27th Nov 2008, 7:00 PM – Senate Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Emergency Response Consolidation) Bill 2008 - In Committee - Keep the permit system

The majority voted against a motion "that schedule 3 stand as printed". This means that the majority do not want schedule 3 to remain as it is.

This motion was put in response to an earlier motion to oppose schedule 3, which was introduced by Country Liberal Senator Nigel Scullion. This schedule repeals most of the permit provisions introduced by the Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Northern Territory National Emergency Response and Other Measures) Act 2007.(Read more about this schedule and the permit system in the bills digest. )

Background to the bill

In 2007, the Northern Territory National Emergency Response ('the Intervention') was introduced in response to a report called Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle Little Children are Sacred: The Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse.(Read more about the Little Children are Sacred report here. ) The intervention was controversial and has been a source of ongoing debate.

This latest bill changes and removes some of the measures introduced as part of the Intervention. In summary, it:

• prohibits certain pay television licensees from providing television channels that contain a large amount of R18+ programming to certain prescribed areas;
• permits transporting pornographic material through a prescribed area to a place outside the prescribed area (currently its presence for any purpose is prohibited);
• reintroduces elements of the permit system, which requires visitors to certain Aboriginal areas to first seek permission to enter the area; and
• enables community dependent roadhouses to be licensed as community stores.(See the bills digest for more information.)