The country's Indigenous child commissioner has called on state, territory and federal governments to deliver both immediate and long-term funding for Aboriginal community-controlled housing.
The comments come in the wake of two Indigenous children's deaths within a week: five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, and an infant born at a homeless camp in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
The two tragedies and the context surrounding them have sparked renewed calls for greater accountability over the safety of town camps in the NT, many of which experience significant levels of poverty.
In a statement on Friday, National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Sue-Anne Hunter called for immediate investment in safe and secure housing delivered through Aboriginal community-controlled housing organisations across the country.
She also called for direct, long-term funding — before crisis and before removal — to allow Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to lead family support, healing programs and wraparound care for First Nations families.
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While acknowledging the $4 billion, 10-year joint housing initiative between the NT and federal governments, Commissioner Hunter said the immediate priority must be tackling overcrowded housing, unstable tenancies, homelessness, family violence and the lack of safe accommodation for First Nations women and children escaping violence.
"Appropriate housing isn't just a support service that aids in child safety; it's a human right," she said.
"The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms every child's right to family, culture, safety and an adequate standard of living. Safe housing sits at the centre of every one of these commitments."
The Commissioner called for all five elements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) to be fully legislated, with "enforceable active efforts obligations and mandatory compliance across every jurisdiction". The principle is designed to ensure children removed by the government maintain connection to family and culture.
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The deaths of Kumanjayi Little Baby in the NT and the infant in Wagga Wagga have prompted widespread concern across the country.
In the NT, Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill announced the CLP government would undertake an extensive review of the child protection system after 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis — who is not related to Kumanjayi Little Baby and had nothing to do with her care — was charged over her alleged murder, along with two other offences.
Last week, Ms Cahill said three child protection workers had been stood down over circumstances leading up to Kumanjayi Little Baby's abduction and death. It has been reported six notifications about Kumanjayi Little Baby's welfare were made to the NT child protection department in the six weeks before her disappearance.
National Indigenous Times understands the notifications related to the girl's mother being at risk of domestic violence, raising concerns about the leaking of that information to the media.
Parliament will debate legislation next week, with the minister flagging long-proposed changes to the ATSICPP.
Despite Ms Cahill's repeated comments on the principle, according to data, only 17.5 per cent of Indigenous children aged 0-17 in out-of-home care in the NT were placed with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relative or kin — the lowest rate in the country.
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Commissioner Hunter said the "devastating reality" is that both deaths were avoidable. She argued First Nations women and children need support, safety and housing, and said it is the responsibility of governments to provide it, adding: "The systems have failed yet again."
"How many more First Nations women and children need to bear the brunt of a government that doesn't listen?" she asked. "How many more deaths need to happen before our governments wake up to the reality that we live every day?"
The NT government has called for a review into the child protection system — something the NT Children's Commissioner says she has not been formally asked to undertake in writing — but Commissioner Hunter said many of the answers are already known.
Over the last year, the NT government has reversed policies introduced following recommendations from multiple royal commissions, while National Indigenous Times has previously reported on government departments rejecting numerous recommendations from the Children's Commissioner.
"Australia has completed inquiry after inquiry and delivered countless reports that collect dust in archive systems, yet still, our First Nations children and young people continue to die in preventable circumstances," Commissioner Hunter said.
"Families have shared their truths repeatedly through coronial inquests, royal commissions, strategies, action plans, and consultations. Children need delivery now — at pace, at scale and in genuine partnership with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations."
