Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Indigenous Australians. Recently your Labor colleagues in the NT parliament—all of whom are Aboriginal people—voted in favour of a motion for an independent body at the Commonwealth level with powers to investigate and enforce change in relation to all First People's deaths in custody. The motion was defeated by the racist CLP government. Do you agree with your Aboriginal NT Labor colleagues that this body is needed?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Wong, on a point of order?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With respect, I'd ask you to request that the senator rephrase the question. That is very clearly both a request about an opinion but also about an opinion in relation to the territory legislature, both of which are not within the bounds of the standing orders.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They're racist!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, I'm actually trying to be helpful. There are ways you can ask a similar question without crossing both of those boundaries in the standing orders.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're a government that doesn't like black people!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, the intention of your question is clear and that is is it the intention of the government to establish a body? But I would ask you to take on board the comment Senator Wong has made. Further I ask you to withdraw the comments you made about the NT government.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Violence of the colony—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe—

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Thorpe, for the question. This is an issue that does affect, deeply, the people of the Northern Territory—particularly those who represent First Nations families across the Northern Territory. Those would be the bush members, largely, that Senator Thorpe is referring to, and I know this is really difficult. My job, though, is to make sure that, in terms of justice, the issues that are raised around incarceration and deaths in custody are a focus right across every state and territory jurisdiction. My role is to work with both the Northern Territory and all of the other states and territories on the concerns we have at the Commonwealth level about those high rates of incarceration.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. Have you completed your answer? You have. Senator Thorpe, first supplementary?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I had a point of order.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has completed her answer.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before she sat down, I stood up, President, as I had a point of order.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, the minister has resumed her seat. I'm going to invite you to put your first supplementary.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Your Prime Minister was recently asked about taking Commonwealth action on deaths in custody. He used the excuse that he needs to be convinced that people in Canberra know better than people in the NT. Now NT Aboriginal members of your Labor government are calling for Commonwealth action. Will federal Labor act or what?

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Thorpe. I do believe I answered the substantial part of your question in your previous one. Yes, we are acting. In terms of the relationships through the Coalition of Peaks and through my work with Pat Turner as co-chair, we are trying to deal with the high rates of incarceration and the concerns we have around deaths in custody. The Prime Minister is supportive of this, my colleagues are supportive of this, and I am working, and continue to do so—as I do also with Senator Thorpe—to try and make a difference in terms of the justice issues in the states and territories.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, second supplementary?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week we heard the heartbreaking and angering news that yet another First Nations person has died in custody, and they keep dying in custody. A young 21-year-old woman with her whole life ahead of her was killed in custody. How many more deaths are you and your Prime Minister willing to accept before you use the powers you have?

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I certainly put on the record that this isn't about wanting to see any early deaths of anyone at all—whether it's in prisons or out of prisons for that matter. I have spoken with the crossbenchers in particular, Senator Thorpe, on the direction that I'm taking in working with the states and territories to ensure that the concerns that we've raised around the high incarceration rates and the deaths in custody are being listened to.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister McCarthy, please resume your seat. Senator Thorpe.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just want to know when you're going to use the powers—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, why are you on your feet?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, President. Obviously I'm on my feet.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But are you on a point of order?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on relevance. The question is whether the minister is going to use her federal powers to stop the deaths that continue to rise of Aboriginal people in custody.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Thorpe. The minister is being directly relevant to your question. Minister McCarthy.

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the preparation that I am doing in regard to joint council meeting with the Coalition of Peaks, of course the federal funding—that's the relationships that we have with states and territories—is an area that I am looking at and trying to work on with my colleagues to see if we can absolutely hold states and territories to account.