The idea that Federal legislation can override local judicial leniency is not without precedent. The Northern Territory is not a state. It is a legislative child of Canberra, and Canberra has acted before, during the Intervention, with alcohol bans, and through court-mandated reforms to sentencing.

The first step toward real reform is to remove the perverse incentives that reward failure.

arguably criminal actions, obstructions and efforts by the judiciary and the NGO’s a predictable result.