Central Land Council

 

 

Commonwealth indigenous policy changes 

The Central Land Council says that while it agrees with the Federal Government's declaration of a national emergency in Aboriginal affairs, it is concerned that some of the proposals are hasty and ill-conceived reactions to complex issues.

The proposals seem to be a grab-bag of unrelated strategies aimed at a quick fix in a pre-election period.

CLC Director David Ross said he is concerned that the Government has used the recent Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse to force through land-based changes which have nothing to do with sexual abuse.  

“Furthermore, under the smokescreen of helping children, the Federal Government is taking the opportunity to impose its ideological agenda in relation to Aboriginal land.

 “There is no doubt that we have a national crisis which requires urgent attention,” Mr Ross said, “but, the response needs to be considered and inclusive, which was a key finding of the Sexual Abuse Report. The Howard Government thinks it can go it alone on indigenous affairs but international examples clearly show that to achieve lasting change efforts must be made to build indigenous capacity to solve their own problems.

“Some direct intervention is clearly needed but Aboriginal leaders could have provided valuable advice about how to best target such a hard hitting package of reforms.

“This type of response, despite the lack of detail, is a frightening example of centralised control.

 “None of these measures in relation to Aboriginal communities, town camps or permits are in line with the recommendations of either the Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse or the Government's own Senate Committee on Aboriginal art. In fact, they seem to be contradictory.”

Mr Ross says many of the other measures are complex and will take some time to implement. One immediate issue will be the capacity of schools in the Northern Territory to meet a sudden increase in school attendance.

“Nonetheless, we do welcome tougher alcohol and pornography restrictions, although alcohol is already prohibited on most Aboriginal land,” he said.