00:01Okay, now we want to get you more on the diphtheria outbreak.
00:05Most of the current cases are in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and
00:10Western Australia.
00:11The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malindiri McCarthy, joins us now from Sydney.
00:16Minister, welcome.
00:17Good morning, lovely to join you.
00:19Can you tell us a bit about the government's support package to try and contain this outbreak?
00:24Well, we're very concerned in terms of the diphtheria outbreak across Australia, in particular
00:30though the Northern Territory, Western Australia and areas of South Australia and Queensland.
00:37So we are announcing today a package in terms of support over $7 million towards two things.
00:46One is the National Care and Critical Trauma Response Centre to now become fully engaged
00:53in the Northern Territory with the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector and also
00:58a governance body that will include the National Care and Critical Trauma Centre plus the health
01:07officers across those jurisdictions I've mentioned and of course the Aboriginal Community Controlled
01:13Sector.
01:14How quickly will this support package get rolled out and we will be seeing a difference on
01:19the ground?
01:19Immediately.
01:21Immediately.
01:21This is not new in terms of the health fraternity.
01:26They have been aware of this in the past month and we have certainly been working with them.
01:33I've been in Alice Springs talking to Congress and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance,
01:39Northern Territory.
01:41We have seen programs rolling out in places like Yundamu in language.
01:45We know that we've got over 100 Aboriginal languages.
01:49We need to ensure that the communication is there, not misinformation.
01:54We certainly saw that through COVID and we need to ensure that the right information is
01:59getting out to our remote and regional communities.
02:02Minister, how did we get to this point?
02:05Did health authorities know that vaccination rates weren't as what they should be?
02:10How did we get here?
02:11Well, it's more around the adults in terms of ensuring that boosters are being taken.
02:19We know that the immunisation rates have been there for our children.
02:23We've certainly seen in the recent budget, in the federal budget, an enormous support
02:29in terms of childhood immunisation.
02:32Our call is really to adults to not think that you are immune.
02:37Make sure you're getting checked.
02:39So it's really important that adults also know that this isn't just about children.
02:45This is actually all people of all ages.
02:48The Prime Minister yesterday met with the family of Koemanjaya little baby.
02:53I understand you were there as well.
02:55Can you tell us a bit about that meeting?
02:58What happened?
03:00It was really lovely for the family, in particular the mum and the grandparents, to have some
03:06time directly with the Prime Minister.
03:08It was a really important moment to be able to witness that and to hear the conversation.
03:17Both Marion Scrimgeour and myself were there, as well as the member for Gwaja, Chancey Paik,
03:22who helped coordinate this meeting.
03:25It was an opportunity for the Prime Minister to not only meet the families, but also the
03:31emergency personnel who were part of the search and to thank them personally on behalf of
03:36the nation for the work that they did in trying to find a beautiful little girl, which unfortunately
03:44didn't end up the way that everyone had hoped would happen.
03:47We know there were meetings as well with representatives from the Council, which manages more than a dozen
03:53town camps, with health officials, police.
03:56Is the Federal Government looking at taking action in this area?
04:02Well, there were a lot of things happening throughout the day.
04:04Clearly, the primary focus was the Prime Minister giving his time, you know, out from the budget
04:11across the country to have some time with the families, and I certainly was appreciative
04:16of that, as was Marion.
04:19What also took place in the last week or so was meetings with the Northern Territory Government
04:25that I've called for to work with my counterpart in terms of the Indigenous Affairs Minister,
04:30Minister Steve Edgington, in the Northern Territory to work with the Aboriginal community organisations
04:36in Alice Springs.
04:38And both Minister Edgington and myself and Marion Scrimger as a Special Envoy for Remote Communities
04:44met with not only Tunganjira, but also with the Aboriginal organisations in Alice Springs.
04:50We recognise that this has to be a combined effort.
04:53It's not just on one organisation.
04:56This is incumbent on the Northern Territory and the Federal Government to really work together,
05:02and we've committed to do that to make sure that we don't see these sorts of things happen
05:07again.
05:08But how will that happen?
05:10What things will you be doing?
05:13Sure
05:14Well I've said on the ABC, I think it was your 7.30 report, that I wanted to meet with
05:18the Aboriginal housing organisations of the town camps.
05:23There are 17 town camps, there are 15 Aboriginal housing reference groups and organisations.
05:29I will be meeting with them along with Minister Edgington.
05:33There are issues around leasing, who owns what lease.
05:36There are some technical issues that we do need to go through.
05:40We need to look at the repairs and maintenance.
05:42We also commit to the Northern Territory, the $4 billion housing program for remote communities.
05:48How much of that will be in the town camps?
05:51Not just Alice Springs, but there are over 40 town camps right across the Northern Territory.
05:57And I also have carriage of the Aboriginal hostels.
06:00We have five Aboriginal hostels in the Northern Territory.
06:03Recently I was able to include an expansion of one of those hostels near Old Timers.
06:09I want to be able to see what we can do with the Aboriginal hostels as well.
06:14Minister, I think a lot of people when this happened, I mean we know people were so shocked
06:18it will happen to Kumudjai little baby.
06:21A lot of people were also shocked to see the condition that many people live in in these
06:25town camps.
06:27Will we be seeing real change there to see improvement in the lives of Aboriginal people?
06:33There is certainly an absolutely concerted effort to do that.
06:36I do appreciate that Minister Edgington from the Northern Territory was with me.
06:41What makes it difficult though, Emma, is that there are other things going on with the Northern
06:45Territory Government in terms of the Aboriginal child care placement policy that they are taking
06:52to their legislation or legislative changes in the next week or two.
06:57I certainly need to meet with Minister Robin Cahill.
07:00While I am working with Minister Edgington in terms of housing and Indigenous issues, Minister
07:06Cahill has responsibility for the care and protection of children and there is real concern
07:12amongst Aboriginal organisations about that child placement principle being removed.
07:17And I would certainly say to the Northern Territory Government that you have to work with
07:23Aboriginal families, you cannot impose these things.
07:26Aboriginal organisations are here at the table working with us in terms of the town camps.
07:32Please work with them in terms of our children.
07:34So are you against this decision by the NT Government to remove the Aboriginal child placement
07:40principle?
07:41Well we know that the Aboriginal child placement principle is a critical principle that has worked
07:46right across Australia.
07:48This is not the time to get rid of a principle when we know that there are far deeper issues
07:56at play here.
07:57I would say to Minister Cahill, I do look forward to the briefing with your office and these are
08:02certainly conversations I would want to have directly with her.
08:06Minister Mallinderia McCarthy, thanks for your time this morning.
08:09Minister Mallinderia McCarthy
08:09Minister Mallinderia McCarthy
08:11Minister Mallinderia Price
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