Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

No, it is not a shame. I am looking at the shadow minister for Indigenous affairs. It is a shame. It is a disgrace that time and time again this House plays politics with such an important issue. This issue needs both sides of the House to work together to try and resolve the issues that we are seeing and have been faced with in the Northern Territory for a long time.

I spent all last weekend with the federal Minister for Indigenous Australians and met with many groups across Alice Springs and the town camps. Where was Senator Price? She was missing in action, which is what has happened over the last three months in Alice Springs. When that community called for leadership, all she wanted was to play mere politics. This is beyond the political games that get played. This is about people's lives. It is about Aboriginal women and children. There are many men who are non-drinkers but we forget about that because of the cheap politics that is constantly played in this House. We must stop the political games. This motion is nothing more than political point scoring and, quite frankly, Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory are sick of it.

Debate adjourned.

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