Antinuclear

Australian government policies force Aborigines off homelands (convenient for the nuclear industry)

As Amnesty International has noted, the Government has decided to direct virtually all funding and investment in the Northern Territory to 21 “growth towns”. Thus, the 500 communities, which have about 35 per cent of the NT’s Indigenous population, were allocated $7.1 million out of the $672 million housing program. They note that “the Commonwealth Government has transferred the responsibility for homelands to the Northern Territory Government, whose own policy
clearly states no new homes on homelands in the Northern Territory”.

 The result will be to force Indigenous communities from the land that has “social, cultural and economic significance to them”.

Destroying Indigenous communities and cultures, The Drum, Michael Brull , 1 Dec 11, Jenny Macklin has just delivered her second reading speech for the new intervention legislation. She had sought to soften the ground for this by announcing the new “evidence” which she claimed vindicated her measures, in the absence of any evidence of improving socio-economic conditions.

One of the biggest developments in the intervention is her new
punitive measure against Aboriginal parents. Specifically, if
Aboriginal children don’t attend school, their parents will have their
welfare payments cut. It has been claimed that this is:

Non-discriminatory, targeting non-Indigenous as well as Indigenous
parents, but the scheme will be targeted at those communities
currently showing poor school attendance rates.

That is to say, it is obvious these measures are targeted at
Indigenous communities, but the Labor Government is a bit more
embarrassed about openly announcing this than the previous Coalition
government.

The Government has not presented any evidence to show that these
measures would work. So, they have instead claimed Indigenous
communities support these measures. …

When asked what evidence she had for her new policy, Macklin replied
“the message loud and clear from Aboriginal people, from parents and
grandparents is that they want this.”

The trouble for Macklin is that her claims can be tested against the
evidence…….

Was there a pre-determined agenda?….

Concerned Australians report: cutting welfare

Michele Harris and Rosa McKenna prepared a report, Cuts to Welfare
Payments for School Non-Attendance: Requested or Imposed?, on behalf
of a group called “Concerned Australians” on Macklin’s latest round of
alleged consultations. As they note, their study:…..

Any real discussion that took place on cutting welfare benefits was at
the public meetings in Darwin and Alice Springs. Facilitators brought
the issue before their audiences and in most instances there was
strong opposition to such a development. The suggestion was referred
to as ‘punitive measures’ and ‘taking the stick’. There was not a
single person at the meeting who stated they believed that welfare
cuts would be beneficial. In Darwin there was no support for the
introduction of such a measure. There was, however, in Alice Springs a
single individual who expressed her concern rather strongly, but even
she did not directly mention the issue of welfare cuts…..

They conclude that

There would appear to be virtually no evidence of community support
for legislation in these transcripts that would introduce welfare cuts
for parents where children were not attending school…..
As Amnesty International has noted, the Government has decided to
direct virtually all funding and investment in the Northern Territory
to 21 “growth towns”. Thus, the 500 communities, which have about 35
per cent of the NT’s Indigenous population, were allocated $7.1
million out of the $672 million housing program. They note that “the
Commonwealth Government has transferred the responsibility for
homelands to the Northern Territory Government, whose own policy
clearly states no new homes on homelands in the Northern Territory”.

By only investing in growth towns, the Government “has established a
context of increased pressure for homelands community members to move
to the larger towns to access services”. The result will be to force
Indigenous communities from the land that has “social, cultural and
economic significance to them”.

The draft review of the intervention made another point, which was
mysteriously removed:

Too frequently, often at a subliminal level, Indigenous culture is
regarded by policy makers as an impediment to the future development
of remote communities, rather than an essential resource for their
development.

It is clear that this Government, as much as the last government, had
no interest in listening to Indigenous communities. Perhaps it is time
the rest of Australia started listening. Our Government’s policies are
not merely counter-productive; they are working to destroy what
remains of Indigenous communities and cultures.
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3704796.html

December 1, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | aboriginal issues, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, Northern Territory