John Howard and Natasha Fyles at war over Territory Indigenous issues

Former PM John Howard claims the Territory is headed down the path ‘of mistakes’ made before the Intervention. However, the Chief Minister has hit back at his claims.

John Howard has blasted the Territory government, saying it is making mistakes over alcohol access issues. Picture: Damian Shaw

Former Prime Minister John Howard has accused the Northern Territory government of making the same mistakes that led to the Intervention more than 15 years ago.

But Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has rejected the claim, accusing the Coalition of using the NT to play politics to distract from its own division.

Mr Howard’s government launched the Northern Territory Emergency Response in 2007 after reports of widespread child sex abuse.

Better known as the Intervention, it involved the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act, widespread alcohol bans and the army sent in to remote Indigenous communities.

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has rejected claims by John Howard over the Territory and the Intervention. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

In an exclusive interview with Sky News Investigations reporter Jonathan Lea, Mr Howard said history may be repeating itself.

“The failure of governments on different levels – look at the NT. 15 years ago when I was PM we had an Intervention in the NT and that was because that was the failure of the NT government,” Mr Howard said.

“In the last few weeks, months – we’ve seen the same failures repeated in the same parts of Australia. That’s a failure of government and having a Voice won’t stop that.”

The Northern Territory government has been criticised for allowing alcohol to return to Aboriginal town camps when Intervention-era legislation expired last July.

Those bans were reinstated in February after pressure from the Albanese government.

But the Chief Minister has rejected Mr Howard’s claim.

“I think it’s incredibly unfair that every time the Liberal Coalition government are in trouble nationally and want to have a look at me moment - they raise the question of the NT,” Ms Fyles said.

“The Intervention failed at the time, it disempowered Indigenous people and we are still dealing with those consequences a decade and a half later.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called for a royal commission into child sex abuse in the Northern Territory after visiting Alice Springs late last year.

Mr Dutton will tour Alice Springs again today with Senator Jacinta Price, a contender to be the Opposition’s new Indigenous Affairs spokeswoman.

Jonathan Lea is the Sky News Investigations Reporter. Matt Cunningham is the Sky News Northern Australia Correspondent 

Originally published as John Howard and Natasha Fyles at war over Territory Indigenous issues