The Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs held hearings over three days last week in Darwin and Alice Springs. These hearings were part of the Committee’s inquiry into the community safety, support services and job opportunities in the Northern Territory.
We heard from a wide range of witnesses, including peak organisations, Aboriginal and mainstream organisations and service providers, individuals, businesses, and industry in these communities. We also attended two site visits with the Youth Outreach Engagement Team and at the Alternative to Custody Life Skills Camp.
It was an incredibly important opportunity for the committee to be on the ground and hear directly from community members as part of this inquiry. We are very grateful for all those who provided evidence by sharing their experiences, expertise, concerns, and solutions.
The Committee will report the evidence at the conclusion of its inquiry. Some of the key themes emerging from these hearings are:
- the importance of local, community-led initiatives to support community development and provide opportunities across all areas of the Committee’s terms of reference
- a call for these local initiatives to be supported by governments, but in a different way that may require systemic or funding reform
- the desire to work together so the community can flourish, which requires addressing the issues contributing to alcohol abuse and related harm
- the need to focus on prevention and early intervention to address root causes, not just symptoms.
Submissions for the inquiry are open until 16 January 2023 for those who wish to provide evidence. The Committee previously heard from the NT Government, NT Police and the National Indigenous Australians Agency. Further virtual hearings will be held over the coming months before the Committee is required to report on its findings by 1 March 2023.
For more information about this committee and its inquiry, including the terms of reference and instructions on making a submission, please visit the inquiry webpage.
