Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Emergency Response Consolidation) Bill 2008

The majority voted against a motion "[t]hat the amendments (Mr Abbott’s) be agreed to", which means that the amendments were unsuccessful.

Liberal MP Tony Abbott's amendments were:

(1) Schedule 1, item 3, clause 204 (at the end of the table), page 3, (lines 9-11), omit the item. (2) Schedule 1, item 10, clause 12, page 5 (line 7) to page 7, line 20, omit the clause, substitute “12 Condition applicable to certain subscription television narrowcasting services provided in the Northern Territory under class licences (3) Schedule 1, item 10, subclause 12(17), page 7, (line 20), after the subclause insert “12A Racial Discrimination Act (4) Schedule 1, item 13, page 8 (lines 23 to 25), omit the item. (5) Schedule 1, item 16, page 9 (line 5) to page 12 (line 10), omit the item. (6) Schedule 2, page 13 (line 2) to page 14 (line 22), omit the Schedule. (7) Schedule 3, page 15 (line 2) to page 16 (line 7), omit the Schedule.

Mr Abbott explained he believes that these amendments were important because they ensure that the Intervention is not "rendered somewhat less effective".(Read Mr Abbott's full explanation of his amendments here. )

Background to the bill

In 2007, the Northern Territory National Emergency Response ('the Intervention') was introduced in response to a report called Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle Little Children are Sacred: The Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse.(Read more about the Little Children are Sacred report here. ) The intervention was controversial and has been a source of ongoing debate.

This latest bill changes and removes some of the measures introduced as part of the Intervention. In summary, it:

• prohibits certain pay television licensees from providing television channels that contain a large amount of R18+ programming to certain prescribed areas;
• permits transporting pornographic material through a prescribed area to a place outside the prescribed area (currently its presence for any purpose is prohibited);
• reintroduces elements of the permit system, which requires visitors to certain Aboriginal areas to first seek permission to enter the area; and
• enables community dependent roadhouses to be licensed as community stores.(See the bills digest for more information.)