One Place, One Number, One Story, One Spirit

“It's like it's treading on us you know, standing on top of us to make the rules. To change our rules, what Anangu women are saying. Anangu want their kids back in their own communities, with their own kinship and proper families. Their real families. They're losing language living with carers - language, culture, everything. And their Tjukurpa. If they want to go round changing new laws, they should consult with us. " – NPYWC Chairperson

Like many concerned organisations in our sector, NPY Women’s Council (NPYWC) submitted a response to changes to the Care and Protection of Children Legislation Amendment (Every Child Matters) Bill 2026 on Friday 22 May. We are concerned about its effect on the lives of Anangu and Yarnangu children and families within the child protection system. From our work with children, families and communities across the NPY lands, we know that many of the issues driving child protection involvement are closely connected to poverty, remoteness, housing stress, service shortages, intergenerational disadvantage and the ongoing impacts of colonisation, rather than a lack of care or love for children.

We are disappointed that the NT Children’s Commissioner, Shahleena Musk, was not consulted ahead of the announcement to launch an Inquiry into the Northern Territory (NT) child protection system and was not appointed to participate in the Inquiry committee. Instead, the decision to appoint Karen Webb, former NSW Police Commissioner, shows a misalignment with the commitment from the NT Government to take seriously shared decision making with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Decisions such as this risk undermining the shared commitment to lived experience and subject matter expertise required for this type of reform.

NPYWC rejects Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s comment regarding ACCO responses to the Bill as “hysteria”.  Finocchiaro’s claim that the Bill represents the NT Government making “good laws that protect Territorians” is untrue, in NPYWC's opinion, the Bill will not protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. Instead, the Bill has the potential to make Closing the Gap targets even more unobtainable for very remote communities who face who the brunt of legislation such as this.  

Further, NPYWC supports the joint media release from NAAJA, CAAFLU, CAWLS, TEWLS, KWLS, DCLS and LANT reminding us that under Northern Territory law, it is a criminal offence to disclose or publish identifying or confidential information connected to child protection matters and that every Northern Territorian should be concerned about the publication of any allegations against parents and families that have not been substantiated. These leaked reports subsequently laid the groundwork for launching the Child Protection Investigation and announcing the changes to the Bill.

The changes proposed in the Bill move further away from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principles (ATSICPP) of Prevention, Connection, Participation, Placement and Partnership - and will categorically increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care. We firmly believe that through safeguarding of the ATSICPP in legislation and in practice, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children overrepresented in the child protection system (Closing the Gap target 12) will actively reduce.

The 2017 NT Royal Commission, the Implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle Northern Territory 2025 Review, and the NT and National Children’s Commissioners have all identified systemic underfunding of family support services, the absence of early intervention infrastructure, housing insecurity, and the ongoing criminalisation of victim-survivors as the drivers of over-representation in the child protection system. Despite this, the Bill does not address any of these drivers. Conversely, the Bill will contribute to harm, intergenerational trauma, and increase pathways into the juvenile justice system by removing First Nations children from their families and kinship networks.

“Trauma from child removal affects parents in long term ways […] it is important to listen with compassion, understand the depth of grief and recognise the need for culturally safe and supportive spaces for healing” – Senior Anangu woman

NPYWC always advocates for child safety and recognises the need for effective child protection systems. However, we do not believe this Bill addresses the underlying causes driving child protection involvement in the NT.

Instead, we are concerned the Bill:

• Lowers the threshold for intervention into families;
• Expands coercive powers;
• Increases pathways into long-term care;
• Fails to adequately address poverty, housing instability and service shortages;
• Risks causing further harm to vulnerable children, families and communities.

In our submission, we recommended that the Bill;

• Is withdrawn pending genuine consultation with Aboriginal organisations, communities and others;
• Ensures that the reforms align with the ATSICPP and Closing the Gap Priority Reforms;
• Requires active and supported participation of families in all significant decisions;
• Recognises poverty, remoteness, disability and housing insecurity as structural issues, rather than parental failure; and
• Strengthens accountability for proactive efforts and reunification.
  
  

Importantly, we also urged the NT Government to meaningfully consider the unique, tri-state context NPYWC operates when examining the impact of this Bill on child protection, children and families. Our remote and very remote region means that Anangu and Yarnangu experience disproportionate disadvantages that increase their experience of structural discrimination, disconnection to culture and country, and intergenerational trauma. 

NPYWC’s consistent advocacy on these issues led to the establishment of Ngura Kutju in 2026 to help transform the way child protection services are delivered in the NPY region. Ngura Kutju is an example of Anangu and Yarnangu-led decision making that privileges the expertise of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs). Ngura Kutju demonstrates how community-led understanding and approaches to community engagement will lead to greater outcomes in early intervention and prevention. Finally, incorporating broader ideas around Indigenous safety, kinship care, and child rearing practices will pave the way for advancing culturally safe, trauma- informed solutions. 

Read our full submission to the Legislative Scrutiny Committee regarding the Care and Protection of Children Legislation Amendment (Every Child Matters) Bill 2026 (Serial 67) here.