The Justice and Equity Centre made a submission to the Inquiry into the Northern Territory Government’s Care and Protection of Children Legislation Amendment (Every Child Matters) Bill 2026.
We prepared the submission in consultation with the peak bodies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities in NSW, AbSec – NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation and the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT), as well as the Child Protection Hub at University of Technology Sydney Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, and Mounty Aboriginal Youth & Community Services.
Our submission emphasised our strong joint opposition to the Bill and urged the Committee to recommend it not be passed.
Specific concerns we raised included:
- the inadequate one-week period for community feedback on complex and consequential proposed changes,
- the Government’s failure to consult prior to the introduction of the Bill, and
- the risks the Bill posed to fulsome implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.
