16th Aug 2007, 1:40 PM – Senate Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007 - In Committee - Publicly funded computers, acquisition of rights/titles/etc, business management, bail & sentencing

The majority voted in favour of the motion "That parts 3 to 6 stand as printed", which means that it was successful. This means that these parts will remain unchanged.

This motion was put in response to a motion to oppose these parts, which was introduced by Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.(Read Senator Siewert's explanation of the motion and the associated debate here, after 12:28 pm. )

The bills digest provides more detailed information about parts 3 to 6. In summary:

• part 3 relates to filtering publicly funded computers in order to prevent or block access to specified content;
• part 4 provides for the acquisition of right, titles and interests in land and for the grants of leases for 5 years;
• part 5 introduces stringent Commonwealth control over a number of aspects of community governance in Indigenous communities; and
• part 6 amends Northern Territory law to prohibit a relevant authority that is exercising bail or sentencing discretion from taking customary law into consideration to lessen or aggravate the seriousness of the criminal behaviour of alleged offenders.(Read the bills digest for further detail on these parts and their background.

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Background to the bills

The Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007 was introduced along with four other bills:

• the Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Northern Territory National Emergency Response and Other Measures) Bill 2007
• the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Payment Reform) Bill 2007
• the Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 1) 2007-2008, and
• the Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 2) 2007-2008.

This legislation was introduced in response to the Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, known as the Little Children are Sacred report, which was publicly released on 15 June 2007.(Read more about the background of the bills in the interim bills digest. ) That report came after concerns were raised on ABC's Lateline program in 2006.(Read the transcript for the Lateline programs that addressed the issue of child abuse in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory here (the May 2006 program) and here (the June 2006 program).)