Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, , 7:18:00 to 7:27:26
Discussion on the success of on-country healing centers in the Anindilyakwa region and the critical impact of service cuts to the Bush Bus in Central Australia.
Topics: Youth justice, Infrastructure, First Nations
Speakers: Senator David Shoebridge, Les Turner, Ricky Sar, Hon Malarndirri McCarthy, Speaker 41, Senator Karen Grogan
>> Thank you. Thank you very much. Um we'll go to Senator. [clears throat] Oh. Oh,
thanks chair. And and sort of being creative about making both a keeping place and a protection place, keeping um those kinds of um ideas coming from from Tiwi count tee lands council is, you know, incredibly important work. And um thank you for doing what you do to to make sure you're protecting that history and protecting those remains. It's incredibly important. Um I also just want to acknowledge the extraordinary work of Northern Lands Council. I think that 800,000 hectares of First Nations managed marine lands. I know you spoke about it for about 30 seconds, but I just want to acknowledge the decade plus of work that's gone into that and the incredible achievements. So, um to the extent possible, can I just ask you to pass that on the gratitude for probably a generation of people who have done that work and seen it finally come to fruition. It's extraordinary. >> Yeah. Um um and and can I can I also say to um our friends from Groot the um an Indilaki I'm sorry I mispronounced that and Indilya lands council um uh uh we had the great privilege to go onto your country and you are incredibly generous hosts to the legal and constitutional affairs committee. um you showed us your beautiful country and and can I just give um my incredible appreciation for some of the work you've been doing there including the 32 bed healing center and perhaps I might ask you to just briefly tell this committee about some of the incredible work you're doing preventing people getting caught up in the criminal justice system but instead dealing them with healing on country. Could you briefly tell us that?
Thank you, Senator Shu Briden. It was it was a privilege to have you and the um the other um standing committee come on to country. I'm going to pass some time over to um tradition Mie McKente cuz he's on the committee justice group. But before I um pass the time over to him, um it is one of numerous programs we have on Rhode Island that is a huge success story. I'm deeply deeply proud of the community justice program and the success of that program is the face to face going in going into the families and case manager and fans understanding uh what brought them to that that particular situation and then the the the cream on the pot is the um as you rightly put it is the healing center and um we're hoping we can replicate that that program in other areas but anyway I'll pass some time over to Maddie
Thank you, Koopa. Thank you, Senator. Yeah, Matthew McKenzie. I'm actually the founder of the program, Community Justice Group. I've been on the program for quite a while now. Uh yeah, regarding the ent healing center, I've actually overseeed that. And the reason why we actually build that on our own land, it's about bringing our people to do their time in their own country. So it's a 32 bed at the moment with quite about 10 inmates.
>> Um
>> so it lot sorry it's a lot uh cheaper than bringing our people here to attend family's funeral because sometimes it cost us nearly over 10 grand to bring our people here to attend family's funeral.
>> And if if I could add senator um it's the healing power of country. Um these are program that are owned and delivered by traditional owners for their people.
>> Yeah. C can I say all of that work on country and preventing people being taken off the island and being sucked up into the criminal justice system every time you do that it's a cultural win and I really want to thank you for it. Um I do have some questions to the um central land council. The first is about the Bush bus. The NT infrastructure minister said that the um the Bush bus missed out on 25 26 funding and my understanding is that this means that there's at least five of their routes that are not being operated. Um what's been the impact of that and and what are you asking for?
>> Uh thank you [clears throat] Senator Schub. Turn the CEO at the Central Land Council. Yeah, we were made aware of the cut to the Bush Bus service um by the Northern Territory government and by the owners of Bush Bus. We actually found out through a meeting at the hospital. in terms of the concerns we have, it's the most equitable and efficient transport service. and the subsidy it was working. Um in terms of the community, it misses out on transport of constituents into town to meet um with doctors, hospital appointments, also for food. It also delivers freight medicines out to communities. And we also learned that the NT government had cut the subsidy on those routes that you mentioned. And we have written to the treasurer of the Northern Territory government asking for that to be reinstated. We have not heard back from the treasurer and we've also raised our concerns in the the Northern Territory
Um, minister, have you >> have you heard about the cancellation of these bush bus services, the five routes for the bush bus, which is my understanding is people can't get food, people can't get um family connected. It's creating difficulties in the in the justice system. Like it there seems to me to be a really really critical services that have been ripped out from these communities.
>> Thank you, Senator Shoebridge. Uh yes, I am aware of it. Uh I have uh certainly seen the news on it. I haven't been approached directly from my understanding in terms of uh uh any letters uh or uh direct contact with me, but I am very aware of it. I have asked uh for uh my agency and certainly Central Australia to actually keep an eye on that and see what we can do. Is
any of the money that the NT government had in the remote transport program budget, which I think was about 3.1 million, has any of that come from the Commonwealth? And are you willing to look to that as to whether or not if the NT government's unwilling to provide it to the bush bus? We spoke earlier about direct funding. >> Is this a case of direct funding?
>> We certainly provide through the NA significant amount of funding. Uh, Senator Shoebridge, I would have to take on notice uh how that's broken down in terms of uh the bush bus. Uh, and I'm certainly happy to take that.
>> Yeah, I mean, I've I've I heard through the CLC um and maybe the CLC could give some details about this. People been basically abandoned in Ellis Springs after they've um gone to see a doctor. Um, no way home. um the overcrowding that's already endemic in some of those uh family homes is just being further aggravated because of the cancellation of the bush bush. Is is that happening
Turner? Yes, that's correct. can also in terms of the accommodation when people are stuck in town it's stretching a originalinal host with their um transient hostile in in terms of um corrections people just being dropped off in town as well with no service to deliver you know people back home back on the country where the bush bust you know served that purpose but um it's an issue that we continue to raise with the northern and territory government.
Minister, could I ask you um given what we we've heard again from sale from Central Lands Council, could I ask you will you directly raise that with the NT government now and and go through that process to see if any of that funding that was previously allocated through the remote transport program budget has been Commonwealth funding? Uh we will
certainly be asking that question but we already have been through the infrastructure uh minister here at the Commonwealth level uh and the Northern Territory government. We're very concerned as I've said previously that's why we went to meet uh with the Northern Territory government with the finance minister.
>> Yeah. But I stress in relation to the bush bush bus as we've just heard this impact is happening now like delays in getting it restarted because the Northern Territory government has been bloody minded is having these very real human impacts on a daily basis. >> Will it be addressed with that urgency in mind?
>> Uh there is a lot of urgency on a lot of levels and shoe bridge and they are being dealt with. Yes.