David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

There have been two more First Nations deaths in custody in the Northern Territory in less than a week. It means there are two more families who will never get their loved ones home and two more names added to a list that is, shamefully, growing. A 26-year-old First Nations man died inside a Darwin correctional centre, and a 25-year-old First Nations man died after becoming unresponsive, having been arrested and placed in the back of a police van.

First Nations people are massively overrepresented in every statistic on death in custody, and, in the NT, it's a downright travesty and a disgrace. This government, who have argued so forcefully for a Voice for First Nations people, are ignoring the voices of families and experts who are calling for national action. Eighty per cent of every police van in the NT is paid for by the Commonwealth. Eighty per cent of every cell is paid for by the Commonwealth. So, 80 per cent of every death is the responsibility of the Commonwealth. We cannot look away. This is not a run of bad luck in the NT. It is a predictable consequence of a system that locks up Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at extraordinary rates. If you're in the NT and you talk with First Nations peoples and advocates, they'll tell you it's not a justice system in the NT; it's an occupation. It's an occupation of First Nations land, and it's a hostile occupation that is carried out, so often, by the police. It needs to end.

I can't end this contribution on the NT without noting my enormous gratitude for the work and solidarity of Harriet Scandol, who's been the party manager of the NT Greens. She's moving onto another challenge. Harriet, I want to thank you for all your work, thank you for your solidarity, and wish you the best of luck in the future.