[csaa-forum] FW: Media Statement from Mutitjulu

[Diana Bossio]

This is not my area of expertise, but you really must wonder why a 'military strategy' is the first option for treating what seems to be a myriad of health and social issues, such as alcoholism.

While there seems to be law and order issues in the community itself, what seems more particularly worrying  is the prescence of outsiders preying on the vulnerabilities of a community that has been clearly ignored in the past. What will be done to stop the economic and social abuses perpetrated on these communities by non-aboriginals?

I don't think that the years of past injustices, funding cuts and resource 're-locations' can be remedied by the presence of the Federal police. 

Diana Bossio
Applied Communication
RMIT University

>>> Katherine Barnsley <katherine.barnsley at arts.usyd.edu.au> 06/27/07 11:38 am >>>
Hi All,

Perhaps an alternative view to that of Mr Pearson? One that certainly  
does not advocate inaction but seriously questions the Government's  
somewhat suspect strategy. It is always present in my mind that  
decades of avoidance cannot be solved by creating policy on the run,  
and the most successful programmes addressing issues in indigenous  
communities always involve those communities in their development and  
implementation.   It is ironic that this is happening in the year we  
celebrate 40 years since the landmark referendum of 1967. And here I  
was thinking that we might have moved past paternalism and white  
Australia policies.... Perhaps not.

Kate

------ Forwarded Message
From: Luke Whitington <LukeW at lhmu.org.au>
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:39:34 +1000
To: Luke Whitington <LukeW at lhmu.org.au>
Subject: Media Statement from Mutitjulu

G¹day,
Thought this was interesting and relevant, and should be spread as far and
as wide as possible. Please forward it on.
Luke Whitington

Leaders of the Mutitjulu community today questioned the need for a military
occupation of their small community.

We welcome any real support for indigenous health and welfare and even two
police will assist, but the Howard Government declared an emergency at our
community over two years ago - when they appointed an administrator to our
health clinic - and since then we have been without a doctor, we have less
health workers, our council has been sacked all our youth and health
programmes have been cut.

We have no CEO and limited social and health services. The government has
known about our overcrowding problem for at least 10 years and they¹ve done
nothing about it.

How do they propose keeping alcohol out of our community when we are 20
minutes away from 5 star hotel? Will they ban blacks from Yulara? We have
been begging for an alcohol counsellor and a rehabilitation worker so that
we can help alcoholics and substance abusers but those pleas have been
ignored. What will happen to alcoholics when this ban is introduced? How
will the government keep the grog runners out of our community without a
permit system?

We have tried to put forward projects to make our community economically
sustainable - like a simple coffee cart at the sunrise locations - but the
government refuses to even consider them.

There is money set aside from the Jimmy Little foundation for a kidney
dialysis machine at Mutitjulu, but National Parks won¹t let us have it. That
would create jobs and improve indigenous health but they just keep
stonewalling us. If there is an emergency, why won¹t Mal Brough fast track
our kidney dialysis machine?

Some commentators have made much of the cluster of sexually transmitted
diseases identified at our health clinic. People need to understand that
Mutitjulu Health Clinic (now effectively closed) is a regional clinic and
patients come from as far away as WA and SA; so to identify a cluster here
is meaningless without seeing the confidential patient data.

The fact that we hold this community together with no money, no help, no
doctor and no government support is a miracle. Any community, black or white
would struggle if they were denied the most basic resources. Police and the
Military are fine for logistics and coordination but healthcare, youth
services, education and basic housing are more essential. Any programme must
involve the people on the ground or it won¹t work. For example who will
interpret for the military?

Our women and children are scared about being forcibly examined; surely
there is a need to build trust. Even the doctors say they are reluctant to
examine a young child without a parent¹s permission. Of course any child
that is vulnerable or at risk should be immediately protected but a
wholesale intrusion into our women and children¹s privacy is a violation of
our human and sacred rights.

Where is the money for all the essential services? We need long term
financial and political commitment to provide the infrastructure and
planning for our community. There is an urgent need for 10¹s of millions of
dollars to do what needs to be done.  Will Mr Brough give us a commitment
beyond the police and military?

The commonwealth needs to work with us to put health and social services,
housing and education in place rather than treating Mutitjulu as a political
football.


But we need to set the record straight:
ü      There is no evidence of any fraud or mismanagement at Mutitjulu - we
have had an administration for 12 months that found nothing

ü      Mal Brough and his predecessor have been in control of our community
for at least 12 months and we have gone backwards in services

ü      We have successfully eradicated petrol sniffing from our community in
conjunction with government authorities and oil companies

ü      We have thrown suspected paedophiles out of our community using the
permit system which our government now seeks take away from us.

ü      We will work constructively with any government, State, Territory or
Federal that wants to help aboriginal people.








CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are
intended solely for the use of the addressee. If you are not the intended
recipient (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person) be
advised that you have received this email in error and that any use,
dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this email and any file
attachments is strictly prohibited.
The Liquor, Hospitality & Miscellaneous Union ("LHMU") have virus scanning
devices on our system but in no way do we represent that this communication
(including any files attached) is free from computer viruses or other faults
or defects.  We will not be held liable to you or to any other person for
loss and damage (including direct, consequential or economic loss or damage)
however caused and whether by negligence or otherwise which may result
directly or indirectly from the receipt or use of this communication or
attached files
If you have received this email in error, please immediately notify the LHMU
by telephone at 1800 805 027 or by reply email to the sender. You must
destroy the original transmission and its contents.




------ End of Forwarded Message



----- End forwarded message -----


Katherine Barnsley
English Department
University of Sydney
NSW 2006
Australia