Garma festival sees pressure put on federal government to tie NT funding to Indigenous outcomes
Education Minister Jason Clare made the remark at the Garma Festival, after Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden issued a grim warning to the federal government ministers in attendance.
'It is a destructive tide that keeps breaking in on Aboriginal people,' Ms Bowden said.
'If we do not stem this tide of history, it will do its work and wash away the ancient knowledge and the ceremonies and traditions that keep the world in balance and give us hope.
'Don't be fooled by the beauty of Garma. The day-to-day life of Yolŋu people remains forever challenging. It's exhausting, it is soul-crushing.
"Action is needed now. Don't leave Garma and put things on endless repeat, don't be fooled into thinking your attendance here is enough."
Shortly after her address, Mr Clare was asked what his obligations were as education minister.
"It's not a blank cheque. The money has got to be tied to the sorts of things that we know work," Mr Clare said.
"I want kids in school, not in jail, and that's what that funding is all about."
The shift in language comes amid increasing pressure on the federal government to use all powers at its disposal, including funding arrangements, to compel the CLP Territory government to meet its obligations under the Closing the Gap agreement.
The CLP government was elected in 2024 and has brought a "tough on crime agenda" to the territory, including lowering the age of criminal responsibility and reinstating the use of spit hoods in youth detention.
The North Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency estimates 40 Indigenous people have been taken into custody every day since the CLP came to power, and overall prison populations have increased by 40 per cent from 2019 to June 2024.
The policies have received significant pushback, especially from Indigenous communities and organisations, including the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, which says the CLP government is refusing to meet or consult on legislation that will result in more Aboriginal people in prisons.
Independent member for Mulka and Yolŋu man Yingiya Guluya said the federal government must stop funding the territory government if the money was being used to put Indigenous children in prison.
"I need to send a message to the federal government: stop sending money, providing money to the Northern Territory government to build more prisons," he said.
"It is systemic racism what's happening. Not looking after and listening to the Indigenous people, and we're not having a fair go."
The calls for the federal government to intervene in the funding arrangement between the Commonwealth and the territory first came from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), which has reported children as young as 11 being kept in watch houses for 48 hours, where they are alongside adults and the lights remain on 24 hours a day.
Mr Guluya has visited watch houses and described the situation as "worse than a third world country".
"I couldn't believe it, my tears just fell out," he said.
"My heart was heavy to see young children, especially young girls staying in a watch house for a day or two or more.
"The facility they live in is just outrageous. It's a horror.
"It's the system that government is creating there."
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said she shared concerns about the incarceration of children.
"I am deeply troubled by what I've seen and what I have heard, and this is a conversation I'd like to have directly with the chief minister," she said.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss said while Garma had seen some "good announcements" from the federal government, big agenda items were not addressed.
"The elephant in the room is our kids in out-of-home care and our kids in detention centres and deaths in custody that didn't even get a mention," Commissioner Kiss said.
"All the money over here doesn't make a difference if that child can't leverage a future that's meaningful for themselves."
Mr Guluya is calling for funding to be allocated to Indigenous communities to create on-country rehabilitation centres and keep children out of prisons.
"Rather, listen to us in the community, and we want to build a rehabilitation centre on country. Resource to Indigenous people so that we build a proper education centre, learning centres, and so that young people learn to become, to know and understand who they really are."
The NT government has been approached for comment.
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