Strangely, given my desire to take more interest in Aboriginal issues and to keep this blog up to date, I have failed to mention the Social Justice Report that appeared in June ’07. It was a major news item at the time and one of the few headlines that encouraged me to follow the news. Key findings in the report include alcohol and child sex abuse among Aborigines.
Alcohol abuse has been a concern as long as I can remember, but paedophilia is new. The Howard government jumped on the report and set new laws and security in place to address the issue. Within weeks alcohol was banned in certain Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, as was pornography, and police and military were assigned to enforce these laws as well as to ensure that children attended school.
I have no love for ‘human rights’ as I’ve said before, but I can understand the measures being taken in response to violation of Australian values as long as it’s done without discrimination. If laws against alcohol and pornography were implemented Australia-wide and included people of every race, then the laws would have some merit. I would still question the further reduction of trust in people, but at least it wouldn’t be discriminating.
Two things surprised me in the months that followed. First, that the move was supported by some Aboriginal spokespeople and second that the Rudd government, outwardly the government most supportive of ethnic equality we’ve had, failed to retract the laws. Looking back, Tania Major, an Aboriginal girl elected Young Australian of the Year at the time of the intervention, had reason for supporting the move as she was sexually abused herself, and it may have been her decision to speak out supporting the move that earned her the award.
Rudd is more surprising. I can see no reason for his government continuing to support the intervention, yet support it he does. The government is now making moves to take further control of certain Aboriginal camps.
Protests were held yesterday, on the second anniversary of the laws, to oppose the intervention. According to reports, only 100 people turned up to the Sydney protest. The rain was blamed, but I find it sad that avoiding rain is more important to us than the discrimination of our fellow countrymen. Or perhaps, like me, most people simply didn’t know about the protest.