Question On Notice No. 185 asked in the Legislative Council on 15 August 2017 by Hon Alison Xamon
Question Directed to the: Leader of the House representing the Attorney General
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the success of the New South Wales Custodial Notifications Service (CNS) in dramatically reducing Aboriginal deaths in custody in that State, and I ask:
(a) will the Government fund and implement a CNS to ensure Aboriginal people who are taken into custody have immediate access to appropriate legal assistance;
(b) if yes to (a), when; and
(c) if no to (a), why not?
Answered on 12 September 2017
(a) - (c) The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon Ben Wyatt, and I have written to Senator Scullion and the Commonwealth regarding the offer of funding made last year and have received a positive response.
The Government and Department of Justice are actively working on the details of such a service, including scaling up the costs and identifying a suitable operator.