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Indigenous issues

Comment:

May 2009: 20 Hub towns proposed in NT (see below).

21 January 2008: Intervention and the Rudd government.

20 September. Movement in the NT with acceptance of 99year lease at at Gunyangara (Ski Beach). Galarrwuy Yunupingu signs off on deal. Leasehold to be held by clan. A positive move.

16 September 2007. Does the Howard/Brough/Helen Hughes intervention policy mean hucksters can do anything they want on Aboriginal land if they say "job opportunities" and "benefiting Aboriginal people"....Refer ABC Background briefing on logging on the Tiwi Islands...Timber, tax and the Tiwis.

Also:Northern Territory Intervention blog (tracking Howard/Brough consequences; lists towns scheduled for 5 year leases and those left in the ether)

17 July 2007: I have a feeling it is Mal Brough and John Howard hanging out there, alone, after the Liberal Party's "War conference" held yesterday. As Brough says, "Howard's the man", on the Six O'clock ABC news... Mal went on to say "I would be the first to tap him on the shoulder.."... the caring Mal Brough.

16 July 2007: Four Corners Program about Noel Pearson and Cape York Peninsular-"The Cape Experiment"

NT proposed HUB towns: Old towns or new towns, old life or new life or no life

2009. Hub towns: Proposal to scrub up 20 hubs believing the outer rings will wither away. This, it is hoped by some, will free the 4 'mainstream' hubs from those pesky consistent bush 'visitors'.

The application of technical solutions hoping to lead to human resolutions of cultural and economic differences... no lessons learned, it seems. It has the feel of old policy re-badged.

 The Northern Territory Government has unveiled a controversial new Indigenous homelands policy that it says will turn 20 remote communities into "towns like anywhere else in Australia". Read on

Links:

NTG release of workingfuture 

NT policy on Crikey with letter trail brewing

 

 

 

Will Sanders on the Howard 4th government

Super shires

Regional approach implemented across NT. NT news coverage here.

The 63 councils are to be amalgamated into 6 Super shires. Here is some background on Wikipedia 

Marcia Langton

Prof. Langton's article "Trapped in the Aboriginal Reality Show."Read article here: PDF (279kb)

Intervention and the Rudd government

Intervention: Bob Durnan in the Age

January 21st, 2008

Publications

Newspapers

National Indigenous Times (Australia)

Reports

"Little Children Are Sacred" report

Open letter to Howard by others

26 June 2007

Open letter to The Hon. Mal Brough MP
Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600

Dear Minister Brough

The undersigned organisations write this joint and open letter in order to convey our views on action required to stop the abuse of children in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, and our concerns about aspects of the Australian Government’s response to this problem as outlined in your statement of 21 June 2007.

The safety and well-being of Indigenous children is paramount. We welcome your commitment to tackling violence and abuse in certain Indigenous communities. We are deeply concerned at the severity and widespread nature of the problems of child sexual abuse and community breakdown in Indigenous communities in the NT, catalogued in the Little Children are Sacred Report.

We wish to work collaboratively with Governments and the communities affected to ensure that children are protected. We would like to see greater investment in the services that support Indigenous families and communities, the active involvement of these communities in finding solutions to these problems and greater Federal Government engagement in delivering basic health, housing and education services to remote communities.

There is general agreement among the communities affected, Governments and service providers and in the wider Australian community that urgent action is required to address the abuse and neglect of children and to assist those affected by it.

We note that the services which most Australians take for granted are often not delivered to remote Indigenous communities, including adequately resourced schools, health services, child protection and family support services, as well as police who are trained to deal with domestic violence in the communities affected. We endorse the call in the Little Children are Sacred Report for the Australian and Territory Governments to work together urgently to fill these gaps in services.

There is also a need for a longer term plan to address the underlying causes of the problem, including community breakdown, joblessness, overcrowding and low levels of education.

Successfully tackling these problems requires sustainable solutions, which must be worked out with the communities, not prescribed from Canberra.

We are committed to working with the Government to ensure that in developing and introducing the proposed measures, support is provided to Indigenous communities’ efforts to resolve these problems. The proposals go well beyond an ‘emergency response’, and will have profound effects on people’s incomes, land ownership, and their ability to decide the kind of medical treatment they receive. Some of the measures will weaken communities and families by taking from them the ability to make basic decisions about their lives, thus removing responsibility instead of empowering them.

In their present form the proposals miss the mark and are unlikely to be effective. There is an over-reliance on top-down and punitive measures, and insufficient indication that additional resources will be mobilised where they are urgently needed; to improve housing, child protection and domestic violence supports, schools, health services, alcohol and drug rehab programs. These issues have been raised by many Indigenous leaders over many years.

We offer our support to Indigenous communities and the Government in:

• developing programs that will strengthen families and communities to empower them to confront the problems they face;

• consulting adequately with the communities and NT Government, and community service, health and education providers;

• developing a long term plan to address and resolve the causes of child abuse including joblessness, poor housing, education and commit the necessary resources to this.

Yours sincerely


Mick Dodson

Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser and Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue
Co-Chairs, Sorry Day Alliance

Mary Buckskin
Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia

Darryl Kickett
Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia

Bernie Dwyer
Amity Community Services

David Evans
Amoonguna Health Service

Alice Springs Urban Housing

Jeff Warner & Barbara Shaw
Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation

Arrernte Council

Garry Highland
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR)

Mark Wenitong
Australian Indigenous Doctors Association

Michael Green
Bahtabah Local Aboriginal Land Council

Abdul Khan
Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Program Unit (CAAAPU)

Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association

Central Australian Stolen Generations & Families Aboriginal Corporation

Central Land Council

Andrea Rabone
Council for Aboriginal Alcohol Program Services

Regina Bennett
Darwin Aboriginal and Islander Women's Shelter

Caitlin Perry
Darwin Community Legal Service Inc

Susan Crane
Dawn House Inc

Lester Adams
Darumbal Community Youth Service Inc

Anita O’Callaghan
Foster Care NT

Footprints Forward

Ingkerreke Outstations Resource Services.

Neville Perkins
Institute for Aboriginal Development

Pat Brahim
Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation

Larissa Behrendt
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning

David Scholz
Kakadu Health Service

Barbara Quirk
Katherine Crisis Accommodation and Support Program

Sean Heffernan
Katherine West Aboriginal Health Board

Barayuwa Mununggurr
Laynhapuy Homelands Association

Lhere Artepe

Brooke Whitaker
Local Community Services Association

Reggie Wundjal
Malabam Health Board
Laurencia Grant
Mental Association of Central Australia

Eddie Mulholland
Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation

Dea Thiele
National Aboriginal Controlled Health Organisation (NACHO)

National Indigenous Youth Movement of Australia

National Indigenous Television Ltd

Priscilla Collins
North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency

Toni Vine Bromley
Northern Territory Shelter

NSW Reconciliation Council

Caitlin Perry
NT Association of Community Legal Centres Inc

Jeff Hulcombe
Pintupi Homelands Health Service

Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council

Muriel Bamblett
SNAICC

Walter Shaw
Tangentyere Council

Revd Sealin Garlett
Uniting Aboriginal & Islander Christian Congress

Muriel Bamblett
Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA)

Jill Gallagher
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)

Frank E. Guivarra
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service

Sharijn King
Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi Aboriginal Association

Andrew Johnson
Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS)

Lin Hatfield Dodds
ACOSS

Olga Havnen
ACOSS

Ara Cresswell
ACT Council of Social Service

Licia Kokocinski
Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities Inc

Ray Cleary
Anglicare Australia

Anglicare Central Queensland Ltd

Karine Sheelshear
Association to Resource Cooperative Housing, Sydney

Association of Childrens Welfare Agencies

Don Baxter
Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations

Gordon Melsom
Australian Federation of Homelessness Organisations

Deane Welsh
Australian Institute of Welfare and Community Workers

Simeon Beckett
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights

Gerardine (Ged) Kearney
Australian Nursing Federation

Sandie de Wolf
Berry Street Victoria

Canberra Rape Crisis Centre

Jack de Groot
Caritas Australia

Central Australian Remote Health Development Services (CARHDS)

Tony Pietropiccolo
CentreCare Western Australia

Rev Rod Benson

Centre for Christian Ethics

Coleen Clare
Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare

Community Child Care Association Victoria

Keith Lyons
Congregational Federation of Australia and Aotearoa

Angela Forbes
Connections – an agency of UnitingCare

Mary Bergin
Council of Australian Humanist Societies

Sue Hendy
Council of the Ageing Victoria

Nicole Lawder
Deafness Forum of Australia

Indigenous-government resource

Policy Coordination Commonwealth Government

Update January 2008: This is a creature of the past Howard government. Watch this space for the Rudd Government manifestation.