Foreword

Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory (NT) have been leaders in advocating for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for decades. From the Yirrkala bark petitions in 1963 and the Wave Hill walk off at Kalkarindji in 1966, through to the calls for self‑determination and fundamental rights in the Barrunga Statement in 1988.

And yet, over the past 15 years, their right to self-determination has been deliberately denied by governments of all stripes. The Northern Territory National Emergency Response and the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Acts were both legislative means of structurally disempowering remote Aboriginal communities in the NT. Through these policy regimes, governments have destabilised, disempowered, and disoriented Aboriginal communities. Governments have taken away community power and instead made them dependent on government for survival and have done so with little to no accountability.

These actions occurred under the guise of a failure for Aboriginal communities to run their own affairs and to make decisions about what is best for their community. Throughout this inquiry into community safety, support services and job opportunities in the Northern Territory, we heard repeatedly about the failure of top-down approaches, and the pleas for government to invest in, and value, place-based, community-led solutions.

There was not one witness who denied the social or economic issues being experienced by Aboriginal communities in the NT. However, almost all witnesses came with practical, holistic and strengths-based solutions—all of which require governments to think and work differently. This includes adopting therapeutic social and emotional wellbeing approaches to reduce and address the underlying causes of alcohol-related harm, alongside supply reduction where it is necessary. It is also about creating economic opportunity by employing local Aboriginal people, and investing in genuinely Aboriginal-controlled organisations and businesses.

In order to truly enable community-led solutions, governments need to transfer power and resources to communities. This requires investment based on outcomes, rather than outputs; ensuring data is available at the local level; and listening and acting on what communities say will work best.

While we could not get to all communities across the NT during this inquiry, there are many shared stories and lessons in this report. I want to thank the community members, Aboriginal organisations, and frontline community service providers, who spoke to us during this inquiry from Darwin, Alice Springs and Maningrida. I am grateful that you agreed to share your ideas with the Committee, despite many of you having advocated for the same solutions for years.

Senator Patrick Dodson Chair