With the election looming, Crikey is continuing the search for policy details from the alternative government. Nicola Roxon, the Shadow Minister for Health, declined the opportunity to answer questions on her portfolio – read them here.

Unbowed, Crikey has refocussed its attention, sending the following questions to Jenny Macklin, member for Jagajaga and Shadow Minister for Families & Community Services, Indigenous Affairs & Reconciliation.

  1. If the ALP wins government at this year’s federal election, will it abandon the “emergency intervention”?
  2. Given that the ALP supported the federal government’s legislation governing the “emergency intervention” in the Northern Territory, how does that sit against one of the principles adopted by the Labor Party at its national conference regarding the treatment of Indigenous Australians; namely, “Labor will take an evidence-based approach to improve the social, cultural and economic well-being of Indigenous Australians”?
  3. Will the ALP reinstate the CDEP program?
  4. What is Labor’s policy on the 99-year lease legislation? If the ALP win government this year, will it change the current legislation, as a large number of NT traditional owners have requested?
  5. The ALP National Platform and Constitution 2007 commits Labor to “endorsing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” and being “guided by its benchmarks and standards”. This UN document highlights the need for treaties to be signed with Indigenous peoples. Will Labor sign a treaty with Indigenous Australians?