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Speaker 1: We know that the Prime Minister was indeed in Alice Springs.

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Speaker 1: Last week he announced eight hundred and forty two point

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Speaker 1: six million dollars over six years to deliver the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory Remote Aboriginal Investment, which includes continuation of essential services

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Speaker 1: for remote communities, including policing, women's safety, education and alcohol

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Speaker 1: harm reduction. Today the Prime Minister is going to be

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Speaker 1: delivering his closing the Gap speech in Parliament House in Canberra,

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Speaker 1: and the Federal Member four Lingiari Marian Scrimjaw joins me

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Speaker 1: on the line. Good morning to you, Marian.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. How are you.

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Speaker 1: You're really good. Thank you so much for your time

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Speaker 1: this morning. Now, Marion, there is a lot to discuss. Obviously,

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Speaker 1: we'd invited you on on the good news that the

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Speaker 1: Prime Minister was in Alice making that massive announcement on Friday.

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Speaker 1: We know today he's delivering the closing the Gap speech,

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Speaker 1: but then we also know over the course of the

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Speaker 1: weekend we've learned that a woman was killed in what

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Speaker 1: is believed to be suspicious circumstances in Alice Springs. We've

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Speaker 1: also learned that a little boy was sexually assaulted in

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Speaker 1: a remote community. The alleged defender set to appear in

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Speaker 1: court today. Marion, I don't really know where to start,

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Speaker 1: because every time, you know, I hear of these kind

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Speaker 1: of incidents, I feel pretty heartbroken about the state of

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, look, it just seems like doesn't rain and

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Speaker 2: it paused, you know. And I know that on the

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Speaker 2: weekend I was, you know that little one up in

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Speaker 2: the top end. The woman murdered again yesterday. You know,

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Speaker 2: it just seems like this tough is just going on

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Speaker 2: and on and despite and that's why I think we

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Speaker 2: need to have a look at I mean, one of

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Speaker 2: the things that we and the Prime Minister said this

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Speaker 2: the other day that if the money that we've committed

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Speaker 2: for this remote access program doesn't hit the ground or

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Speaker 2: make a difference, we need to have a look at it.

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Speaker 2: We need to stop doing the same thing because doing

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Speaker 2: the same things means we're getting the same results, which

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Speaker 2: means we're getting the same you know, bad dysfunction that's

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Speaker 2: coming out of some of these communities. That little one

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Speaker 2: is it's not good enough, you know, like we've got

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Speaker 2: to stop having you know, this sort of stuff happening

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Speaker 2: in our remote communities. And that's why I was concerned

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Speaker 2: about what was happening with policing across the Northern Territory KD.

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Speaker 2: We've got there's been substantial money and it's the same

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Speaker 2: in this Remote Access Investment program. Is that there is

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Speaker 2: you know, substantial money on the ground for policing. Now

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Speaker 2: why are we still seeing that the same bad results.

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Speaker 2: We've got to start having a look at. And I'm

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Speaker 2: not pointing the finger at police or you know. I

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Speaker 2: think that the Commission and other everyone needs to take

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Speaker 2: a collective responsibility here and all whatk together to try

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Speaker 2: and get better results, including communities. I think our community,

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Speaker 2: our leadership people need to start taking some responsibility for

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Speaker 2: what is happening on the ground in our communities. The

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory government can have a look at under the

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Speaker 2: Inquiries Act in the Northern Territory, an inquiry or an

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Speaker 2: audit or you of you know, what's happening with domestic

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Speaker 2: and family violence. And I think if we look at

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Speaker 2: just that one issue, the issue of grog Katie. So

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Speaker 2: if we look at the woman who was murdered on

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Speaker 2: the weekend or allegedly murdered in Alice Springs, on the weekends.

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Speaker 2: You know, alcohol was a big factor in a lot

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Speaker 2: of facts. So you know, grow is still a huge

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Speaker 2: factor in the deaths of these women. You know, did

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Speaker 2: them how did the assault of that little one come about?

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Speaker 2: So we just I think, you know, the Northern Territory government,

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Speaker 2: it doesn't need the federal government to put a royal

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Speaker 2: commission in place, because if we're going to do a

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Speaker 2: royal commission, we should look right across Australia because the

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Speaker 2: rates of young people and that abuse is widespread and

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Speaker 2: it happens across all cultures. But if we want to

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Speaker 2: just do something with the territory, the Northern Territory Government

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Speaker 2: can use the same mechanisms that Claire Martin did with

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Speaker 2: the Little Children of Sacred report, and that is, you know,

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Speaker 2: establish an inquiry under the Inquiries Acting the Northern Territory

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Speaker 2: to look specifically at this this issue. And I think

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Speaker 2: that that's probably something that the Achievements that can do,

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Speaker 2: and you know, I'd give her full support with that.

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Speaker 2: I think it's really important that we take the politics

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Speaker 2: out of it and we all work together to try

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Speaker 2: and deal with you know, these depressing stories and they

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Speaker 2: are alarming. I think you know, we we shouldn't be

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Speaker 2: playing politics with this.

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Speaker 1: They really are, and I mean, like, the thing that

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Speaker 1: strikes me is it is on a day you know,

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Speaker 1: we're learning we learned about the the the alleged rape

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Speaker 1: of this little little human on Friday, the same day

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Speaker 1: that you know that the Prime minister's announcing eight hundred

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Speaker 1: and forty two point six million dollars. It's you know,

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Speaker 1: like you feel like you take one step forward and

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Speaker 1: a million back.

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Speaker 2: Look when when we when you know, certainly when when

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Speaker 2: that news came about, you sort of think, my goodness,

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Speaker 2: it's not as if it's not the money and investments

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Speaker 2: not there, but there's something, you know, like what what

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Speaker 2: is something wrong? And something's wrong? So we both you know,

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Speaker 2: there should be bipartisan you know, between all of us

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Speaker 2: to say, okay, you know this is this is quite

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Speaker 2: a critical crisis that you know this is in the

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Speaker 2: you know this is happening, So how do we all

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Speaker 2: work together and get together and stamp with that or

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Speaker 2: at least list to lead on on why this is happening?

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Speaker 2: You know, like it's it's when I finished down here, kay,

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Speaker 2: I'll go I'm going home to my you know, Sewey

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Speaker 2: Island's community. We had another completed suicide of a young

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Speaker 2: woman again on the weekend. So you know, suicide rates

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Speaker 2: aren't going backwards in these communities and that is also

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Speaker 2: a problem, particularly amongst young women. Know why why is

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Speaker 2: this happening amongst young women? And you know it's the

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Speaker 2: last three suicides were young women who were role models,

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Speaker 2: who whose memory shouldn't just you know, maade off into

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Speaker 2: the end of the distance. But you know, like, why

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Speaker 2: is this happening? And lift the lid on community and

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Speaker 2: trying to address this in a real way rather than

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Speaker 2: you know, constantly talking about it or you know, we're

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Speaker 2: all shocked and appalled when it happened. Well, you know,

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Speaker 2: like we've got.

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Speaker 1: To do change. Marion, I, that is terrible to hear

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Speaker 1: that there's been three suicides of young women over that

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Speaker 1: short period of time. It's heartbreaking to hear, along with

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Speaker 1: you know, the other things that we've discussed this morning.

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Speaker 1: And then I mean in terms of this money, In

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Speaker 1: terms of this eight hundred and forty two point six

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Speaker 1: million dollars over six years, it's a phenomenal amount of money.

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Speaker 1: We've had so much money sort of ear marked as

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Speaker 1: well for Alice Springs over the last two years. I

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Speaker 1: want to say, how do we make sure that this

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Speaker 1: money is hitting the ground in the places that it

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Speaker 1: needs to if we're not going to have an order

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Speaker 1: or if we're not going to have a look into

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Speaker 1: whether organizations are meeting their KPIs.

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Speaker 2: I think it's not just organizations, Katie. I think with

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Speaker 2: the money that's going into Alice Springs are fair chunkers

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Speaker 2: that goes into governments, and I think that both governments

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Speaker 2: need to be a cap you know, like where is

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Speaker 2: this what is happening with this money? Because if it's

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Speaker 2: taxpayer's money going from the Commonwealth into the Northern Territory

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Speaker 2: government and then they're then dispersing that money to organizations

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Speaker 2: or you know, into their agencies, and the two agencies

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Speaker 2: that have been the biggest recipients of this money has

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Speaker 2: been police and territory families. So we need to I,

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Speaker 2: you know, I've made the comments that there should be

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Speaker 2: an order and maybe we need to have a look

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Speaker 2: at the bulk of that money that's coming from the

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Speaker 2: Commonwealth government into the Northern Territory and to these two

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Speaker 2: particular agencies. Why aren't we getting the outcomes, Katie, that's

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Speaker 2: a fair question to ask. I don't think it's you know,

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Speaker 2: just because they're government agencies that they're you know, they

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Speaker 2: shouldn't be accountable. I think the accountability in terms of

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Speaker 2: child protection and what's happening. You know, there was a

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Speaker 2: story in The Australian of a person who's been in

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Speaker 2: these communities and going over you know, for thirty five

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Speaker 2: odd years. Well, and if we're seeing these changes happening,

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Speaker 2: it's mandatory reporting. If there are you know, behaviors and

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Speaker 2: other things that are happening, people should be reporting these behaviors.

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Speaker 1: So are you worried then potentially people are to territory

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Speaker 1: families and these not being action taken.

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Speaker 2: Well, that's what needs to be looked at, Katie, because

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Speaker 2: I think that only with the reporting and then the

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Speaker 2: substantiation and the substantiation of those reports you know, often

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Speaker 2: takes you know, that will then mobilized not just territory

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Speaker 2: families investigators, but also the place. So we've got to

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Speaker 2: have a look at you know, are the reports are

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Speaker 2: people reporting you know, this behavior and looking at with

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Speaker 2: these communities. But the other concern that I have with

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Speaker 2: all of that, Katie, is do we have the resources

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Speaker 2: of the Territory Family investigative practitioners not just ordinary offices,

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Speaker 2: but people who can go in and investigate, you know,

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Speaker 2: what's happening on the ground than these communities. I get that,

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Speaker 2: you know, there's got to be a relationship between the department,

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Speaker 2: you know, territory families and communities, but you don't want

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Speaker 2: to have that relationship where it blows the light in

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Speaker 2: terms of accountability and responsibility. And I've yet to meet,

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Speaker 2: you know, a child protection officer that would you know,

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Speaker 2: turn a blind eye to this stuff. But are they

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Speaker 2: stretch for resources? You know, this is the sort of

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Speaker 2: discussion and work that needs to be done here.

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Speaker 1: So ultimately you would like to see an audit into

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Speaker 1: those resources and all the territory police and also into

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Speaker 1: territory families.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, I think that the you know, I remember

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Speaker 2: some comments that the Chief Minister made that she said

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Speaker 2: that she was going to have a look at this.

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Speaker 2: I think her senator and her members have been talking

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Speaker 2: about this for some time. But I think that we've

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Speaker 2: just got to all work together to try and look

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Speaker 2: at why aren't we getting the outcome and where you know,

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Speaker 2: let's start with government services on the ground in these

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Speaker 2: communities because in a lot of places you don't have

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Speaker 2: NGOs delivering that service. It's government now.

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Speaker 1: Marion, before I let you go, and I know that

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Speaker 1: we've gone. You know, we're sort of we're floating around

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Speaker 1: on topics here. But you know, in relation to the

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Speaker 1: closing the gap speech that the Prime Minister is set

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Speaker 1: to deliver today, I mean, do you feel that we've

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Speaker 1: still got a long way to go?

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Speaker 2: Look, I we often say that, Katie, but I think

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Speaker 2: that if we all work together and we mobilize altogether,

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Speaker 2: and we take the politics out of the debate, because

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Speaker 2: I think that's we often say that nia, you know,

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Speaker 2: and then we all say, oh, yeah, but this isn't

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Speaker 2: you know, but it needs the politics. I think if

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Speaker 2: we remove the politics from this debate, I think we

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Speaker 2: could mobilize a whole lot of goodwill and make things happen.

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Speaker 1: Get things moving more quickly. Marion. Just lastly, before I

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Speaker 1: let you go, I know that there's been discussion this

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Speaker 1: morning about the state of Northern Territory prisons, particularly our

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Speaker 1: watch houses. Senator Malandary McCarthy, so she'd like to have

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Speaker 1: a look inside those prisons. What do you make of

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Speaker 1: all of this.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I think you know, I think people the

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Speaker 2: Melanderi has said to me that she's asked the Chief

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Speaker 2: Minister to go and have a look. I know that,

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Speaker 2: you know, the overcrowding and other things. And again Katie

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Speaker 2: liked this, like this issue. We've all just got to

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Speaker 2: try and work together to fix this. I don't you know.

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Speaker 2: I think we've got to stop the demand of tough

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Speaker 2: on crime and we're locking people up. I think, yes,

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Speaker 2: people are in there for a reason, but that reason

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Speaker 2: should not be or stop government from providing rehabilitation and

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Speaker 2: making sure that when that person exits out of that

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Speaker 2: system that they're going to be a better person, not

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Speaker 2: one that's full of anger.

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Speaker 1: Well, Marion scrim Draw Northern Territory member, or well actually

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Speaker 1: federal member, I should say for Lingiari Labor member, we

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Speaker 1: really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much

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Speaker 1: for having a chat with us.

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Speaker 2: No worries, thank you, thank you.

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Speaker 1: See ya