The Northern Territory government has hit back after a panel of independent experts tasked with improving justice outcomes for First Nations people stood down over what they described as a “facade of scrutiny, dialogue and collaboration”, with the territory’s attorney general saying there would be “no more coddling criminals, no more talk-fests, and no more identity politics”.
In a formal letter on Thursday night, seven members of the Northern Territory Justice Policy Partnership (NTJPP) – a non-government panel of independent justice experts and representatives of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations – announced they would suspend their participation for a period of six months due to “a breakdown in genuine dialogue, partnership and shared decision-making”.
