Minister for Indigenous Australians
Subjects: Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program, summer school holiday program, the age of criminal responsibility, First Nations Children's Commissioner, youth programs.
FLOYD DOYLE, HOST: We have a special guest in our studio here, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, who's come all the way up from Canberra or wherever you've been, and how have you been, Senator? Tell us where you've been.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: All over the country. Good morning and good morning to all your listeners. How wonderful to be with you here on Arrernte country in Mparntwe.
FLOYD DOYLE: So, what brings you back into town?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Oh look, I always come to Alice. It's just a place that's really important to me. So, every couple of months I get here just to see how everyone's going. And today there's a full day of meetings. I got in yesterday, so I was out at Standley Chasm yesterday just speaking with some tourism operators, First Nations mob, Rayleen, Benji, William, it was good to hear their stories and their hopes for the upcoming season for tourism. They're pretty much booked out already, which is great. So, we've just got to keep these positive stories out there.
FLOYD DOYLE: Yeah, that's great. And speaking of positive stories, what about the new Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Absolutely. I mean, it is so important and I am all about jobs, jobs, jobs. We've got to see our mob have the opportunity to have decent pay and conditions, to feel good about getting up in the morning and going to work. This is a program we've been really wanting to transform in terms of the CDP. We wanted to move away from the old CDP. We found that really punished people under the previous Morrison Government and we said that when we came into government, we wanted to change that and this is what we have been doing. So we want to roll out a couple of thousand jobs and if we can certainly get a second term, we'd want to see more of those jobs rolled out in the second term of government.
FLOYD DOYLE: And how will this look different from the old CDP and that sort of thing? Will there be a chance for -
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Well it won't be punitive. I think the old CDP just seemed to punish people, they were either made to sort of jump all sorts of hoops. They were - payment was stopped. There just didn't seem to be any fairness in that system and many people walked away from it, which meant they went hungry or they ended up needing to get money off their families, so they needed their families to look after them and that put more pressure on their families. What I want to see is that we have proper jobs so that people don't walk away from the jobs because they feel good about the pay they're getting. They feel good about the job they're doing, that there's dignity in the work that they're doing and that makes them feel good about getting up in the mornings and going straight to work.
FLOYD DOYLE: Yeah, that's what I was thinking. It sounds like real jobs, doesn't it?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Totally. I mean, this is the thing, I do want to see our mob across the country feel proud of who they are, stay strong in culture and ceremony, but know that having a job also gives them the chance to create wealth, to have opportunities to do things for their families, just like any other person in this country.
FLOYD DOYLE: And also we had our summer school holiday program, really, which was a great success in town.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Oh yeah, wasn't it just. Good to see, we certainly funded a considerable amount with the Alice Springs Town Council. I met with the Mayor yesterday. He said that there were around 25,000 who came to the swimming pool, to the skate rink, so those figures, they've still got another week, obviously, because many schools are going back today, some on Monday. So, we'll see some more figures next week, the final figures of the school holiday program. But I'm so proud of the fact that that's worked and I certainly hope those families here in Alice Springs and just around the centre really, really enjoyed it.
FLOYD DOYLE: Yeah, no, all the kids out there seemed to be having a lot of fun because I did mention to you earlier there in regards to, like, free transport, which was one of the big, you know, attractions -
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Oh, a big help.
FLOYD DOYLE: - to bring the kids because it could transport them around everywhere.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Well, it just meant that, you know, the parents didn't have to go, or the grandparents bless. The kids, if they're old enough, they could go with their big brother and sister. But it wasn't just here in Alice, though. It was also - we ran the programs through MacDonnell Council as well as the Central Desert. So, we had around, you know, a couple of thousand out in 11 remote communities as well to just attend their holiday programs there. So, we made sure that it wasn't just about Alice Springs. I think that was important because not everyone can come into Alice. And so we wanted to make sure that the Central Desert and MacDonnell Councils also had programs running in their areas as much as the Alice Springs Council.
FLOYD DOYLE: Also, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was in town just recently.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: I saw.
FLOYD DOYLE: Did you catch up with him? No.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Everyone wants to come to Alice Springs. Oh, no, I'd say I'd see the Opposition Leader, the most I see of him is probably on the telly. I don't see him much at all but obviously good for people in Central Australia to see him here. And I think, you know, they need to ask, well, what is his plan for Central Australia? I haven't heard anything. I just hear that he's appointed the local Senator, Jacinta Price, and she's going to be responsible for cutting programs. So, I'm worried, I think, is she going to cut, you know, the programs to let kids go to the school holiday programs like the one at the pool, you know, the skate rink. These holiday programs are really important. So, we haven't heard what plan he actually has for Alice Springs. We just hear all the negatives.
FLOYD DOYLE: Yes, and just before we let you go, I just got two questions here now, in regards to the Northern Territory Government now lowering the age of criminal responsibility to ten, what's your response to that?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Yeah, that was really concerning last year when the CLP's first task was to do that. What I can say is, just in the last fortnight at the federal level, we have appointed a First Nations Children's Commissioner across the country and I have no doubt that Ms. Gordon, who is the new Acting Commissioner, she is watching very closely what's happening here in the Northern Territory with our youth and has certainly made her presence felt.
FLOYD DOYLE: And what's her name again?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Lil Gordon.
FLOYD DOYLE: Okay, yeah, yeah. So, if anyone needs to find out, just get on the web pages there and find out who she is.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Absolutely. And we can give it to you as well if you want to put it on the CAAMA website. But she's our First Nations Children's Commissioner and please, if you've got any issues, any concerns about your children here in Central Australia and Alice Springs, please reach out to her.
FLOYD DOYLE: Excellent. Well said. Okay, now just finally here, Malarndirri, in regards to the Voice referendum, and I was speaking to you earlier, many remote elders that I speak to and run into, or they approach me in the street, they want to help their youth with their own programs, okay, but their voices aren't being heard because they keep saying, like the same facilitators keep getting the funding and the same results keep going and that sort of stuff. What can those elders and that do, or the communities do? Because they say they have, they can fix these problems and that sort of stuff, but no one listens to them.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Sure, look, I can certainly reach out to them directly now and say, please reach out to me directly because I am your Senator for the Northern Territory as much as I'm the Minister for Indigenous Australians. So, you can certainly reach out to my office and please do. But you can also reach out to your local member here, Marion Scrymgour. She's just in the mall. She has an office just as soon as you enter the mall, they're really across from Epilogue. You know, go in and see Marion. Marion is a fantastic member and representative for you.
FLOYD DOYLE: Yeah, she's been around for a while in the Northern Territory and that sort of stuff. And she's got a lot of experience.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Absolutely, yep and I can tell you now, if you tell Marion, she will certainly tell me and we will humbug the Prime Minister.
FLOYD DOYLE: Okay, then. I'd like to thank the Senator Malarndirri McCarthy for coming in today. Thank you.
