PM needs to show he cares

IT must be tempting for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to ignore the Northern Territory

IT must be tempting for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to ignore the Northern Territory. We’re just a tiny portion of the national population. We barely register as a blip on the radar of the east coast media which has more important things — such as Barnaby Joyce’s sex life — to obsess about.

In delivering the latest Closing the Gap report in Canberra, Mr Turnbull said he was committed to getting Aboriginal people at the centre of the nation’s successes. It’s big rhetoric, but it’s not matched by his actions.

About 30 per cent of Territorians are indigenous. That’s 10 times the national rate.

If Mr Turnbull was serious about addressing indigenous disadvantage, he would come to the Territory and see it first hand. He would make a significant financial contribution to help fund the recommendations of the royal commission he called.

But he isn’t doing those things. He has only been to the Territory three times in this term of Government and one of those visits was to speak at a party conference.

Hardly the actions of a prime minister committed to putting Aboriginal Australians at the centre of the nation’s success story.

It’s been enough to get the ordinarily affable Michael Gunner off-side. The Chief Minister has ramped up his rhetoric against Mr Turnbull in the past week, claiming the Territory is completely absent from the Prime Minister’s mind.

Mr Gunner reckons there’s no downside in taking a tough stance if the Prime Minister isn’t listening anyway.

Mr Turnbull can’t treat Territorians with contempt any longer. Three brief visits and a few empty motherhood statements aren’t good enough.

We need action and we need cash.