WGAR's news roundup on Northern Territory (NT) Intervention: 8 July 08

WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

8 JULY 2008: NORTHERN TERRITORY INTERVENTION

Contents:

Opinion

YouTube

News

OPINION:

IPS: Australia: Indigenous Voices Lacking in Gov't Intervention

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43088

7 July 08: "While the Australian government insists that important progress was made in the first year of its controversial "emergency response" in the Northern Territory -- ostensibly to protect indigenous children from abuse -- activists are calling for affected communities to be consulted. ... Indigenous author, academic and activist Sam Watson told IPS that the intervention should be scrapped. ... The Alliance for Indigenous Self-Determination wants the legislation enabling NTER to be repealed. ... In the report, [Tom] Calma called on lawmakers to make substantial changes to legislation underpinning the intervention." Stephen de Tarczynski

Fight for Aboriginal Rights: NT intervention continues racist land-grab

http://fightforaboriginalrights.blogspot.com/2008/07/nt-intervention-continues-racist-land.html

7 July 08: "The first anniversary of the federal government’s racist “emergency” intervention into 73 remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory was marked by protests in Australia’s major cities by Aboriginal people and their supporters. The protests called attention to the real intent of the intervention, which is to continue stealing Aboriginal land. ... Despite claims by Brough and the ALP, which supported the NT intervention, that it is a necessary emergency response to child abuse in remote Aboriginal communities, the measures that have been implemented are more about acquiring land than the safety of children." Hamish Chitts

GLW: Labor to force Aborigines off their land

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/757/39139

5 July 08: "On June 21, Indigenous affairs minister Jenny Macklin announced that her government would begin to end funding for infrastructure to remote Northern Territory (NT) Aboriginal communities that she deemed were “economically unviable”. This is the Rudd Labor government’s first major attack on Aboriginal land rights since taking power. ... The remote communities have struggled for years, with little funding — territory or federal — and barely any infrastructure." Jay Fletcher & Peter Robson

WSWS: Northern Territory intervention: A “third-world” health catastrophe: Part 3

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/nt3-j02.shtml

2 July 08: "Just prior to our visit to Alice Springs, Prime Minister Rudd called a press conference to announce that his government would “close the gap” between indigenous and non-indigenous health within three decades. Rudd’s announcement was not matched, however, by any serious injection of government funds. According to Professor Jon Altman, director of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, it would take 2,000 years to bridge the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous life expectancy, median income and unemployment, based on present trends and current government spending." Susan Allan & Richard Phillips

Amnesty International Australia: A year of NT Intervention

http://action.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/14485/

20 June 08: "One year on from the implementation of the Northern Territory (NT) intervention we are urging the Government to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) and consult Indigenous Australians to ensure past mistakes are not repeated. ... The NT intervention is currently being reviewed by the Federal Government and we will be contributing to this process."

YOU TUBE:

Darwin resident explains impact of NT intervention

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=lK8pweQN6Ls

26 June 08: "June Mills, a worker for the Long Grass Association which provides care for homeless indigenous people in Darwin, spoke with the WSWS on the impact of the Northern Territory intervention."

NT intervention: Comments from an Aboriginal town camp

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=q20WE5WXKHo&feature=related

24 June 08: "Kenny Laughton speaks with the World Socialist Web Site on the conditions facing Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory."

Pat Anderson discusses the NT intervention concerns

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=9OxUzIOepOs&feature=related

20 June 08: "Pat Anderson, co-author of the Little Children Are Sacred report which exposed the extent of child abuse in the Northern Territory, discusses her concerns on the policy."

NEWS:

ABC: Mount Isa feeling impact of NT influx

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/07/2296142.htm

7 July 08: "The Mayor of Mount Isa says an influx of visitors from the Northern Territory has forced the north-west Queensland town to employ more supervisors to clean up the river bed. John Malloney says many of the people living in the riverbed left the NT because of the federal intervention."

ABC: Macklin must reveal plans for town camps: Mayor

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/07/2296878.htm

7 July 08: "The Alice Springs Mayor says the Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister must reveal her plan for the future of the town's camps."

ABC: Burns calls on AMA to engage with intervention

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/07/2296095.htm

7 July 08: "The Northern Territory Health Minister has criticised Australia's peak medical group saying it should be more supportive of the federal intervention."

ABC: Rethinking training for remote teachers

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/04/2294168.htm

4 July 08: "At the 12-month review point for the federal intervention, it is time to rethink how we approach teaching Aboriginal children in remote areas. We need to develop a program that is designed for our kids, not only in curricula but also in how we train our teachers. ... The thing we need most of all are Aboriginal people teaching in our own communities. If we train our assistant teachers so that they become fully qualified, we solve the problem of having culturally appropriate teaching, and of keeping good teachers for the long term."

ABC Lateline: Indigenous men apologise for violence

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2293873.htm

3 July 08: "Aboriginal men from New South Wales, Western Australia and Cape York joined with Northern Territory leaders in apologising to their families for abuse and violence. The men say the Federal intervention damaged how they are seen by their communities and how they see themselves."

AAP: Men say sorry for abuse, violence

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23963674-29277,00.html

3 July 08: "HUNDREDS of Aboriginal men from across Australia have issued an historic apology to their women for the "pain, hurt and suffering" indigenous men have caused them. ... They also sought to repair the damage caused in the 12 months since their communities were denounced as hotbeds of violence and abuse."

Economist: Tough love

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11671164

3 July 08: "Critics at the time blasted the “emergency intervention”, as it was called, as a draconian return to the white paternalism that aborigines had fought for generations. But after visiting more than half the 73 communities eventually involved, Ms Gordon has found good progress in cutting violence and sexual abuse: alcohol and pornography have been banned, more children are going to school and police patrols have left more women feeling safer."

ABC: CDEP offering higher wages than other work: expert

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/02/2292210.htm

2 July 08: " "[Governments] won't encourage people to move off CDEP if what's been offered as a so-called real job actually gives people lower remuneration than they get from their CDEP organisations," he [Professor Jon Altman] said."

ABC: Queensland puts conditions on Indigenous welfare

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/01/2291418.htm

1 July 08: "An historic welfare reform trial will begin in four Queensland Indigenous communities today, tying welfare payments to responsible behaviour. Opponents say it is the Queensland Government's version of the emergency Federal intervention in the Northern Territory."

- - -

Subscription to 'WGAR News' is free.

'WGAR News' monitors the media, focusing on the Northern Territory intervention along with other aboriginal issues. The newsletters include media releases, opinion pieces and news items.

To subscribe, email wgar.news@gmail.com and include the words "subscribe WGAR News" in the message header.

- - -

You can also subscribe to our second list 'Contact WGAR' which focuses on activities and events and provides a point of contact.

To subscribe, email contactwgar@gmail.com and include the words "subscribe WGAR Contact" in the message header.

- - -

WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)