[csaa-forum] Re: Howards New Tampa

[mayhem at student.usyd.edu.au]

Dear All,

I've been *really* grateful for this list and appreciated being able to
read some intelligent critical discussion of this appalling issue - so
thank you so much to everyone who has posted info and comments.

I've been so outraged that I can't even bear to read the paper - but have
been forwarding some of the postings from here to friends and relatives -
and I think that times like these we really learn what being a public
intellectual actually means.

This may seem a little too 'sixties' to many subscribers - but there's
actually a RALLY on in canberra this saturday (july 14) - so if people
want to make an offline presence then come along.

Cheers
Margaret Mayhew
PhD candidate
Department of Gender and Cultural Studies
University of Sydney

Call to rally in protest at Howard's military
interventions on Aboriginal communities in the
Northern Territory - please forward to your networks
and join us on 14th July 2007 at 11am, marching from
the Tent Embassy to New Parliament House, Canberra.


When questioned about the detail of the Government's
plans for Indigenous communities in NT Howard said
yesterday (Wednesday) that they were working on it?
and the legislation would be ready in a few days.? -
Legislation????? -Since when does it require
legislation to provide a comprehensive community based
response to the 97 recommendations of the Little
Children are Sacred report?? Since when does it
require legislation for teams of doctors, nurses and
counsellors to work in Aboriginal communities with
those communities? Only if Howard is about to make his
stated grab for the lands of up to 70 Aboriginal
communities in the Northern Territory would
legislation under the federal race powers act be
required. He has made no secret of the fact that if he
deems it necessary the Government would compulsorily
acquire those lands.


Mal Brough also stated yesterday that, still in spite
of the recommendations, he is still pushing for sexual
health tests of Aboriginal children, saying he is
looking into ways in which parents could be
'encouraged' to give parental consent. Coerced would
be a more appropriate term, especially as Brough says
a pecuniary solution might be considered. Does he
really think we will sell our children's safety and
wellbeing? It is becoming horribly clear what the role
of the army and police is to be on those communities,
to take over, quell dissent and protest at the
legislative theft of their lands, and remove
dissenters from their lands once the legislation is
passed. The WA Premier is to be congratulated on his
level-headed approach in refusing to send police and
sending health care and counselling teams instead. His
clarity in seeing through the agenda behind the Howard
solution is commendable and we call upon the Leader of
the Opposition, Kevin Rudd, and all other State
Premiers to follow his example, and to reject Howard's
proposed legislation.


And let's send our thoughts and voices of support to
those 30,000 plus Aboriginal men and women whose jobs,
education programs and vocational training through
CDEP in urban and major rural centres, will be gone on
1 July, eliminated by John Howard. To act in a manner
that disenfranchises, discriminates against and
willfully disadvantages a race of people is, by
definition, racism. It is to take away people's Human
Rights and their rights under Australian Common Law.

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