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Australian Constituency - by Craig Hill

The Australian and Northern Territory Governments today opened a women’s safe house and a men’s cooling off place in the remote community of Ngukurr, as part of a roll-out of 22 safe places across the Northern Territory as part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response.

Ngukurr is one of 15 remote communities in the NT to receive safe places under a joint initiative between the Australian and Northern Territory Governments to improve the safety and protection of Indigenous children and their families.

Safe places are important circuit breakers in the cycle of violence. They are a safe haven when violence threatens – short-term crisis accommodation for families and children.


The safe places will offer a range of counselling, legal and support services as well as parenting and men’s healing programs.

Local people will be employed to work in the safe places – building the local workforce and helping spread the word that there is an escape from violence.

The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin said keeping women and children safe is everyone’s responsibility.

“The Australian Government is determined to show national leadership to stop the abuse and neglect of women and children,” Ms Macklin said.

“To be safe and protected is the most basic of human rights.”

Indigenous women are 35 times more likely than other Australian women to be hospitalised and eight out of ten of them are assaulted by a partner.

Since 2007 the Australian and Northern Territory Governments have invested more than $22 million in the Family Support Package for Indigenous families – including safe places, a mobile child protection team and remote Aboriginal family and community workers.


The NT Minister for Children and Families and Child Protection, Malarndirri McCarthy said all safe places would be operational over the coming months. They are:

* women’s safe houses in Ngukurr, Angurugu, Hermannsburg, Kalkarindji, Lajamanu, Maningrida, Nguiu, Peppimenarti, Ramingining, Ti-Tree, Yarralin Darwin and Alice Springs, and
* men’s cooling off places in Ngukurr, Angurugu, Apatula, Beswick, Maningrida, Nguiu, Pmara-Jutunta, Ramingining and Yuendumu.

“Protecting children and women is essential if we are going to make in-roads into closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians,” Ms McCarthy said.

Media Statement with NT Minister Malarndirri Mccarthy and MP for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon
31st January 2009
Jenny Macklin
Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

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Expert Panel's Broadband Report (ALP)

January 22nd 2009 08:09
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy today announced that the final report from the Panel of Experts on submissions to the National Broadband Network process has been received.

The Minister stated that the receipt of this report marks a significant milestone in the NBN process: "The Government is now considering the Panel of Experts' report."

"Until this point, the evaluation of proposals received in the National Broadband Network process has proceeded at arm's length from the Government."

"The Government had not seen the contents of any proposal, nor had it received detailed briefings on any proposals from the Panel of Experts."

"The Government will give this serious and detailed report careful consideration."

The Minister emphasised that while the Government had now received the final report of the Panel of Experts, the NBN process and associated probity requirements remained active.

The disclosure of the contents of the Panel of Experts' report before the completion of the process, particularly any negotiation phase, has the potential to prejudice the outcome of the process. As such, the Government will not be commenting on the contents of the report.

The Minister also took the opportunity to congratulate the Panel of Experts for their contribution to the NBN process: "I would like to thank the members of the Panel of Experts for their hard work."

"The Panel has made an invaluable contribution to the realisation of the Government's commitment to the roll out of the National Broadband Network."

The Minister also acknowledged the important contribution to the process by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission which had provided its own report as input to the Panel's consideration.

Media Statement
22nd January 2009
Stephen Conroy
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy

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