The representative authority to the Uluru Statement from the Heart has warned plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility in the Northern Territory will "widen the gap further".
The Uluru Dialogue, co-chaired by Professor Megan Davis and Aunty Pat Anderson, slammed the newly-elected Country Liberal Party's (CLP) campaign promise and reiterated intention to lower the jurisdiction's age to 10.
The CLP claimed a landslide win and dramatic swing in their favour to end two terms of Labor government in Saturday's NT's general election last weekend, with incoming Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro quickly signalling a priority for the party.
"That's why we're lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10 so that young people can be held accountable and that appropriate consequences for their age are delivered, such as boot camps," she told reporters earlier this week.
In 2022, the former NT Labor government raised the age to 12.
Like other jurisdictions around the country, Indigenous Territorians are heavily overrepresented in adult incarceration and youth detention rates.
The elected Government's plans have been widely condemned by peak bodies and justice organisations.
On Wednesday, The Uluru Dialogue urged CLP "to reconsider its approach and listen to the wisdom and leadership of First Nations Peoples, who have long called for policies that address the systemic issues underlying the challenges in our communities".
In a report tabled in Federal Parliament last week, the Australian Human Rights Commission recommended raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 nationally.
Recommendations also included; Australian Governments prioritise investments in prevention and early intervention through Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, and; Australian Governments resource and expand the availability of evidence-based diversionary programs for children, including those by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Organisations, and other culturally safe programs.
National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds said "Tragically, by not addressing their human rights early on, and instead taking a punitive approach to their offending, we are essentially criminalising some of the most vulnerable children in Australia".
"Many are First Nations children dealing with intergenerational trauma and disadvantage, and children with disabilities, mental health issues, and learning problems. Many of these children and their families are living with poverty, marginalisation and systemic racism," she said.
Uluru Dialogue, via their statement, said the election result "represents yet another instance where voices of First Nations Peoples have been overlooked".
"Once again, the path to community safety has been paved with punitive measures that disregard the root causes of the challenges facing our communities," the Dialogue said.
"A punitive response to the complex social issues in the Northern Territory is nothing more than a band-aid solution for problems that require a thoughtful, culturally informed, and community-led approach.
"Aboriginal children are among the most vulnerable in our society, and these measures proposed will only widen the gap further.
"This needs to change."
Speaking this week, Ms Finocchiaro has also highlighted investment in diversion options, as well as school attendance.
