Territory needs federal government support despite Intervention 'debacle'

The federal government's controversial Intervention in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities has been a debacle, but it is time for mark 2, a prominent Aboriginal Territorian says.

NT Intervention

Source: NITV News

Olga Havnen says the vast majority of money pumped into the NT after the Intervention a decade ago has been squandered, but the Territory needs a 10-year plan in which the federal government and Aboriginal people are heavily involved.

The Danila Dilba Health Service CEO says it will probably be necessary to have much stronger involvement by the federal government, given the Territory's heavy reliance on Commonwealth funding.

"It would be an ideal time I suppose to do maybe mark 2 of what was attempted previously under the intervention but do this completely differently," Ms Havnen told the NT child protection royal commission on Thursday.

Ms Havnen said the federal government did not need to be directly involved as service providers.

"The experience of the intervention was such a debacle you'd never want that repeated, but I do think that there is a role for the federal government in here in the Northern Territory."

Share
1 min read

Published



Share this with family and friends


Subscribe to the NITV Newsletter

Receive the latest Indigenous news, sport, entertainment and more in your email inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
Interviews and feature reports from NITV.
A mob-made podcast about all things Blak life.
Get the latest with our nitv podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on NITV
The Point: Referendum Road Trip

The Point: Referendum Road Trip

Live weekly on Tuesday at 7.30pm
Join Narelda Jacobs and John Paul Janke to get unique Indigenous perspectives and cutting-edge analysis on the road to the referendum.
#ThePoint