Friday, 2 December 2011

New and ongoing concerns about the Northern Territory Intervention and Stronger Futures legislation

The material below has been received from Georgina Gartland of 'concerned Australians'
 ~~~~
Friends

A highly respected Aboriginal woman is speaking at this weekend’s national Labor conference. A few years ago she said:

 “There is certainly nothing dignified about losing your human rights as a human being,
based on being an aboriginal citizen  Yananymul Mununggurr March  2009 .

Yananymul is one of the Aboriginal Elders / Community leaders who prepared the recent Elders statement released in Melbourne, 4 November. Please see
Last week’s Kairos  (Volume 22 no. 22 ) ran an article on their trip to Melbourne  

There are serious ongoing concerns with the NT Intervention.  A proposed new bill is most concerning.
Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Bill 2011 includes a 10 year sunset clause  and  a review  at 7 years!
Pat Turner (former CEO of ATSIC and former Deputy CEO of Centrelink) is vehemently opposed to these new bills which, amongst other punitive measures, will see cuts to welfare payments of  parents of truant school children.  She  said,   “  ... I see this as the last straw in Aboriginal affairs policy.  I am absolutely opposed to it.  This is bad public policy, it is morally objectionable, and it will not work... . This legislation must be withdrawn...” 25 November 2011

Last week ACOSS released a powerful statement "Cooperation not intervention: a call for a new direction in the Northern Territory", 23 November 2011


Take action - go to: ANTaR National

On Updates please take time to read,
·         New opinion piece on  Northern Territory Emergency Response 2011 Evaluation report, written by Michele Harris OAM
·         Please do read if you haven’t had a chance: 'Cuts to Welfare Payments for School Non Attendance - Requested or Imposed?' You will find the document embedded below and can be read on screen or downloaded.
The paper analyses the recent NT Stronger Futures consultations  on education and questions Minister Macklin's claim that Aboriginal people asked her to implement this new and measure.

Kind Regards and Thankyou
Georgina Gartland
'concerned Australians'


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