Death of Five-Year-Old Aboriginal Girl Prompts Review of Northern Territory Child Protection

She was excited about starting school. "My heart is broken into a million pieces," her mother wrote. " The Old Timers town camp is one of 16 such communities around Alice Springs. Aboriginal people make up about 3 percent of Australia's population but around 20 percent in Alice Springs.

The camps originated in the 1880s after Aboriginal people were displaced by European settlers and were formalised in the 1970s. Prior to 1960, Aboriginal people had been barred from entering the predominantly white town of Alice Springs. The camps are classified as social housing but function as small hamlets.

Residents report overcrowding, underfunding, poor facilities, lack of shops, intermittent electricity, limited public transport, restricted internet access, and inadequate roads and street lighting.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three times as likely to be unemployed as non-Indigenous Australians. They have significantly lower life expectancies, make up 37 percent of the prison population, and are more likely to experience or perpetrate family violence.

Many in the community are observing "sorry business," a period of grieving that involves cultural practices and can last days, weeks or months. The family has asked that the death be respected and not politicised. Liberal Party Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who said Kumanjayi Little Baby was a relative, broke down in Parliament and called for an "honest conversation" about failures in child protection.

" The Northern Territory Child Protection system is now under review. Catherine Liddle said the Intervention created fear among Aboriginal men of interacting with children or authorities, citing concerns that such actions could lead to accusations or removal of children.

The article contains references to and images of a person who has died.