May 17, 2006 - 11:26AM
There is no evidence of pedophile rings operating in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities, Chief Minister Clare Martin says.
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough last night alleged pedophile rings were working behind a veil of customary law, along with people supplying sniffable petrol and marijuana to the communities.
"Everybody who lives in those communities knows who runs the pedophile rings, they know who brings in the (sniffable) petrol, they know who sells the ganja," he told ABC Television.
"They need to be taken out of the community and dealt with, not by tribal law, but by the judicial system that operates throughout Australia."
But NT Chief Minister Clare Martin said Mr Brough had been "incredibly irresponsible" to make the claims on national television.
There was no evidence for them, she said.
"We have no evidence of that," she told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
"Two weeks ago Mal Brough had quite a session with our police commissioner, didn't mention (it).
"He had a long session with me, didn't mention it, (then) goes on national television, can't say where it came from, and under our law it must be reported."
She said there was no simple solution to the problems of violence, abuse, and alcoholism plaguing many indigenous communities.
"It is not a quick fix. I'd love it to be a quick fix, but it's complex and it's difficult and it really disappoints me that someone like the Aboriginal affairs minister Mal Brough is simply ... grandstanding."
If Mr Brough had evidence of pedophile rings, he had an obligation to report it, Ms Martin said.
"I'm saying to Mal Brough, if you have evidence, if this is more than just some kind of rumour that's reached you, you have an obligation under Territory law to report it," she said.
"It is incredibly irresponsible of an Aboriginal affairs minister to go on national television, when he's been dealing with the Territory government, speaking with the police commissioner."
Ms Martin said the federal government could do more to help out indigenous communities, particularly with housing to combat over-crowding.
"If they could just allocate $50 million ... to the backlog of housing in the Territory for 10 years, we would start seeing in one area of battling this problem some real change," she said.
This week, Alice Springs crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers went public with her concerns about how the legal system dealt with indigenous violence.
Aboriginal children, including babies as young as seven months, were being raped and the crimes were generally unreported, while few cases made it to trial, she said.
Treasurer Peter Costello today announced $6 million in funding for up to 40 houses to be built in remote indigenous communities.
"The funding will help to meet the needs of indigenous communities by providing new, cost-effective housing for indigenous people in remote areas," he said in a statement.
"The funding will involve trials of innovative house construction options, such as modern self-build kit houses, in some remote communities."
AAP
Australian media reports that a recently leaked Northern Territory police briefing paper exposes "shocking" cases of sexual abuse and violence against women and children in remote Australian Aboriginal communities.

Northern Territory, Australia
Central Australian Crown prosecutor, Dr Nannette Rogers, alleged a range of "dreadful" cases she has heard of. Her paper claims details of abuse (over a 15-year period), including the rape of a seven-month-old baby, and the sexual assault and drowning of a girl by an 18-year-old man. The report refers to a disturbingly abusive and secretive Indigenous male culture. She says a "web of kinship" has helped to create a "conspiracy of silence" and that Aboriginal communities were suffering from "tragedy fatigue," allowing horrific crimes to appear unremarkable. 

"It doesn't augur well for Aboriginal people to be functional human beings with the attributes of turning around and caring for children themselves," she said. "The child grows up seeing violence done to him or her and having violence done to him or her." 

 Tangentyere Council chief executive William Tilmouth says it is appalling behaviour. "It's a behaviour that's got to stop, it's behaviour that denigrates the family, as well as the women," he said.