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This report which took over 8 months to complete and was published in June 2007. It outlined allegations of widespread family violence, child abuse and child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. The report recommended that 'child abuse...be designated as an issue of urgent national significance

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August 2007
Despite the Little Children are Sacred Report emphasising the importance of entering into genuine partnerships with Aboriginal communities, the Government implemented the Intervention measures with speed and no consultation. The Intervention begun only 2 months after the release of the report.

Under the discriminatory laws of the Intervention our communities are collapsing, we are prevented from being self-sufficient, from developing our community programmes and supporting our families. Our jobs on CDEP that we have been dependent on for the last 30 years, helped us to build our community, have been cut-off and everything has come to a halt. Our rights have been blocked.

John Leemans, a Gurindji man from Kalkarindji

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It was initially a $587 million package that targeted specific Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. This led to creation of 5 different pieces of legislation. However, in order to enact this package of legislation, several existing laws were affected or partially suspended, including the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, the
Social Security Act 1991 and the
Native Title Act 1993.
73 communities were impacted by the NTER. Some of the measures of the NTER included:
- Banning alcohol in some areas
- Quarantining' 50% of welfare payments from individuals living in designated communities and from beneficiaries who were judged to have neglected their children.
- Compulsorily acquiring townships held under title provisions of the Native Title Act 1993 with the introduction of five-year leases in order to give the government unconditional access.
-Sixty-five Aboriginal communities were compulsorily acquired by federal government
- Linking income support payments to school attendance for all people living on Aboriginal land, and providing mandatory meals for children at school at parents' cost.
- Introducing compulsory health checks for all Aboriginal children.
- Increasing policing levels in prescribed communities.
- Removing customary law and cultural practice considerations from bail applications and sentencing in criminal trials.
- Termination of Community Employment Plans (this was done to force Indigenous men on to welfare so government could control their money)

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During 2009-2010 the Rudd government focused on reinstating any suspended legislation, such as the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. He also introduced the Basics Card and shifted the focus of the Intervention from from the protection of children from sexual abuse to the reform of the welfare system and meeting the government's Closing the Gap targets.
Under the Gillard government, the
Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Act 2012(Stronger Futures) replaced the NTER and extended the Intervention for a further ten years to 2022.
Stronger futures did the following:
- Expansion of income management through the Basics Card and the increase of 'quarantined' payments.
- Increased penalties related to alcohol and pornography, with as much as 6-months jailtime for a single can of beer.
- Expansion of policy that links school attendance with continued welfare payments.
- Introduction of licences for 'community stores' to ensure the provisions of healthy, quality food.
- Commonwealth given power to make regulations regarding the use of town camps.

- Consultation did take place, but it was criticised. Amnesty International commented that the new package of legislation was the same as the original 'intervention, but with the pretense of being non-discriminatory.'

Since 2007 it is believed that the Intervention and
Stronger Futures has cost over $1 billion

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The NT ‘Intervention’ led to some changes in Indigenous health, but the social cost may not have been worth it

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The NT Intervention has demonstrated how increased resourcing of health care for Indigenous Australians can lead to positive measurable change while, at the same time, showing how not to do it.

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PM John Howard and the Liberal/Coalition government

It is a disgrace that in a section of the Australian population, that little children should be the subject of serious sexual abuse. (2007)

FYI: The Howard government saw practical reconciliation as the way to help the nation's first people improve their living conditions. He did not believe in symbolic reconciliation; refusing to say sorry to the Stolen Generations, which was one of the recommendations from the 1997 Bringing Them Home Report.

2007 was also an election year.

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'The Howard government brought an end to the longstanding Commonwealth government approach of supporting Indigenous self-determination, valuing Indigenous cultural difference, and diversity of choice. It replaced it with a new paternalism, or guardianship, where “government knows best” and Indigenous difference is understood as a negative, or a deficit which must be reformed.'

Diana Perche

'The intervention has had consequences that will have repercussions for generations.'

Prof Mick Dodson, Aboriginal leader

'We feel here that the intervention offers us absolutely nothing, excepting to compound thefeeling of being second class citizens. The only thing that we have gained out of the intervention is the police.'

Utopia Elder

'The intervention has led to the further destruction of our culture, ceremony and a loss of discipline among our people. The white authorities don't know what is best for us. They only think they do. We are asking simply for understanding that in life there needs to be an understanding between two cultures.'
Yingiya Guyula, Darwin, NT