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The Rights of Indigenous Australians
There is little doubt in my mind that the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, is a racist in both traditional and contemporary senses of the word. From his rejection of sanctions against the evil apartheid regime in the mid-1980s, to his public gaffe in calling for curbing of Asian immigration in 1988, his refusual to condemn Pauline Hanson's outbursts, the "children overboard" scandal ofand the Tampa (does anyone seriously think he didn't know?) and his refusual even to accept that Australia faces racist problems after the Cronulla riots are all indicitive of a person who panders and supports the superiority of the white man over his lessers. Of course, he claims "I don't have a prejudiced bone in my body."
But none have suffered as greatly as indigenous Australians at the hands of the current Prime Minister.
To recall, after the High Court decided (Wik Peoples v. The State of Queensland), that pastoral leases do not give exclusive possession to the pastoralist and do not extinguish native title, Howard embarked on a campaign to amend the Native Title Act - to "extinguish Wik" as it was popularly known. His claim was: "the [High Court] Wik decision pushed the pendulum too far in the Aboriginal direction".
Next he sought to change the culture of Australia. There had been great movements in the nation from 1988 onwards in favour of a treaty between indigenous Australia and the Commonwealth. Further impetus was gained when the "Stolen Generations" report acknowledged the separation of children from their families. The Prime Minister refused to apologise, leading to one of the best actions in Australian political history; at Corroboree 2000, a sizeable part of the audience rose from their seats and turned their backs on the Prime Minister.
Following this disposession of land rights, the next stage was to disposses indigenous people of their own decision making structure, namely the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, a representative body elected by indigenous Australians. The opportunistic decision to shutdown the organisation during litigation against Geoff Clark can be counted as clever politics, albeit morally repugnant.
Now the Prime Minister apparently wants to stamp out child abuse in indigenous communities; I often half-joked that he'd use whatever it takes to win an election, and I guess if a combination of the race card and the pedophile card should be winner in his mind. The first step is paternalistic intervention: to put a ban on alcohol and pornography, to enforce education in English and to threaten the welfare payments of parents who do not comply.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
iron_orchid provides an excellent collection on the outbreak of the story.
Professor Ian Anderson considers the electoral ploy. Aboriginal elders recognise that they're being used; "black children overboard". Families decide to flee, rather than have their children taken away. Muriel Bamblett, begs the Prime Minister to engage in consultation rather than enforcing measures (I don't think he cares Muriel...). Jenny Martiniello reminds us of the Howard strategy (defund, blame, eliminate) and recalls Paul Keating's great words: "What if this were done to us?" But most daming of all, the very author of the report which has inspired the PMs has condemned his actions.
Want to end prevalent family problems in indigenous communities, such as domestic violence and sexual assault? Give the people dignity and the means to dignity; financial security, health services, education go a long way here. Give the indigenous people the freehold rights to the land which they inhabited for 50,000 years. Consult with them in accord to their decision-making structures. Don't tell them what they must do; work with them.
But quite honestly, I don't think John Howard particularly cares about indigenous Australians. I think he's more interested in how he can use them for his own means. History will judge him very harshly indeed.
But none have suffered as greatly as indigenous Australians at the hands of the current Prime Minister.
To recall, after the High Court decided (Wik Peoples v. The State of Queensland), that pastoral leases do not give exclusive possession to the pastoralist and do not extinguish native title, Howard embarked on a campaign to amend the Native Title Act - to "extinguish Wik" as it was popularly known. His claim was: "the [High Court] Wik decision pushed the pendulum too far in the Aboriginal direction".
Next he sought to change the culture of Australia. There had been great movements in the nation from 1988 onwards in favour of a treaty between indigenous Australia and the Commonwealth. Further impetus was gained when the "Stolen Generations" report acknowledged the separation of children from their families. The Prime Minister refused to apologise, leading to one of the best actions in Australian political history; at Corroboree 2000, a sizeable part of the audience rose from their seats and turned their backs on the Prime Minister.
Following this disposession of land rights, the next stage was to disposses indigenous people of their own decision making structure, namely the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, a representative body elected by indigenous Australians. The opportunistic decision to shutdown the organisation during litigation against Geoff Clark can be counted as clever politics, albeit morally repugnant.
Now the Prime Minister apparently wants to stamp out child abuse in indigenous communities; I often half-joked that he'd use whatever it takes to win an election, and I guess if a combination of the race card and the pedophile card should be winner in his mind. The first step is paternalistic intervention: to put a ban on alcohol and pornography, to enforce education in English and to threaten the welfare payments of parents who do not comply.
iron_orchid provides an excellent collection on the outbreak of the story.Professor Ian Anderson considers the electoral ploy. Aboriginal elders recognise that they're being used; "black children overboard". Families decide to flee, rather than have their children taken away. Muriel Bamblett, begs the Prime Minister to engage in consultation rather than enforcing measures (I don't think he cares Muriel...). Jenny Martiniello reminds us of the Howard strategy (defund, blame, eliminate) and recalls Paul Keating's great words: "What if this were done to us?" But most daming of all, the very author of the report which has inspired the PMs has condemned his actions.
Want to end prevalent family problems in indigenous communities, such as domestic violence and sexual assault? Give the people dignity and the means to dignity; financial security, health services, education go a long way here. Give the indigenous people the freehold rights to the land which they inhabited for 50,000 years. Consult with them in accord to their decision-making structures. Don't tell them what they must do; work with them.
But quite honestly, I don't think John Howard particularly cares about indigenous Australians. I think he's more interested in how he can use them for his own means. History will judge him very harshly indeed.
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Gad, is it really that long ago? :(
My childhood memories (being from the 'seventies) are of the country being an outpost of the British empire, unfortunately...
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