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PM hits back at Abbott accusations

Malcolm Turnbull  says there were special circumstances in the Northern Territory.

Malcolm Turnbull says there were special circumstances in the Northern Territory. Photo: ABC

The Prime Minister has fired back at the man he ousted, Tony Abbott, over the accusation that a royal commission into Northern Territory youth detention was a questionable and panicked response.

Mr Abbott, now on the Government backbench,revealed significant reservations about Mr Turnbull’s decision to call the snap national inquiry in an interview on 2GB this morning.

“Governments normally need to pause and think before they take precipitant action,” Mr Abbott told Alan Jones.

“I’m confident this royal commission, given its terms of reference, will come up with a reasonable report.

“But you’re right, Alan — normally governments should not respond in panic at TV programs.”

Mr Turnbull announced the royal commission less than 12 hours after the Four Corners story detailing abuse in the Don Dale detention centre went to air.

Mr Abbott’s comments about that course of action followed the Prime Minister to Micronesia, where he’s arrived during a week attending a string of international summits.

“The royal commission is a very appropriate response to what appeared to be a systemic failure in the justice system in the NT,” Mr Turnbull told reporters.

“So appropriate was the response that the principal critique of it that’s been made has been that it should have applied to all of Australia.”

Labor accuses Abbott of sabotage

Senior Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne has dismissed suggestions from Labor that Mr Abbott made the comments to undermine Malcolm Turnbull while he is overseas.

Mr Pyne said that while he had not seen the interview, he was “absolutely certain” it was not a matter of sabotage.

“He’s [Abbott] not doing any more or any less than he’s been doing for years as a public figure,” Mr Pyne said.

But Labor frontbencher Penny Wong claimed Mr Abbott had an ulterior motive for his comments, telling the ABC he was “openly undermining and openly attacking the Prime Minister”.

“It’s a pity Tony Abbott wants to play internal Liberal Party politics with an issue that really should be above politics,” she said.

Mr Abbott also likened Mr Turnbull’s commission call to the fallout from the highly controversial live cattle trade suspension under Labor in 2011, which was also triggered by a Four Corners report.

“That’s what happened with the live cattle trade and it took us years to overcome the damage that the Gillard government caused there,” Mr Abbott said.

Don Dale

The Four Corners footage of abuse at the Don Dale detention centre shocked Australia.

He said in the aftermath of the youth detention story going to air in July, it appeared things were not as black and white as the report suggested.

“It was a pretty one-sided report, it was a shocking report, but it was only telling one side of the story.”

Mr Abbott said he was hopeful the royal commission would come up with “both sides of the story” and will takes the issues raised forward rather than just “attributing blame”.

Greens want royal commission expanded

The Greens have written to the Prime Minister requesting the royal commission be expanded across the country.

The call follows similar requests from legal and youth advocacy groups, who have highlighted other cases of suspected abuse in Queensland and Tasmania.

Greens Indigenous affairs spokeswoman Rachel Siewert acknowledged there would be a significant increase in the cost of the inquiry if it was expanded across the country but said it was necessary.

“We know that it can cost a significant amount of money, the point here is we need to address this issue and its needs to be squarely put on the table,” she said.

“Investigation into mistreatment and abuse should not end at a territory border.

“The royal commission could be two-tiered, and could focus on and report first on the Northern Territory and Don Dale, and the second part could investigate youth detention across the country.”

The Prime Minister said there were special circumstances in the Northern Territory.

“If you expand the time frame or the terms of reference of these inquiries, again and again and again, you end up with an inquiry that can become unmanageable, it can go on for many years.”

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