The Northern Territory government has sparked fears of creating another Stolen Generation after it outlined a plan to send neglected Indigenous children into adoptive homes.
Chief Minister Adam Giles has told the News Limited previous governments have not protected children from abuse and neglect, because of criticism about creating another Stolen Generation.
"Whatever we do has to be about making parents take responsibility for their kids," Mr Giles told the NT News.
"And if they won't, (we're) prepared to provide alternative solutions. If that means those kids are loved and cared for by other parents, then so be it."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Mr Giles said despite the federal intervention, only one Aboriginal child had been adopted in the last decade.
"There are situations in the Northern Territory where nobody has been prepared to support a permanent adoption of a child for fear of Stolen Generation," he said.
"There is a line-up of families out there who say, 'If you want help with children, we'll be happy to foster a child, look after a child," he said.
He added that such a plan would only be carried out on a case-by-case basis, ruling out a mass grab of children.
Deputy Chief Minister David Tollner has told the ABC it is a much-needed alternative solution.
"We seem to think it is OK to put that child in to foster care, you know, time after time after time after time, when there are decent, loving people out there who want to adopt, who will raise that child in a loving environment," she said.
"I think it is a terrible indictment on us as a society that there are these sacred cows that we can't go near."
A Stolen Generation support group says it's shocked by the Northern Territory government's plan to send neglected Indigenous children into adoptive care.
Head of the Northern Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation Vicki-Lee Knowles says Mr Giles is disregarding critical recommendations made in a major report by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
"One of the major recommendations was that all jurisdictions should adopt the Aboriginal Child Placement Principles.
"The reason for that was to try to ensure that when children are at risk that they be placed in a foster or adoptive situation within extended family in the first instance and if not, within an Aboriginal family beyond that."
