BILLS › Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2011
Senator CHRIS EVANS (Western Australia—Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (01:49): I thought I made clear that effectively the government's policy position has not changed. We support the permit system. We recognise that it applies on the majority of Indigenous land. I explained that in practice there have not been declarations in relation to roads leading into townships, but we acknowledged that the townships were not covered by the permit system. We have taken the view that in this legislation we are not seeking to make a change in that regard. It is in part a judgment about what is possible in this parliament. We have not changed our policy position. We are not seeking through this bill to make any change in relation to the permit system. I understand the senator's point, but the government have made a judgment not to support these amendments in the bill. Question negatived.