy. Senator McCarthy, she
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  Speaker 2: moved it and that's why we're undertaking the inquiry. Marion
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  Speaker 2: Scrimmager will be on the Committee as a member of
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  Speaker 2: the it's a joint House committee, so the House of
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  Speaker 2: Reps and Senators will be on it. Senator Little, who's
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  Speaker 2: also a Liberal Senator from South Australia but with Broots
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  Speaker 2: and Olla Springs will be on it, and the Senator
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  Speaker 2: Thorpe of course from Victoria Green Senator, will be on
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  Speaker 2: the committee as well. So it's a committee that has
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  Speaker 2: got a cross section of the parliamentary parties and it will,
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  Speaker 2: no doubt those various parties will have their perspectives. We've
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  Speaker 2: heard obviously concerns that Senator Price has raised from time
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  Speaker 2: to time in the Senate and outside the Senate, and
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  Speaker 2: of course the concerns both of Senator McCarthy and and
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  Speaker 2: of Marion Scrimmager have been very clearly put in the
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  Speaker 2: ALP Caucus for First Nations on several occasions.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I think it'll be really fascinating to see exactly
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  Speaker 1: what comes out of those hearings, Senator, before I let
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  Speaker 1: you go, can anybody attend or is it something where
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  Speaker 1: you've sort of got to you know, it's got to
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  Speaker 1: have been pre arranged.
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  Speaker 2: No, No, these are public hearings of the of the committee.
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  Speaker 2: It's they're taken under under rape by people that present.
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  Speaker 2: It's it's as if you're attending a session of the Parliament.
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  Speaker 2: So it's it's the respect that's accorded to people that
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  Speaker 2: we require will be the same standard as you get
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  Speaker 2: from the Parliament. But it's able to the public to
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  Speaker 2: come along and observe and see what's going on.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we really appreciate you having a chat with us
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  Speaker 1: this morning let us know a bit more about it.
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  Speaker 1: Committee Chair and Senator Patrick Dodson, thank you so much
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  Speaker 1: for your time.
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  Speaker 2: Good on, Thanks very much, thank you.