Australia’s First Peoples and Children’s Commissioners are calling on the Northern Territory government to scrap plans to weaken the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle through proposed amendments to child protection laws.
Following the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby in Alice Springs last month, the government has commenced a review into the territory’s child protection system and introduced new child protection legislation into parliament. Many First Peoples advocates fear the proposed changes have the potential to dilute how the Child Placement Principle operates in the territory.
The Child Placement Principle is a framework that protects the safety, wellbeing, identity and cultural rights of First People’s children by ensuring culture, family, community and Country are central to decisions affecting the welfare of First Peoples children in protection.
The Commissioners have warned any changes that make it easier to separate First Peoples children from family, community and culture risks undermining children’s rights, repeating past harms and moving further away from evidence-based reform.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss: “The Northern Territory Government is making a serious mistake if it believes weakening the Child Placement Principle will keep our children safe.
’The principle exists because generations of our children have already paid the price of being removed from family, culture and community. Weakening that safeguard is a backward step that risks entrenching harm, deepening distrust and repeating the very injustices governments say they want to end.
‘The tragedy of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death should not be compounded by diminishing the rights of First Peoples children and families across the Northern Territory, and these proposals are a clear breach of our rights under a range of United Nations agreements, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. If the Northern Territory government is serious about child safety, it should invest in First Peoples-led solutions, family support and culturally safe care.’
National Children's Commissioner Deb Tsorbaris: 'We cannot protect First Peoples children by stripping away the very safeguards designed to protect their identity, stability and sense of belonging.
‘These proposals have been rightly met with fierce opposition from leading advocates for First Peoples children across the country. We support their calls for the Northern Territory Government to halt the progression of these new laws and instead commit to evidence-based reform that upholds children’s rights, strengthens families and supports communities to keep children safe.’
The Commissioners also support calls for the recently announced review of the territory’s child protection system to be led by the Northern Territory Children’s Commissioner with support from other experts, including the National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children.
Commissioner Kiss: ‘We need people with deep knowledge and experience of these matters to be leading the review. The inquiry must also have the necessary independence, resourcing and parameters to ensure the needs and expectations of Indigenous communities in the territory are put first.’
