The Northern Territory Government’s attempt to shift blame for the current legal aid crisis is not just irresponsibly, it is dangerous.
‘Children’s lives, safety, and rights are at stake. This is not a game, and it cannot become another round of political point-scoring while children and young people are denied the most basic protections under law,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The leaked memo confirming that Legal Aid NT (LANT) has refused to exempt children from sweeping service cuts should alarm every Territorian. Freezing grants of aid for children not in custody, even as the CLP government escalates its “tough on crime” agenda, creates an unacceptable and foreseeable catastrophe,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘A government cannot actively widen the net of criminalisation, change bail laws to ensure more children are imprisoned, lower the age of criminal responsibility, and then feign surprise when demand for legal representation increases,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘For years, the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) has been clear: they are dangerously overstretched, underfunded, and carrying workloads that no legal service could safely absorb. To now imply NAAJA is somehow responsible for LANT’s collapse is not only inaccurate, it is a deflection from the NT Government’s own choices,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘These policy decisions were deliberate. The impacts were predictable. And the children are the ones who will bear the consequences,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘There must be no stand-off, no delay, and no excuses while children’s basic human and legal rights hang in limbo. The CLP Government must intervene immediately to secure representation for every child who needs it. Nothing short of urgent, guaranteed, and fully funded legal assistance is acceptable,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Legal representation for children is not optional; it is a non-negotiable human right. Denying children access to a lawyer undermines the fairness of the entire legal system, risks profoundly unjust outcomes, and will disproportionately harm Aboriginal children who are already mass represented due to decades of systemic racism, punitive policies, and deliberate political choices,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘As adults, we hold a fundamental responsibility to protect children, not expose them to further harm. When governments create the very conditions that funnel children into the courts, they also carry the obligation to ensure those children can exercise their rights and receive culturally safe, quality legal representation,’ said Tabitha Lean.
The NT Government must act swiftly and decisively.
The children cannot wait.
Their rights cannot be paused.
And their futures cannot be collateral damage in yet another political crisis of the government’s own making.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
