The Wire

Tomorrow, the Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough will introduce the Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill into parliament. Parts of the Federal Government’s controversial intervention plan in response to widespread reports of child abuse in the Northern Territory are already underway, some health checks occurring in some remote communities over the past couple of weeks. However, the government will be unable to implement broader changes, such as the quarantining of some welfare system as well as changes to the permit system, without the passage of this legislation. But, a group of Indigenous leaders are determined to stop some of the more controversial aspects of the plan. These include the scrapping of the permit system as well as laws that will enable the federal government to take over some communities in leases of up to fie years. One of the members of the delegation is Pat Turner. She’s also the head of National Indigenous Television.