Northern Territory Emergency Intervention in Aboriginal Communities

Revision as of 11:22, 11 December 2007

Our position

We believe the intervention designed by John Howard and Mal Brough was a cynical grab for votes and for Aboriginal land. The intervention flies in the face of the recommendations of the Little Children are Sacred Report, which argued for a response based on meaningful consultation and partnership with Aboriginal communities. We believe that the interventions are likely to further entrench problems and perpetuate racist stereotypes. We call for a bipartisan approach to developing long term solutions in partnership with Aboriginal communities.

The Northern Territory Emergency Response

The The Northern Territory Emergency Response was the Howard Government’s response to the Wild and Anderson (2007) Board of Inquiry Report into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse.

The key elements of the intervention include:

· Health checks (originally designated compulsory) for Aboriginal children;

· Deployment of military and additional police to affected communities;

· Restrictions on the sale of alcohol;

· A ban on pornography;

· Compulsory acquisition of townships through five year leases;

· Suspension of the permit system to enter the indigenous communities;

· Quarantining of 50% of welfare benefits;

· Abolition of the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP);

· Suspension of the right of Aboriginal people to make claims under the Native Title Act;

· Exemption of the legislation from the Racial Discrimination Act; and

· Loss of the right to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Three bills were introduced to Parliament on 7th August and passed by the Senate without amendment on the 17th August:

· Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Payment Reform) Bill 2007

· Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007

· Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Northern Territory Emergency Response and Other Measures) Bill 2007

The bills are a response to the Little Children are Sacred Report but they bear no resemblance to the recommendations in the report. Anderson and Wild stressed the importance of genuine consultation with Aboriginal communities. Their report located child sexual abuse in the context of a suite of social problems arising from a history of colonisation, dispossession and handouts, and stressed that these underlying factors will need to be addressed in any real solutions to the problem. The Government’s response, however, is one of top-down intervention, which ignores the social context and assigns blame to Aboriginal communities.

Analysis and commentary

See this page for analysis and commentary by PHM Oz activists, including an analysis of the politics of the intervention and its historical roots, a comprehensive critique of the intervention and a critique from a public health perspective.

PHM Oz Campaign

Health professionals and public health activists have an important role to play in holding the Australian Government accountable for the impact of the NTER on Aboriginal people.

We call on the public health community to lobby Members of Parliament, asking for the urgent review of the Emergency Response to bring it into line with principles of effective public health and primary health care.

The goal of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) should be to improve the safety of Indigenous children. Whatever the motivations behind the intervention, there is no evidence to suggest that the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal children is likely to improve through these measures.

PHM Oz recognises the need for urgent and sustained action and welcomes the increased resources being allocated for addressing Aboriginal disadvantage. However there is a need for midterm correction of the intervention to bring it closer to principles of effective public health, community development and primary health care including equity, self-determination and community participation.

PHM Oz advocates for the following changes to the NTER:

1. Consult and develop partnerships with communities through existing community structures to develop and implement local solutions for child safety and wellbeing

2. Repeal the exemption from the Racial Discrimination Act

3. Restore Aboriginal lands to Aboriginal control (including re-instating land permits)

4. Recognise Indigenous disadvantage is nationwide and ensure equitable access to comprehensive primary health care (and “right to health”) for all Indigenous Australians

5. Commit ongoing resources to ensure sustainable development of services

6. Repeal the ability of the Government to seize community assets

7. Re-establish democratic Indigenous representation (governance) to government at a national level to coordinate service provision

8. Ensure adequate follow up and treatment for health problems identified through the child health checks through existing services where possible

9. Ensure access to social determinants of health for all Indigenous Australians including education, training, housing, employment and transport

10. Secure community based employment opportunities and capacity development by re-establishing and improving the Community Development Employment Program in consultation with local communities

11. Ensure appropriate and independent accountability and evaluation is ongoing throughout the implementation. This needs to include a review of the Centrelink welfare payments and the processes used to implement the changes.

We welcome contributions and interested people. Please email us at info[at]phmoz.org if you would like to be involved.

Further information

Read the Little Children are Sacred Report (PDF file) by Rex Wild and Pat Anderson (the Report of the Northern Territory Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, 2007)

View the Northern Territory Emergency Response Bill 2007 (PDF file)

Alternative proposal by the Council of Aboriginal Organisations (PDF file) of the Northern Territory

Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) website

Article by Fran Baum in The Age, 7th August 2007

Article by Fiona Stanley on APO Online

Article on Crikey by Chris Graham, Editor of the National Indigenous Times

Article from World News Australia

Article by Judith Dwyer in the Adelaide Review

Related campaigns

Women for Wik

Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR)

Combined Aboriginal Organisations of the Northern Territory

AMSANT

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