- Future Aboriginal leaders outraged by "racist" Federal Intervention
- Reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act in the Northern Territory - Petition
- A year of NT Intervention - Amnesty International Australia
- Traditional owners locked out of sacred McArthur River site
- National protest against the Federal Intervention into (NT) Aboriginal lands
National protest against the Federal Intervention into (NT) Aboriginal lands
Submitted by admin on 19 May, 2008 - 23:54.
National Statement & Call-out for Endorsement - National Day of Protest on June 21
Update - SAT JUNE 21 - NATIONAL RALLY DETAILS - STOP THE INTERVENTION
- Repeal all 'NT intervention' legislation
- Restore the Racial Discrimination Act
- Fund infrastructure and community controlled services
- Sign and implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Aboriginal Control of Aboriginal Affairs
June 21 will mark one year since the Howard Government announced the NT intervention. Far from improving child welfare, the intervention has created a new wave of dispossession and is compounding social problems.
The universal quarantining of welfare payments, the closure of many Community Employment Development Projects (CDEP) and the compulsory acquisition of Aboriginal property has forced thousands of people from their communities into urban centres.
The Aboriginal population of Darwin for example, has increased 30% since the Intervention and research shows that numbers continue to rise. People are facing extreme hardship without jobs, services or stable accommodation.
The Rudd Government has made some important symbolic gestures in Indigenous affairs - from the apology through to commitments to 'Close the Gap' in health outcomes.
But on the ground, the new government is actively campaigning for retention and expansion of the explicitly racist intervention laws. They refuse to acknowledge the social break down taking place. They continue to deny protection under the Racial Discrimination Act.
Aboriginal people are experiencing shame and humiliation as they participate in segregated service delivery in Centrelink, in supermarkets and in schools. The practice of traditional culture is becoming impossible for many, unable to travel due to welfare restrictions.
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