The news Australians are waking up to today is devastating.
The decision made by the Northern Territory Government to pass the Care and Protection of Children Legislation Amendment (Every Child Matters) Bill 2026 (the Bill) will only have negative impacts on the care, safety and protection of First Nations children in the NT.
Any politician, voice or commentator that says otherwise is incorrect.
This decision is one Aboriginal families and communities across the Northern Territory will carry for generations.
To clarify…. This Bill is the same Bill that the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People and other experts have been urgently calling to pause.
The Northern Territory Government has blatantly ignored the 120 submissions made from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies, legal services, health services and human rights organisations. They have ignored the continued calls from Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and child protection experts. They have ignored the Child Protection Ministers from across the country.
More importantly, they have ignored their own independent review, which reconfirmed what we have all been saying… The Northern Territory Government is experiencing operational failures. The failures are in the practice and do not require legislative reform.
This is not ignorance. This is neglect.
The Northern Territory Government has undoubtedly misled the public, at the expense of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.
This decision will be one our children will suffer from and carry the consequences of for generations. This knee-jerk reaction is not something to celebrate. It is something to mourn.
I refuse to stand idle while our children and young people's futures are negatively impacted, generational trauma is compounded, and voices are silenced.
First Nations children and young people deserve better. They deserve rights. They deserve to be safe and supported by the governments that are sworn to protect them. It is time our governments are held accountable. I will do everything in my power and work with the community organisations in the Northern Territory to ensure our children's rights are upheld and they are kept safe and connected to community, culture and kin.
For support, call 13YARN (13 92 76).