Aboriginal communities have long suffered at the hands of the Australian government, Aboriginal communities have long suffered at the hands of the Australian government, which has frequently attempted to "save" Aboriginal children by dictating Aboriginal lifestyles. Now, the "Northern Territory Intervention" has created a wealth of new problems.
The so-called "invasion" has caused Aboriginal communities to lose their automony through a wide variety of racially-specific crackdowns. For example, the government has deployed additional police to affected areas, banned alcohol and pornography, and seized the land beneath certain townships. As almost half of the world's supply of uranium is located under Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory, this latter policy in particular could be intepreted as a colonialist "land grab."
Powerful memories of colonialism and racist policies still smolder in this region. Sign this petition to pressure the government to treat Aboriginal communities with dignity and respect.
I am writing to protest the Northern Territory Intervention, the series of measures that dramatically limits the autonomy of a specific racial group. .
The Northern Territory Intervention has had limited effectiveness in improving child safety, and actually has led to many other problems. It incorporates only two of the 97 recommendations made in the "Little Children are Sacred" report. Aboriginal leaders were never consulted during the policy creation process, bring back bitter memories of colonialism, paternalism, and racist policies. For a time, the intervention's provisions allowed an "emergency" suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975.
Lastly, many have argued that the endemic poverty of the region has been in fact exacerbated by the government takeover of social services, income, and land, eroding the Aboriginals' sense of self-determination. Poverty has no easy solution, but case studies have shown clearly that large-scale improvement involves giving communities a sense of ownership and responsibility, not taking that away.
Balancing the needs of these individual children with the overall needs of the often disadvantaged communities in which they live is tough. However needed, the Northern Territory Intervention threatens Aboriginal autonomy and deserves a closer look by policy makers to ensure that the benefits are outweighing the costs.
