The situations created in remote communities of the Northern Territory resulting in government intervention supports this argument.
The Commonwealth Government's wide-ranging Northern Territory (NT) Emergency Response (Intervention) began in June 2007, based upon the urgent need to address child neglect and social dysfunction in certain NT communities. The response was largely based on the release of the Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle: 'Little Children are Sacred' Report. The view of the report that a significant contributing factor was the "breakdown of culture and society" (Wild et al., 2007, p.12) .
The Little Children are Sacred report included 97 recommendations in relation to government leadership; family and children's services; health crisis intervention; police; prosecutions and victim support; bail; offender rehabilitation; prevention services; health care as prevention of abuse; family support services; education; alcohol; substance abuse; community justice; employment; housing; pornography; gambling, and cross cultural practices. In particular, the recommendations emphasized that education is the key to helping children and communities foster safe, well-adjusted families. It emphasized that school is the way to keep future generations of Aboriginal children safe, and getting children to school every day is essential (Wild et al., 2007), (AHRC, 2008).
Key Indigenous academics have welcomed the intervention. Marcia Langton observed that whatever its shortcomings, the Intervention was a great opportunity to overcome the systemic levels of disadvantage among Aboriginal Australians. Her comment "those who did not see the intervention coming were deluding themselves" (Langton 2008, p.1). She sums up that the outcome was in the failure of federal-state policy, in making Aboriginal Australians more responsible. The Northern Territory governments for nearly twenty years had failed in directing and investing funds to address disadvantages in education, health and basic services.