Child abuse by another name

Does the PM intend, in accordance with Article 12 of the UNCROC, to ask the children of the Northern Territory what their views are? Perhaps what they say will be too intimidating, but still they have a right to be heard.

We have fallen short of the benchmarks we were expected to reach in the decade after UNCROC and the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of children. This Declaration needs to be implemented urgently for Aboriginal children living in third world conditions, while our economy is booming. Let us unravel what is going on now and learn how we can all be effective in assisting our most marginalised of children, the first Australians.

For a start, we need a comprehensive early childhood strategy that has worked overseas and in NSW (“Brighter Futures” program) to reduce abuse and other social harms. The Perry Pre School project in America showed that for every dollar spent on early childhood services, seven was saved downstream in public spending.

Let us use what looks like a cynical political exercise, to actually advance the rights of all children in Australia - both Aboriginal and non Aboriginal. As we said at the 2004 summit, this will take “new money” to support and sustain our most precious beings and to begin to address the damage we have done to them by our inaction.

It is time for bipartisan determination to do what it takes to help children - show us real political will and commitment, decent policies and “core” promises, now, to save our children and safe guard their future and ours. Anything less will be a betrayal of monumental proportions by all who can help but choose not to.