The 500-pages law allowing the Federal Government to enact its radical Indigenous policy was introduced in parliament amid the strong opposition coming from Indigenous groups along with the revelation of a cost-blow out.
The Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, Mal Brough, on Tuesday introduced the Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill (2007) along with two amendment Bills in the lower house; saying that the nation will stand up to answer the call of the Aboriginal children, reported Bloomberg.
"Today is the day Australia stands up and answers the call of Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory," he said. "Their life of sexual abuse should stop and we will address this through a dramatic intervention of cash, people and real commitment."
The Shadow Indigenous Affair spokesman, Jenny Macklin said that Federal Labour would support the bill but had voiced concern about it.
A group of influential Aboriginal activists, including Pat Turner (former head of ATSIC) and John Ah Kit (former Territory government minister), has arrived in Canberra to persuade both major parties to oppose the bill.
Mr Ah Kit compared the intervention by the Federal Government to 'genocide,' saying this is the end of Aboriginal culture, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
"The beginning of the end of Aboriginal culture - it is in some ways genocide," he said.
Ms. Turner told the ABC that Aboriginals would not put up with the Prime Minister's method of 'getting rid of Aboriginal people and everything that they stand for.'
"It's our culture on the line here, it's a way of [Prime Minister John] Howard moving to get rid of Aboriginal people and everything that they stand for, and it's something that we're not going to put up with," she said.
In addition to the entrenched opposition from some Indigenous Australians, the cost of the government initiative to tackle the rampant child-sex abuse in the Northern Territory; has been estimated at around $500 million by Mr. Brough.
However, he defended the cost saying in a press conference that anyone who puts a price tag on a child has either no children or no soul.
Despite the opposition and the cost, the Prime Minister remained unrepentant about this course of action, saying the Bill will go ahead as planned with no changes.
"[Labor] is entitled to see the legislation and to express whatever view it wants, but I want to make it clear, we will not be changing our approach in the Northern Territory," he said.
"We will be going ahead with all of the elements of the intervention plan that [Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal] Brough and I announced, including in relation to the permit system and the prohibitions on alcohol."
The policy announcement came after the release of the Territory-government sponsored report identifying the rampant sex-abuse which was occurring within the Indigenous communities in the NT.