Latest news with #MalarndirriMcCarthy
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Chief NT minister rejects independent Aboriginal death-in-custody probe
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT Authorities push back on calls for an independent inquiry into an Alice Springs death in custody The UN demands an independent probe into deaths at Gaza aid points A new call for flares to be allowed back at Australian football games The Northern Territory's chief minister has rejected calls for an external inquiry into the death in custody of a young and mentally disabled Aboriginal man. Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy says an independent death in custody probe might be warranted. A lawyers' group has also called for an independent probe to investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man, who was on the NDIS and under state care. But Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro says police investigations of deaths in custody are appropriate, and that people can have full confidence in officers to do their job. The United Nations has called for an independent probe into civilians being harmed trying to access food in Gaza, after dozens of people were reportedly killed at an aid distribution point. Palestinian health officials say at least 27 people died and more than 90 were injured after Israeli forces fired on people waiting at the aid site for humanitarian assistance in Rafah. The Israeli army says it fired near a few individual suspects who left the designated route, approached its forces and ignored warning shots. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says there should be an immediate and independent investigation into the events to establish what happened. "The basic needs of the population in Gaza are enormous and are not being met. Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to agree to and facilitate humanitarian relief for all civilians who need it. The unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance at scale must be restored immediately." Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof says his coalition government will become a caretaker administration after populist nationalist MP Geert Wilders pulled his ministers out of the cabinet in a dispute about a migration crackdown. The decision means the Netherlands will have a caretaker government when it hosts a summit of leaders from the NATO military alliance in three weeks. The announcement has completed a day of political turmoil in The Hague, sparked by Mr Wilders' decision to turn his back on the ruling coalition. Mr Wilders says he told the Prime Minister his party was not willing to embrace his ideas of halting asylum migration, for which he had demanded immediate support last week. "I just informed the prime minister that I will withdraw the PVV ministers from the cabinet and that we can no longer bear responsibility for this. I signed for the strictest asylum policy, not for the downfall of the Netherlands. And our responsibility for this cabinet therefore also ends at this moment." A new report suggests Australia's charity sector has grown, driven by increasing demand. The 11th edition of the Australian Charities Report says 70,000 more people were employed in the not-for-profit sector in 2023 compared to the previous reporting period, which is 10.7 per cent of Australia's workforce. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission regulates the sector, and Commissioner Sue Woodward says the additional staff is the result of trying to match greater demand for services, especially in food banks and crisis accommodation services. She says those organisations consistently report that cost of living pressures are driving higher demand, sometimes stretching capacity to the point where people seeking help have to be turned away. An influential economic organisation has commented on Australia's housing debate, urging governments to relax zoning restrictions to ease home prices. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development argues that easing zoning restrictions will strengthen competition and productivity, and raise housing investment to reverse the decline in affordability. The OECD says Australia's gross domestic product will grow at 1.8 per cent this year, down 10 basis points from its prediction in March as Donald Trump's tariffs hit demand for Australian exports, especially if China experiences a marked slowdown. The Paris-based policy forum says Australia needs to fix stagnating productivity growth and make housing more affordable to improve its outlook in the long term. To sport, Socceroos veteran player Milos Degenek says he wants to see flares allowed back at Australian football games, saying travelling teams now have it too easy due to fans being over-policed. Football Australia strictly bans flares and other pyrotechnics in and around stadiums, with perpetrators facing hefty bans. Degenek says the Socceroos have played before plenty of hostile crowds over the years in various World Cup qualifying campaigns. He says Australian fans aren't given the scope to return the favour.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Reconciliation Week feels particularly hollow after another death in custody
In Australia's centre, a young Aboriginal man is held down by police officers in plain clothes on the floor of the confectionary aisle in Coles in Alice Springs. There is much we don't know, and may never know, but several important pieces of information are apparent. Kumanjayi White, a vulnerable young Warlpiri man with a disability, is dead in Reconciliation Week, at 24 years of age. Another seismic trauma for a family already in agony. NT Police say Kumanjayi White had put items down the front of his clothing at Coles, when he was confronted by a security guard on Tuesday. In a town where impoverished Aboriginal people live hand-to-mouth, Indigenous disability advocates have questioned whether he was hungry, and how a young man on the NDIS could have ended up dead on the floor of a supermarket. Damian Griffis from the First Peoples Disability Network says his death is devastating. "We're talking about some of the most vulnerable people in Australian society. "First Nations people with disability experience intersectional discrimination based on race and ableism, and too often they are treated as criminals when they should be supported." Police will conduct an investigation into his death. The Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy suggested she'd like to see a probe take place independently — NT Police "respectfully" told the minister it didn't want the inquiry to go to an external body. The relationship between NT Police and Warlpiri elders was already shattered after the high-profile death of Kumanjayi Walker, a 19-year-old man who was shot dead in Yuendumu in 2019. Now the community has another young man to mourn. The NT coroner was due to hand down her findings of the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker in 10 days. It has been one of the longest-running coronial investigations in Australian history, with a focus on systemic racism in the police force. Kumanjayi White's grandfather, the well-known elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, described his community's devastation at seeing his "jaja" (grandson) become another Aboriginal man to die in custody. Add his name to the list of hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died in custody in the past three decades. Young men and women with unrealised dreams and loved ones left behind. Frequently these mob have been in and out of the care of the state since birth, often parented by cold, hard systems which re-traumatise the grandchildren of survivors of the Stolen Generations and the assimilation era. The cases are each unique and tragic in their own way: they have been shot in the dead of night, ignored while they screamed out in pain, dismissed by medical staff, restrained and left unsupervised in jail cells. The pipeline from cells for teenagers to prisons for grown men is often pre-determined. On an average day in Queensland, 70 per cent of young people in prison are Aboriginal. In the NT, prisons are almost exclusively full of blackfellas. This week, Yawuru elder and the former Labor senator Pat Dodson decried Australia's Aboriginal youth justice crisis as an ongoing genocide and an "embarrassing sore". He knows better than anyone what has led to so many Indigenous people coming into contact with police and prisons. A commissioner for the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, he played a role in the seminal investigation which found "a familiar pattern of state intervention into and control of Aboriginal lives." The commission meticulously examined the stories of the Indigenous people who had died, finding they had lived life pushed to the margins, and, crucially, had come into contact with police and prisons frequently. From 1991 until now, we're in the sorry and shameful position of seeing hundreds more die in similar situations. Almost 35 years on, not one single government has felt compelled to properly reckon with the Black deaths inquiry and its broad recommendations to revolutionise the way in which First Nations people are treated in this country. Police reform would be a start. No state or territory leader has dared question whether police forces — with barely any Indigenous officers in their ranks — are capable of properly serving First Nations people who live with high levels of trauma. The South Australian Police Commissioner had the courage this week to admit that police are ill-equipped to attend mental health crises. Indigenous people often live with a disability, a fear and lack of trust in authorities, mental health conditions and a history of institutionalisation. What's the media's role in drawing attention to deaths in custody? This man's death has barely raised an eyebrow in many publications. Crime waves plaster front pages and lead stories on TV news bulletins leading to swift policy change from state and territory governments — new prisons, weapons bans, bail laws, 'Adult Crime, Adult Time'. What about the Black victims of the residual effects of mass human rights abuses gone by? They cannot expect detailed media coverage, seismic policy change or bold leadership. It's never come. The blueprints are there, and so are the well-publicised governmental agreements to do better. It's two steps forward and two steps back. In New South Wales, for example, the Minns government signed a major agreement to close the gap, but it also toughened bail laws to the despair of the Aboriginal Legal Service. The ALS says Aboriginal children are now being locked up in remand for minor crimes that would never attract jail sentences. Ask Yorta Yorta and Ngarrindjeri lawyer Nerita Waight, the Chief Executive of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, why justice reform for Indigenous people has never come and her answer is, "because it's extremely tough work to implement and sell." "That's a long process, not a quick process. Saying you're going to change bail laws, putting more investment into prisons, those are easy decisions, quick fixes." Every single day, dozens of Aboriginal people are arrested in Victoria alone. "We're seeing people picked up because they're stealing food because they can't put food on the table. They're treating mental illness through substance abuse because there's no adequate mental health support. "We're talking [about] people with intellectual disabilities," Nerita tells me. The problems that have led to vast numbers of deaths are so complex, so multifaceted, that it is not credible to expect a few terms of government to solve them. Yet it's almost 35 years since the Royal Commission into Black deaths in custody, and the country is so far behind, something must change. Off the back of a highly charged referendum that has largely left Aboriginal communities with reduced political capital and attention, perhaps this is the issue that the prime minister could take up in his second term. It seems unlikely, but Indigenous leaders across the country are mobilising, distressed at the sense that things seem to be going backwards, fast. Aboriginal people are grieving another round of sorry business this Reconciliation Week — supposed to be a time for all Australians to consider their part in the enormous schisms between Black and white communities. It feels particularly hollow this year.
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
First Nations leaders hope Labor will use big majority to pursue national truth telling
Prominent Indigenous Australians are hopeful the federal government will use its significant majority in parliament to progress a national truth telling process. After declaring he would implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full — which includes establishing a Makarrata Commission to oversee truth telling — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed down from the commitment, after the decisive rejection of a Voice to Parliament. But this week, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy indicated she was still open to the concept, following a call from the so-called father of reconciliation, Pat Dodson. "We have an opportunity now to have a look, with our new parliament, with our second term of government, to see what we can do moving forward," Minister McCarthy said. "One of the things the prime minister and I have said with regards to the Uluru Statement from the Heart was that we supported the three principles: voice, treaty, truth, and we've never shied away from that." While she acknowledged truth telling can happen in various ways — such as at schools — she was "ready to listen to what possibilities there could be in going forward." First Nations leader and prominent Voice campaigner Thomas Mayo said that was a positive sign. Mr Mayo partly blamed the prime minister's decision to retreat on Makarrata on the opposition. "It was under some duress from an opposition party that were invigorated somewhat from their successful nastiness during the referendum campaign and…were feral anytime anything positive in Indigenous affairs was mentioned," he said. He also urged Labor to be "courageous" after its resounding win. "That majority was somewhat a repudiation on the Coalition's punching down on Indigenous Australians throughout their election campaign," he said. Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle, who is now the Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister, has dismissed the idea the vote was a rejection by a large part of the electorate of so-called culture war issues. "I think most of the Australian public would think that it was pretty silly to suggest that it is a single issue that has resulted in the outcome that we've seen, " she told the ABC earlier this month. Mr Mayo also argued that the federal government should be encouraged by the Liberal government in Tasmania promising to set up truth telling commissioners. Former Labor senator Pat Dodson said he too felt hopeful that Labor seemed open to a national truth telling process. "I'm encouraged by the fact that the commitment that the Labor Party gave some time back, before this election, is still on the agenda," he said. "Obviously it's got to be committed to and then they've got to set up a process to enact it. "But it's a great thing because we've got to start listening to the different stories," he said. Mr Dodson said there were leaders across the country willing to be involved. "I'd encourage the minister to reach out to all these people and bring them together and start to map out a course in this term so that we can get on with it."
ABC News
5 days ago
- General
- ABC News
NT police rule out independent investigation into Alice Springs death in custody
NT police have rejected calls for an independent investigation into the death of an Aboriginal man in police custody after being restrained at an Alice Springs supermarket this week. The 24-year-old from Yuendumu — who is yet to be named by family — died on Tuesday after he was restrained by NT police officers following an altercation with a supermarket security guard. One eye witness told the ABC the restraint "looked pretty violent". On Wednesday Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said he would lead the investigation and "provide oversight" along with NT Police's Professional Standards Command, separately to the coronial investigation. There have been calls from advocates, including Amnesty International, for the investigation to be conducted independently from NT police to "ensure impartiality and to maintain public confidence in the process". Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said on Thursday an independent investigation into the man's death could be the best path forward. Senator McCarthy said the people of Yuendumu had already experienced "many traumas", and that wounds were reopened this week. She said the best way to navigate the complex issues at play may be to take the investigation out of the Northern Territory police's hands. Ms McCarthy did not suggest which agency should investigate instead, saying that decision would lie with NT Chief Minister and Police Minister Lia Finocchiaro. "I am calling on her to recognise the tensions that do exist, that I've certainly heard from family members, but also are very aware of the difficulties for members of the police force as well," she said. Amid a vigil in Alice Springs that saw hundreds of mourners gather to give speeches and grieve the young man's death, NT police released a statement on behalf of Acting Commissioner Martin Dole, who said he "respectfully" rejects calls for an independent investigation. "The Northern Territory Police Force acknowledges the tragic death of a 24-year-old man in Alice Springs on Tuesday," the statement said. "On behalf of NT police, I extend sincere condolences to his family, friends and community. "I contacted both officers directly involved in the incident on Tuesday evening, and I understand the high level of public interest in this matter. Some of the speakers at the vigil in Alice Springs on Friday had echoed calls for the independent investigation. The acting commissioner said the incident would continue to be investigated by the major crime division. He said the unit "operates under strict protocols and with full transparency". "The investigation will also be independently reviewed by the NT Coroner, who has broad powers to examine all aspects of the incident and make findings without interference." The acting commissioner said he had met with Senator McCarthy, conveying his "complete confidence in the systems of oversight".
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Jacqui Lambie celebrates re-election as Senate results confirmed for Tasmania and NT
Jacqui Lambie has been elected for another term in federal parliament as the second batch of Senate results from the 3 May election are confirmed. After weeks of counting, the Australian Electoral Commission distributed preferences and finalised results for the Senate in Tasmania and the Northern Territory on Tuesday morning. Labor is improve its position in the upper house. In the NT, as expected, Labor and the Coalition won the two seats on offer: Malarndirri McCarthy, the minister for Indigenous Australians, was elected at No 1; Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, the Country Liberal party senator, claimed the second spot. In Tasmania, six Senate seats have been won by two Labor senators (Carol Brown and Richard Dowling), two Liberals (Claire Chandler and Richard Colbeck) and the Greens' Nick McKim, as well as Lambie. Lee Hanson, the daughter of the One Nation founder Pauline, was unsuccessful in her attempt to win a Senate seat in Tasmania. 'I am very grateful that the Tasmanian people have given me the chance to fight for them for another six years,' Lambie wrote in an email thanking supporters after the result was confirmed. 'Representing Tasmania and bringing the voices and concerns of the people to Canberra, is what gets me out of bed in the morning! Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'My focus is on the Tasmanian people, especially those doing it tough. Interest rates are coming down and that's good, but for many Tasmanian families it will barely touch the sides.' In a post on social media, the Jacqui Lambie Network – the senator's political party – also thanked voters. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'Campaigns are tough, but your energy, belief in fairness, and commitment to keeping Canberra honest kept us going every day,' the post said. 'This campaign has been powered by everyday Aussies who want a bit of honesty, fairness, and common sense back in politics.' Tuesday's results came after the AEC on Monday declared senators for the state of South Australia – the first confirmed results in the upper house. The Labor senators Marielle Smith and Karen Grogan have returned to parliament, along with the Liberals Alex Antic and Anne Ruston, and the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young; Labor also won the last spot, with 21-year-old Charlotte Walker to join the parliament. Results from Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory are expected on Wednesday, with Western Australia on Thursday, and New South Wales and Queensland to follow either on Friday or early next week. The AEC has been conducting complex counts and recounts in the seats of Calwell, Bradfield and Goldstein; Calwell was on Monday finally called for Labor while recounts in the other two seats continue. In the Senate, Labor is expected to be able to pass legislation with only the help of the Greens or the Coalition in this term, and is not likely to require the help of crossbenchers including Lambie or David Pocock, who were influential in the previous parliament. The former Greens leader Adam Bandt, who unexpectedly lost his own seat of Melbourne, had urged the government to deal with the Greens in the Senate to enact 'an era of progressive change in the parliament'. Pending further results, Labor could end up with between 28 and 30 Senate seats, with the Greens on 11, and the Coalition on 27. The Coalition has lost one Senate seat in South Australia, and could lose a further seat in each of NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Price, re-elected in the NT, is among those likely to receive a Coalition frontbench position when the combined Liberal-National shadow ministry is announced this week. Her decision to switch allegiances, and sit in the Liberal party room rather than with the Nationals, was among factors which helped spark last week's Coalition divorce.
