Leanne Liddle's Garma Festival keynote speech was entitled "Handcuffed to Justice". (ABC News: Che Chorley)
The Northern Territory's current Australian of the Year, Leanne Liddle, has spoken out against "racism in all its forms", highlighting its impact on both the criminal justice system and attitudes towards domestic and family violence.
In a keynote speech delivered at the Garma Festival yesterday, Ms Liddle said current government approaches to criminal justice were "failing" Indigenous Australians.
"The police are literally handcuffed to their Aboriginal detainees," she said.
"They are also handcuffed to past policing practices and procedures that have patently failed to reduce crime rates efficiently, to close the justice gap in the Northern Territory.
"The judiciary and corrective services are handcuffed to very limited options for sentencing and rehabilitation."
The NT and Australia's leaders made the trip out to Arnhem Land for Garma. (ABC: Michael Franchi)
Media comments 'reflect undercurrent of racism'
Aboriginal Territorians have a disproportionately high amount of contact with the criminal justice system, making up more than 80 per cent of the prison population in the territory.
Ms Liddle, who also heads up the NT Government's Aboriginal Justice Unit, took aim at some media coverage of domestic and family violence in Aboriginal communities in her speech.
This included what she called some "sensationalised and over-simplified" media coverage of the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker, including an article released after his death which claimed he "subjected his partner to unreported abuse".
"It was [published] without providing an analysis of the underlying causes of the chaotic and horrific behaviour, alongside the implication that this is somehow unique to Aboriginal communities," she said.
"I ask this question — did the horrendous murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children demonstrate an animalistic, Anglo-Celtic culture among Queenslanders?"
Leanne Liddle says current approaches to criminal justice were "failing". (ABC News: James Dunlevie)
Ms Liddle also said some comments made in media used language which "reflect an undercurrent of racism, an othering of Aboriginal people within our society".
"I'm here to tell you that real racism includes racism in all its forms, especially systemic racism which operates within the architecture of society," she said.
"It is simply absurd to deny the role of racism in Northern Territory society generally and in the criminal justice system specifically."
Ms Liddle is optimistic that the Aboriginal Justice Agreement will bring about real change. (ABC News: Felicity James)
Aboriginal Justice Agreement 'can't afford to fail'
Ms Liddle led the consultation for the territory's Aboriginal Justice Agreement, which now has bipartisan support and is set to be implemented in full.
She said the agreement was an example of the "mutual respect" and "open communication" required for "an effective response to violence".
"It will lay the foundations for a much more place-based responsive range of initiatives that can genuinely break the cycles of violence and offending that currently plague Aboriginal communities and the broader society," she told the audience.
"We will ensure that we move beyond the failed approaches of the past and unlock the tough on crime rusted-on handcuffs."
Ms Liddle is confident that the agreement will be successful.
"It will succeed because we as a community will stand together and demand that we just don't do it differently, but this time we will get it right," she said.
"Because we can't afford to fail."
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