Antinuclear

Remote Aboriginal communities in distress over W.A. moves to get them off their land

“And those remote communities stand there waiting for their verdict but don’t know what they’ve done to appear before the Liberal Government’s jury.”

Remote community residents frightened they will be forced off their land: Aboriginal elder  ABC News 26 Mar 15  By Lucy Martin People in remote Indigenous communities are panicking about their future, say an Aboriginal elder and MP, as the Western Australian Government maintains no community will close without consultation.

Pintupi elder Bobby West said life was good in the isolated community of Kiwirrkurra in Western Australia’s Gibson Desert.

“It’s a friendly and safe community, much better than close by in the town area. We’re not planting marijuana or selling drugs in small communities. Yeah, we got a good life out here,” he said.

It has remained that way for decades, but Mr West said residents were growing increasingly frightened they would soon be forced off their land.

“Everyone is a bit scared. We can’t just drop everything and walk away,” he said.

Last year, the WA Government announced plans to close up to 150 remote communities, but it remained tight lipped on which ones could be in the firing line.

This week’s revelation that the Federal Government identified 192 settlements as unsustainable back in 2010, has only fuelled the rumours circulating in remote WA……..

Dr Hames said some very small communities would lose funding for essential services and if people chose to stay on the land, they would do so without government support.

“I suspect some of the little ones that have two or three or four people will be told ‘sorry guys, keep the house, enjoy staying there, but from now on you need to look after yourself if you don’t want to come somewhere where the government can support you’,” he said……

Kimberley MP says community residents are panicking

Kimberley MP Josie Farrer said those talks need to start right now, because residents in remote communities were panicking.

“I’ve been home on the weekend and people have asked me all sorts of questions. There’s a lot of angry people out there,” she said.

“People need to plan their lives, people need to know where they’ll be living.

“Does the Premier intend to travel to the Kimberley to discuss this issue this year? They’d all like to know if he’s going to go up there and sit down and talk to them.”

The original trigger for the closures was the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw funding to remote communities in mid 2016………

WA Opposition says Government failed to articulate reasons for closures

The Opposition’s Aboriginal affairs spokesman Ben Wyatt said the Government had failed to clearly articulate its reasoning for the closures.

“What other community in Australia would find themselves in a position where the Government of the day can say ‘you’ve failed as a community, we will close you on a yet to be defined set of standards?’,” he said.

“Initially it was the cost on the taxpayer, that’s now changed to rates of STIs, that’s changed now to literacy rates.

“And those remote communities stand there waiting for their verdict but don’t know what they’ve done to appear before the Liberal Government’s jury.”…….http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/aboriginal-mps-and-elders-call-for-talks-to-stop-panic-in-commu/6350536

March 28, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | aboriginal issues, Western Australia