Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

We would certainly welcome bipartisan agreement from the Australian Labor Party on the measures that are necessary to deal with violence in Aboriginal communities. The measures which are necessary include additional policing; they include bringing offenders before courts; they include ensuring that there are proper penalties; and they include a very clear and very direct message to all Australians, including Indigenous Australians, that there is no justification—no cultural justification and no other justification—for offences against persons. We would certainly welcome the assistance of the Northern Territory Labor government in ensuring that adequate police resources are made available in relation to those communities.

See this speech in context