Doug Cameron voted moderately for the Intervention in the Northern Territory

Senators agreed to keep schedule 1 of the bill as it was (without amendments).

Senators voted against reducing sunset clause periods from 10 to 5 years, as proposed in Australian Greens amendments 4, 17 and 20.

Senators agreed to keep schedule 2 of the bill as it was (without amendments).

The majority voted against a motion moved by Greens Senator Rachel Siewert, which means that it was unsuccessful. The motion was:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) that it has been 4 years since the Northern Territory Emergency Response began,

(ii) that investment in the program now exceeds $1.5 billion,

(iii) that the Closing the Gap report indicated that incarceration rates have risen, and that school attendance and

child nutrition have not improved, and

(iv) the growing crisis in Alice Springs as many people move from community into Alice Springs;

(b) draws attention to:

(i) the statement being launched in Darwin, ' Rebuilding from the ground up – an alternative to the Northern Territory Intervention' which calls for a new approach based on principles of self-determination, community control and a commitment to land rights, and

(ii) the serious concern raised by the United Nations' Universal Periodic Review and the United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination over Australia's failure to eliminate discrimination; and

(c) calls for:

(i) the repeal of the Northern Territory Emergency Response legislation, and

(ii) the development of a long-term plan in partnership with Aboriginal communities to equalise life opportunities and outcomes, backed up with a sustained investment of resources, particularly in community-based organisations.

The majority voted in favour of a motion That this bill be now read a third time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the majority agree with the bill and want it to pass in the Senate. The bill will now be returned to the House of Representatives for them to consider amendments agreed to in the Senate.

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.)

The majority voted in favour of an amendment introduced by Senator Nigel Scullion, which means that it was successful. The amendment was:

(11) Page 18 (after line 12), after Schedule 3, insert:

Schedule 3A—Access to Aboriginal land

Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976

1 Subsection 70B(2)

Omit “may” (first occurring), substitute “must”.

Senator Scullion explained that this amendment "deals with the current discretion of the minister in whether or not they change regulations or impact on regulations to ensure that the permit system changes are invoked".(Read Senator Scullion's full explanation here. Read more about 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.)

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.)

The majority voted in favour of a motion "that clause 13 in schedule 1, item 10, stand as printed." In other words, the majority wanted that clause to remain unchanged.

This motion was put in response to an earlier motion to oppose that clause, which was introduced by Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.(Read Senator Siewert's explanation of her motion here. ) Clause 13 relates to the measures that prohibit certain pay television licensees from providing television channels that contain large amounts of R18+ programming to certain prescribed areas. The clause "provide explicitly that they over-ride [Northern Territory] laws dealing with discrimination".(Read more 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.)