IN BRIEF
- Three child protection workers have been stood down over their handling of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s case before her death.
- Kumanjayi Little Baby was reported missing from a home at a town camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs on 25 April.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are cautioned that this article contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous individual.
Readers may find some content in this article distressing.
Three child protection workers have been temporarily relieved of their duties as authorities probe their actions in the case of Kumanjayi Little Baby, who was tragically killed.
Kumanjayi Little Baby was last seen at a residence within a town camp near Alice Springs and was reported missing on April 25.
A significant search effort, involving both land and air resources, was launched and continued for five days until her body was tragically discovered on April 30.
Jefferson Lewis, aged 47, faces charges of murder along with two additional offenses, the details of which remain undisclosed due to legal restrictions.
A spokesperson for Northern Territory child protection minister Robyn Cahill confirmed to the Australian Associated Press that three child protection workers had been stood down on Wednesday morning.
“They’ve been stood down while an investigation is underway into actions taken, or not taken, in relation to this case,” she said.
Reports appeared in the media overnight about Kumanjayi Little Baby having been the subject of child protection reports.
SBS News is not suggesting any wrongdoing on behalf of the five-year-old’s family.
The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) called for an investigation into the leaking of confidential information relating to child protection notifications involving Kumanjayi Little Baby and her family.
Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, said she was “horrified” to read the leaked details in the national media.
“Leaking these details has only served to demonise a mother trying to keep herself and her children safe,” Liddle said, adding, “Notifications do not mean substantiation.”
“The safety of children is of course,, always paramount, and I am pleased to see the Northern Territory minister asking questions about the actions of workers in her department.
“But I would urge her to investigate the leaking of information that could very well place the mother of Kumanjayi Little Baby in danger.”
Legal aid group urges housing reform
Meanwhile, the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) has called for urgent investment in public and Aboriginal-controlled housing, an end to overcrowding, and an end to punitive evictions from public housing.
The legal aid service’s chair Theresa Roe blamed the NT government for the growing number of evictions from public housing in the territory, adding that it puts “families into highly vulnerable situations where they cannot control who comes into contact with their children”, referring to the territory’s community in general.
Roe said: “Aboriginal communities and organisations have consistently called out successive governments for harmful, ineffective and wasteful responses, yet we are consistently ignored.”
She added that NAAJA rejects any calls for an inquiry or royal commission, and instead urged the Commonwealth government “to hold the NT government accountable for their failed systems and wasteful use of Commonwealth money”.
“We call for public money to be used in ways that is supported by evidence and in partnership with Aboriginal people, rather than for short-term political gain.”
The Northern Territory government is currently developing a territory‑wide housing strategy, seeking public input.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.
