EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Northern Territory National Emergency Response (Other Areas) Declaration 2007 (No. 1)
Summary
The Northern Territory National Emergency Response Act 2007 (the Emergency Response Act) provides for special emergency measures to apply in prescribed areas. These measures relate to the sale and consumption of alcohol, the requirement to audit publicly funded computers and licensing of community stores. Additional measures dealing with prohibited material, in new Part 10 of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995, also apply in prescribed areas.
The term prescribed area is defined in section 4 of the Emergency Response Act. Subsection 4(4) provides that the Commonwealth Minister may declare areas, which would otherwise not be covered by the definition of prescribed area, to be prescribed areas for the purpose of the definition.
The Northern Territory National Emergency Response (Other Areas) Declaration 2007 (No. 1) (the Declaration) provides that Nauiyu (Daly River), Canteen Creek and Finke are prescribed areas under section 4 of the Emergency Response Act. This means that the special emergency measures outlined above will also apply within these areas. This is essential as similar problems are evident within these communities as those identified in communities within the currently defined prescribed areas.
Explanation of the provisions
Section 1 of the Declaration provides that it is called the Northern Territory National Emergency Response (Other Areas) Declaration 2007 (No. 1).
Section 2 provides that the Declaration commences on the day after it is registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.
Section 3 provides that each area listed in Schedule 1 of the Determination is a prescribed area for paragraph 4(4)(b) of the Emergency Response Act.
Schedule 1 sets out the areas known as Nauiyu (Daly River), Canteen Creek and Finke.
Consultation
No community consultation was undertaken in declaring these areas, as the Government had made a decision about areas to be covered by the emergency measures based on concerns about protection of children. Consultation did occur with Land Branch, FACSIA and the NT Government.