The Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation has recently completed a major research report, which will assist police when interacting with people throughout the Northern Territory.

The report is titled "Being Undersirable: Law, Health and Life in Darwin's Long Grass" and asked the question: "What do Aboriginal people staying in Darwin's long grass require to attain an acceptable level of health and life quality and to be a law abiding citizen?."

The survey was undertaken by 550 participants.

The report concluded "an extraordinary high incidence of trauma and trauma-related illness, that the mainstream romanticises Aboriginal poverty and that attributing failure to aboriginal people for their circumstances has done little to change the status quo".

The report, funded and published by National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund (NDLERF), makes a number of recommendations, several of which have direct relevance to law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

With the Commonwealth intervention, the NT Government in partnership with the Commonwealth has been able to significantly increase policing services to rural and remote Indigenous Communities with some 18 new temporary police stations. NT Police welcome the report and look forward to using the information to enhance current initiatives to address the recommendations that fall within the Police ability to do so.

Police will continue to work with other agencies throughout the Territory to ensure all indigenous and non-indigenous people have adequate housing, health and education.

Media contact:
Amy Sloan
8922 3531