Government’s aboriginal policy – convenient for nuclear industry?
Two points of view here, on the Australian government’s aboriginal policy. How I would like to think that our government is completely sincere in its policies towards the aborigines. And perhaps the government is sincere, in many regards.
But I can’t help thinking that John Pilger is right. How very convenient it is to control and manipulate aboriginal life and land in such a way as to just make it so much easier to turn aboriginal land into uranium quarry and radioactive waste dump.
Returning to a secret country Z Space November, 27 2009vBy Pilger, John – “…………..An undeclared agenda is straight from Australia’s colonial past: a land grab combined with an almost prurient need to control, harass and blame a people who have refused to die off, whose genius is their understanding of an ancient land that still perplexes and threatens white authority. ……..
…..The indigenous affairs minister, Jenny Macklin, has decreed that unless certain communities hand over their precious freehold leases they will be denied basic services. The Northern Territory contains abundant mineral wealth, such as uranium, and has long been eyed by multinationals as a lucrative radioactive waste dump. The blacks are in the way, yet again: so it is time for the usual feigned innocence. Rudd has said his government “doesn’t have a clear idea of what’s happening on the ground” in Aboriginal Australia…..
……There is currently a liberal clarion call in Australia for a Bill of Rights, and the republican movement is stirring again. These debates are meaningless until white Australia summons the moral and political imagination to offer its first people a genuine treaty, as well as universal land rights and a proper share of the country’s resources. And respect. Only then will this fortunate society earn the respect it so often craves by other means.
On 4 November, John Pilger received the Sydney Peace Prize, Australia’s international human rights award. A Secret Country, his best-selling history of Australia published 20 years ago, remains in print (Vintage Books).
www.johnpilger.com http://www.zmag.org/zspace/commentaries/4056
Australia to strengthen the Northern territory emergency response Source: Government of Australia 25th November 2009 The Australian Government will strengthen the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) to provide the foundations for real and lasting change in Indigenous communities………….Moving the NTER to a sustainable development phase can not be achieved while the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (RDA) continues.The Government will introduce legislation into the Parliament to repeal all NTER laws that suspend the operation of the RDA…………..
The Government will also introduce changes to make it clear that the objective of the five-year leases is to improve service delivery and promote economic and social development. The legislative changes will also clarify that exploration and mining are not permitted uses, require that the administration of the leases respect Aboriginal culture and facilitate the transition to voluntary leases.
The Government considers the leases are a special measure for the purposes of the RDA. The changes will be implemented from 1 July 2010 and the five-year leases lapse in 2012, during which time the Government will work to transition to voluntary leases…………..http://thegovmonitor.com/civil_society_and_democratic_renewal/public_administration/australia-to-strengthen-the-northern-territory-emergency-response-16664.html
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