The Association of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies Northern Territory (AADANT) thanks the committee for the opportunity to provide a brief response to this Bill. 

AADANT is the peak body for Alcohol and Other Drugs treatment services in the Northern Territory (NT). As an independent, membership-driven, not-for-profit association, we work with our members to support and strengthen Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) service delivery for people who experience harmful substance use in the NT. 

AADANT supports the establishment of a Truth and Justice Commission, as prescribed in this Bill, to inquire into and make recommendations to Parliament about historic and ongoing injustices against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australia. 

This is especially relevant to the NT with tenfold the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents, compared to the national population, who have suffered historical and continuing impacts of colonialisation and dispossession. These include drug laws, policies and practices that intentionally and disproportionately targeted and criminalised them, such as the NT Intervention. 

AADANT also acknowledges additional issues and concerns raised by other peak bodies in their responses to this Bill. These include the need for the Commission to:

• be established within the spirit of the Uluru Statement from the Heart,
• align with the Closing the Gap Priority Reforms,
• be representative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community diversity, and
• avoid a repeat of the harms caused by the failed Voice referendum process.

We specifically endorse submissions to this inquiry by the Queensland Network of Alcohol and other Drugs (QNADA), and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).