NT child protection report calls for system reset, 45 reforms in six months
The authors of a review into the NT Department of Children and Families say most of the 45 recommendations will be implemented within six months, but Indigenous advocates say the report lacks genuine Aboriginal input.
A new report examining the Northern Territory Department of Children and Families’ handling of the case of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby concluded that her death stemmed from broad, interconnected shortcomings rather than a single error. Co-authored by former NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and veteran public servant Greg Shanahan, the document makes 45 recommendations calling for a “system-wide reset,” including audits of safety plans and improved risk-assessment consistency.
The authors said they are “very confident” most recommendations will be put into practice within six months. Indigenous advocates, including SNAICC chair Muriel Bamblett and North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency chief Ben Grimes, criticised the report for not adequately incorporating Aboriginal lived experience and warned that without addressing poverty, housing and health, children will stay vulnerable. They also pointed to previous coronial recommendations that have yet to be acted on. The report was tabled in the NT parliament amid calls for the government to listen to frontline organisations.
