Minister for Indigenous Australians
NAT TENCIC, HOST: In 2023, the Australian Government committed $23.5 million to improving health outcomes for Central Australian Aboriginal communities, including 5 million for a health hub operated by Congress. That facility has officially opened today and Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy was there. She joins me now to speak on this and a number of other issues. Senator, good afternoon.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: Hello Nat. And hello to all your listeners. Lovely to join you this afternoon.
HOST: It's lovely to speak to you. I mean let's start with the immediate issue that's been facing the community because it has been quite a week to be in town. How are you feeling about the case of missing 5-year-old Sharon Granites?
MINISTER: Deeply saddened at the thought that she still has not been found, but incredibly grateful for the coming together of the Alice Springs community in working with Northern Territory police and emergency services and with Tangentyere Council. The family's no doubt, very appreciative of that too. But like everyone, we want to be able to find this beautiful little girl.
HOST: Absolutely. You've been out volunteering. I saw some video of you helping out the volunteers with food today. How was the mood? Did you speak with anyone? How are they going?
MINISTER: Absolutely, I spoke to a lot of people. It was important that Marion Scrymgour and I were able to deliver some food from around local businesses here in Alice Springs as well who've donated all of these things, whether it's the fruit, the bakery, in terms of water and other replenishments. We were able to then speak to the volunteers, people who've just come together to support in some way what's going on. But also, to the Tangentyere staff. There's been over 100 staff from Tangentyere who've been there since it all began to set up and establish this base camp with Northern Territory police for people to come and gather and give their support.
HOST: It has been an amazing amount of people who have put their energy and effort in to searching tirelessly. Do you have a message for the community at this time?
MINISTER: A heartfelt thank you to each and every person who's come out to the area to walk through the long grass, the rocky terrain, to be able to assist in some way. To the police personnel who've come from across the Northern Territory to NORFORCE, who were there from day one as well as to assist the families and look for this little beautiful girl, to all of them. But I must also say, too, Nat, I've had phone calls from family members as far as Kalkarindji, who've rang me to talk about how they're feeling. So, this has stretched very far across the Northern Territory, in terms of kinship relationships with beautiful little Sharon and her family. Their family stretches, many people would know, not just around Central Australia, but as far up as Kalkarindji as well.
HOST: We've been talking a lot about local support. Is there any support coming from federal agencies or the AFP? Has this been discussed with your colleagues in Canberra?
MINISTER: Well, the Prime Minister came out yesterday. It was important that he was very aware of what was going on and expressed his thoughts on behalf of Australians, because there is no doubt communities right across the country are thinking of the families of Alice Springs, in particular Sharon's family. But also, in terms of assistance, I've certainly said to the Northern Territory police that I've met, that we're here. Obviously, they know what they need and without a doubt, I'm sure there would be further assistance if required.
HOST: Let's turn to the opening of Congress' $5 million health hub. You're here for that as well. How did it look, moving through it and seeing that project come to completion?
MINISTER: It was wonderful to see it, Nat, without a doubt. To have seen it, in terms of just bare dirt and to see that building there and know that so many hundreds of staff will call that place their office, but so many thousands of people will see that this will benefit their health in Central Australia. And I commend the Congress Board for the work they've done, not just in the last couple of years, but over five decades. All of those board members, previous chairs, people who've long since passed, who believed in the future of Congress and its ability to assist the community of Central Australia.
HOST: What will the new hub be able to deliver for Indigenous Central Australians?
MINISTER: As it continues now in terms of medical assistance, in terms of primary health care, in terms of looking at research. We have also at the federal level, provided across Australia, 500 positions for health practitioner traineeships, many of whom are going to be based here in the Congress hub. So, it covers every spectrum of any medical need in terms of what Congress can do, what the specialists can do, what the doctors can do, but also training others about ordinary educational healthy living.
HOST: You're hearing from Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, the Minister for Indigenous Australians. We're talking about the opening of the Congress Health Hub, which will expand Congress' services to Aboriginal Australians living in the Centre. Why is it important from the federal government's point of view to invest in community-controlled healthcare? And is that a priority going forward when it comes to Aboriginal health across the country?
MINISTER: The Aboriginal community-controlled sector has shown that it does work when it's resourced and supported appropriately, both at the Northern Territory and federal level, but across state governments. And I've seen that with the Closing the Gap, part of the agreement in Closing the Gap is to actually work in partnership with First Nations communities and organisations. And this opening of Congress and the work that Congress does is a really clear example of what happens when you have that really strong partnership between government and the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector. Mark Butler, who spoke today at the opening, made reference to what happened throughout Covid, when the Aboriginal community-controlled sector, like Congress, stepped in and were able to give as much support and information to First Nations people in order to protect them against Covid during that pandemic and work with the government of the day. So, the community-controlled sector is absolutely essential.
HOST: Let's turn now, Senator McCarthy, to the inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Submissions for that closes on Friday. What was the impetus for the inquiry?
MINISTER: On 26 January we saw an attempted bombing of nearly 2,000 people at a rally in Perth, a very peaceful rally. And from there, there were many repercussions really in terms of deep trauma for those people. But there was also a sense that Australia had not really noticed that this was also a very racist sort of attack that occurred in terms of the people, the way they felt. And it was shared also in terms of what had happened in Melbourne with Camp Sovereignty, Nat, when you had neo-Nazis who had allegedly stormed that area deliberately with Aboriginal people. And so, you're coming out of the height of what happened at Bondi and the rise in extremism and hate, and First Nations people across the country had reached out to me and said, this is what we're experiencing. This is just exacerbated to such a point. We feel very fearful. So, I wrote to the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs in the Parliament and requested that they do an inquiry to enable First Nations organisations, those people who work in this sector, to actually provide submissions so the Parliament could actually be aware of just how serious is this across Australia. And I have to say that the Parliament also came together to actually condemn what happened in Boorloo, Perth, and it was a unanimous condemnation. And so, this inquiry is enabling First Nations people to speak to the Parliament through that committee, and submissions are being requested now. They will be taken up until Friday and then the hearings actually start on Friday in Sydney. And the Chair, Senator Jana Stewart, will be guiding that inquiry and people can go online to see where they will be holding public hearings.
HOST: What do you envision the outcomes and actions off the back of this inquiry to be? I guess from a policy perspective, what can we do to tackle racism?
MINISTER: Well, part of the Parliament's role is to tap into where the people of Australia are at and First Nations people have a real opportunity here to be heard. Those people and their allies, people who work in the space of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs. This is an opportunity for the Parliament of Australia to listen. And that's what I'm asking the Parliament of Australia to do, is to listen to the Australian people. And let's see what comes through in these submissions and this inquiry.
HOST: Could there be potentially harsher penalties for hate speech as we've been, I suppose, seeing wielded across state governments for anti anti-Semitic speech, some of those laws that have been added in that way. Could there be some legislative changes that come as a result of this inquiry?
MINISTER: Well, the Federal Parliament does make laws for Australia and quite clearly like any inquiry, once the recommendations come down, then of course we look at those recommendations and make a judgement on what we do next. So, that is certainly one area that it can go to in terms of legislation, but it may also be other policy areas and there may also be other repercussions for state and territory Parliaments. It depends. So, really this is an opportunity for the Parliament of Australia to listen to the people of Australia on what this means in terms of our first peoples in this country.
HOST: Senator McCarthy, thanks so much for your time this afternoon.
MINISTER: Thank you.
