Early Political Career
Scrymgour contested and won Labor preselection for the Legislative Assembly seat of Arafura, after the retirement of Maurice Rioli. The seat was considered safe for Labor, and she was re-elected with a lesser majority, due to the presence of two high-profile independent candidates on the ballot. In winning the seat, she became the first indigenous women to be elected to the Legislative Assembly.
Scrymgour was promoted to the ministry under Clare Martin on 17 December 2003, as part of a reshuffle caused by the sacking of Health Minister Jane Aagaard. She was assigned the portfolios of Family and Community Services and Environment and Heritage, and in doing so, became Australia's first Aboriginal woman cabinet minister.
As Minister for Family and Community Services, Scrymgour was tasked with responding to the issues of substance abuse and domestic violence. She chaired a select committee into substance abuse, and was the relevant minister during the roll-out of non-sniffable Opal fuel across remote indigenous communities. She was shifted to a new portfolio after the 2005 election, being appointed Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts. After a further reshuffle in August 2007, she retained Arts and Museums, regained Family and Community Services and was made Minister for Child Protection. She also oversaw planned changes to the territory's heritage laws, which created a heritage council to protect important sites, as already exists in several states.
Scrymgour developed a reputation for outspoken views on indigenous issues during her second term. She clashed with her own party on the issue of the MacArthur River Mine in 2006, and joined three other indigenous MPs in crossing the floor to oppose the mine's expansion. She made national news in late 2007 when she publicly condemned the federal government's intervention into indigenous communities, the Northern Territory National Emergency Response, labelling it "a vicious new McCarthyism."
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