Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Northern Territory National Emergency Response and Other Measures) Bill 2007

The majority voted in favour of a motion "That schedule 4 stand as printed", which means that the schedule will remain unchanged. This motion was put in response to a motion to oppose schedule 4, which was introduced by Australian Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett.(Read Senator Bartlett's explanation of his amendment here. )

Schedule 4 effectively scraps the current access arrangements to Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory. Currently, a person requires a permit to access Aboriginal land unless they are an Aboriginal person who enter on the basis of Aboriginal tradition. The schedule changes this and allows entry for a wide range of people.(Read more about schedule 4 in the bills digest. )

Background to the bills

The Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Northern Territory National Emergency Response and Other Measures) Bill 2007 was introduced along with four other bills:

• the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Payment Reform) Bill 2007
• the Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007
• the Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 1) 2007-2008, and
• the Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 2) 2007-2008.

This legislation was introduced in response to the Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, known as the Little Children are Sacred report, which was publicly released on 15 June 2007.(Read more about the background of the bills in the interim bills digest. ) That report came after concerns were raised on ABC's Lateline program in 2006.(Read the transcript for the Lateline programs that addressed the issue of child abuse in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory here (the May 2006 program) and here (the June 2006 program).)