Why the current intervention in the Northern Territory will not protect Aboriginal and Islander children

Dear Readers,

I have lapsed a bit with my writing in the last few weeks. I have to write about the Patrick Dodson talk that I went to two weeks ago. I don't care that It doesn't relate to learning 2.0 because it was so amazing. Patrick Dodson is a such a fantastic speaker, and listening to him is like jumping in to a cool creek on a hot day, his words are like cool water. He speaks so clearly and cuts through any ambiguity to the essence of the subject. I could listen to him all day!

I have put a link to an article he had in the The Age which was an extract from his talk.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/a-time-for-honest-talk/2007/10/09/1191695905428.html

I also want to include a few points about the Northern Territory Emergency Intervention Act 2007 that I have picked up from reading Coercive Reconciliation( see previous blog), reading the paper,attending the Patrick Dodson Talk and a talk at the Koorie Heritage Trust on Friday Nigh. This talk was held by Women from Wik, a lobby group that has formed since the legislation was enacted, that is working to lobby government in relation to the impact of the legislation on Aboriginal communities.

I do believe that the Government needed to act in relation to the findings of the Little Children are Sacred Report, but along with many other Australians, and many key Aboriginal Organisations and I think that Intervention if flawed, racist and does not implement any of the key recommendations found in the report.
These key points have been taken from http://www.listenupaustralia.org/the_evidence, as they articulate much better than I can.

• The main Act does not even use the word ‘children’ but talks about acquisition of rights, titles and interests in the land, and the ability of the Commonwealth to take over business management in communities, none of which has anything to with the protection of children
• The ‘emergency’ legislation is clearly an excuse for trampling on rights. The Acts expressly exempt these measures from the protection of the Racial Discrimination Act and give the Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs extraordinary powers over the lives of Aboriginal and Islander people in the Northern Territory.
  The ability to sidestep the Racial Discrimination Act is inherently racist and has implications for Aboriginal and Islander people across the country.
• The Federal Government’s response ignores the recommendations of the Little Children are Sacred Report, particularly the first recommendation which calls on the Federal and Northern Territory Governments to work with Aboriginal and Islander leaders and communities to create a coordinated plan to address child abuse.
  Instead, the Federal Government has taken ‘emergency’ action without consultation or coordination with the effected communities.
• Take away land, property and community control by- granting 5 year leases to the Federal Government over major Aboriginal communities. No negotiation is required. These unconditional ‘leases’ give the Federal Government rights to exclusive possession, to repair or demolish any existing buildings and infrastructure, and to terminate the lease at any time. No rights are noted in favour of residents or traditional landowners. Compensation is not guaranteed. The leases do not guarantee Aboriginal people right of residence in communities – it is not clear what rights Aboriginal people have and whether the Government could evict Aboriginal people from their own communities.