The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the apex body in the Australian Catholic Church, released a statement urging the new Prime Minister to tackle the underlying problems the Indigenous communities have.
The peak body of Catholic bishops said that much more needed to be done so the bleak situation faced by Aboriginals living in this country could be turned around. However, the policy response must be made in full consultation and cooperation with the local indigenous community.
The issue of Aboriginal welfare recently gained traction when the former Prime Minister, John Howard, launched a bold approach in tackling the rampant child-sex abuse, as supported by the Northern Territory government report, in the Territory by legislating austere measures.
These measures include quarantining welfare payment if certain conditions are not met, sending in the army, and banning the sales of X-rated pornography and alcohol in some areas.
Jenny Macklin, the new Federal Indigenous Minister, in an interview with The Weekend Australia said she was interested in the outcome of improving Aboriginal lives and has ordered her department to collect hard data on the intervention to assess whether it is successful or not.