185. Hon Alison Xamon to the Leader of the House representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the success of the New South Wales Custodial Notifications Service (CNS) in dramatically reducing Aboriginal deaths in custody in that State, and I ask:
(a) will the Government fund and implement a CNS to ensure Aboriginal people who are taken into custody have immediate access to appropriate legal assistance;
(b) if yes to (a), when; and
(c) if no to (a), why not?
Hon Sue Ellery replied:
(a) – (c) The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon Ben Wyatt, and I have written to Senator Scullion and the Commonwealth regarding the offer of funding made last year and have received a positive response.
The Government and Department of Justice are actively working on the details of such a service, including scaling up the costs and identifying a suitable operator.