NT Coalition candidate Lisa Siebert diverges from Jacinta Nampijinpa Price on royal commission call

A federal Coalition candidate in the Northern Territory has called for the Liberal Party's proposed royal commission into child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities to be expanded to all Australian children.

The Liberals have committed to establishing the royal commission if elected in May, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton calling it a "priority" for the party

On Thursday, Country Liberal Party (CLP) candidate Lisa Siebert, who is challenging Labor MP Marion Scrymgour for the regional NT seat of Lingiari, said that inquiry should be broadened.

"I would like to see it for all children, it should be right across the board," she told ABC Radio Alice Springs.

The seat of Lingiari covers the entire NT outside of Darwin and its satellite city of Palmerston and has the highest Indigenous enrolment of any electorate.

It is considered a key battleground seat this federal election, with Ms Scrymgour holding it for Labor by only a slim margin of 1.7 per cent.

Hours after Ms Siebert made her comments, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jacinta Nampijinpa Price pushed back against them, saying a royal commission would only look at Indigenous children affected by the issue.

"I absolutely respect Lisa Siebert's opinions on the matter, but more specifically this royal commission we have committed to will be for Indigenous children," she said.

Ms Nampijinpa Price claimed Indigenous children were disproportionately affected by sexual abuse — a claim that has not been substantiated by data.

Senator Nampijinpa Price said if the Coalition won government, it would implement the royal commission as soon as possible. 

"If we're elected, it will take place in the first 100 days of government. It's not something we're going to sit around and twiddle our thumbs on," she said.

Royal commission proposal criticised 

Mr Dutton and Senator Nampijinpa Price have repeatedly called for a royal commission into child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities over the past three years.

The proposal has been criticised by Indigenous children's advocates and medical bodies, including Australia's peak body for Indigenous children and their families, SNAICC. 

SNAICC chief executive Catherine Liddle said the Coalition's proposal was not rooted in evidence or best practice for Indigenous communities.

"No one is denying that child abuse is a serious issue for every community in Australia, however, singling out Aboriginal families and communities is harmful and puts ideology before evidence," she said.

Former Coalition federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, echoed Ms Liddle's views, telling the ABC a royal commission would be unnecessary given the level of information already available to government.

"There is sufficient evidence from federal and state jurisdictions, from the behaviour that is manifested in children who are abused, that we should be doing something constructive now," he said.

NT government programs could be audited 

Along with the proposed royal commission, the Coalition has also committed to undertaking an audit of federally-funded Indigenous programs if elected.

On Thursday, Ms Siebert said that audit should include programs administered by the Northern Territory government.

Senator Nampijinpa Price said she agreed with Ms Siebert, saying any funding provided by a Coalition government to the NT government would have "strings attached" if it pertained to Indigenous affairs.

NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said she would welcome an audit into her government's programs.

"We've got no issue with that and in fact we've been encouraging it," she said.

"We don't think that under the previous government the money being spent was doing the things it needed to do."