Senate debates

Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Payment Reform) Bill 2007; Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007; Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Northern Territory National Emergency Response and Other Measures) Bill 2007; Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 1) 2007-2008; Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 2) 2007-2008

In Committee

11:27 am

Photo of Nigel ScullionNigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

I understand that the short answer is that it must be consistent with the emergency intervention, and we need to remind ourselves that the reason we are having this intervention is to prevent child abuse. There may well be circumstances where an individual in the community is not consistent with the intervention, and it may well be that they are under investigation for these perpetrations—there could be a whole suite of issues. But the Commonwealth maintains, so that there is the capacity to ensure that the emergency intervention protects children and families, the right to potentially exclude somebody—perhaps even a traditional owner—in those particular circumstances. I cannot go to the exact nature of the circumstances—I imagine they would be broad—but it would be consistent with the emergency intervention.

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