Media Release: Community leaders to tell Brough: “Intervention is taking us backwards”

Darwin Aboriginal Rights Coalition 

Media Release Monday 28^th July 2008 

Community leaders to tell Brough: “Intervention is taking us backwards”

Today, a delegation of community members including leaders from some of Darwin’s Town Camps will attend Mal Brough’s public lecture on the Intervention to show their continued opposition to the racist and punitive legislation implemented last year without any consultation.  

“They haven’t made the effort to work with us. They take our money and land and treat us like children.” said Phillip Goodman, President of Palmerston Indigenous Village. 

Mal Brough will be at CDU in Darwin sharing “behind-the-scenes deliberations about the Northern Territory Intervention into Indigenous affairs… he will discuss the blocks he faced both within and outside of government, and make responses to some of the continued criticisms”. 

Despite persistent claims of intervention success by Federal and Northern Territory governments, affected communities maintain it is not working and in fact causing increased hardship, humiliation and anger. 

“The Intervention is racist and degrading to Aboriginal people”, said Ronnie Agnew, President of Knuckys Lagoon community. “There is no respect. We are treated as second class citizens. The Intervention is not working, it’s taking us backwards not forwards” he continued. 

Last month, Brough told ABC that the Intervention was based on his time in communities where “people[were] saying treat us like white fellas not black fellas, treat us all the same”. However the intervention continues to suspend the operations of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and has been referred to by Aboriginal leaders as “apartheid”. 

“Earlier this year Rudd apologised for the past treatment of Indigenous people. This intervention brings back those policies of the past. He has two options; either wipe the intervention out or say sorry a second time” said James Gaykamangu, Yolngu cultural leader and former President of Bagot community. 

Nationwide calls have been made to repeal the legislation and reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. In Yirrkala last Wednesday, 53 Yolngu leaders representing over 8000 Aboriginal people addressed the entire Federal Labour cabinet with these same demands. This opposition will continue until Rudd ends the mistakes of Howard and Brough and honours his commitment to consultation and evidence-based Indigenous policy. 

“The Government should be sitting at the table with us. We should be addressing these issues together, walking together” added James Gaykamangu. 

A nationwide convergence on Alice Springs and a Prescribed Area People’s Alliance Meeting has been called for 29 September – 5 October 2008. This convergence will coincide with the findings of the review processes and strongly voice the continued demand to immediately repeal all Intervention legislation, reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and empower communities to develop evidence-based solutions in line with the principles of self-determination.  

“Howard and Brough were voted out! I voted for Rudd, I reckon he has betrayed Aboriginal people by continuing this intervention”, continued Phillip Goodman. 

Media Contacts:

Phillip Goodman, President of Palmerston Indigenous Village:  0450 136 989

James Gaykamangu, Yolngu cultural leader & former President of Bagot community: 0423 912 521

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Source of media release: Liv Nigro liveea@hotmail.com

Media release posted by WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia) as a community service. Note that WGAR is not the author of this media release.