Driving home from work, I was thinking about the political implications of Howard’s announcement of a “state of emergency” [details from Brough here] in the Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory. And don’t think for a second this move isn’t highly political. A number of commenters on the Pearson thread got there before me:
Rudd is now in the same position Beazley was with Tampa. Damned if he supports it by his own base, damned if he doesn’t by a significant number of swinging voters.
-BigBob.
Mmmm… feel The Wedge™.
Another election wrapped in race baiting, paternalism…bigotry. And using the mainstream media to make it seem he CARES. It’s for the good of the Nation.
-nasking.
He’s had 11 years to starve them, drive up the negatives and drive down the positives and now he owns them.
-Phil.
Howard demonstrates “strength” and “leadership” while brushing aside “constitutional niceties” and frames the whole issue in terms of saving the kids. You can bet Claire Martin’s Labor government will wear all the blame for inaction. And how should Rudd respond? His instincts are probably to agree with Howard. But there’ll be Labor pollies who’ll speak against it. And they’re wedged as condoning child sexual abuse or something. It’s a highly simplistic and exceptionally authoritarian response to a complex problem. But it might be a highly effective response to Howard’s political problems. Is this the long awaited tipping point? Was he bluffing when he said he had no rabbits to pull out of his hat?
Comments on this thread please.
Update: Rudd’s response:
Kevin Rudd didn’t bother checking for details - he’s committed Labor to supporting the power grab.
“Children before Politics” is the Government Gazette Matt Price Blog headline.
Further update [by MB]: Or maybe Price jumped the gun. The ABC reports:
Labor leader Kevin Rudd says he will do what he can to work Mr Howard on the issue.
Mr Rudd has also asked for a briefing on the changes the Prime Minister proposes.
More: tigtog has an excellent post looking at the politics and the practicalities of the issue. As she writes, “Unlike the total beat-up of Tampa, there is a genuine problem to be addressed with respect to sexual abuse” but she asks some very good questions about the measures proposed. One would hope the Labor Party might also be able to come up with some!
FYI: Here is the text of the NT Little Children are Sacred report [pdf]. I haven’t been through it to see if its recommendations resemble Howard’s plan, but based on the press when it was released, I suspect they don’t.
Ken Parish has written a passionate post at Troppo deploring today’s events:
Today is a day of shame in Australian politics. Everyone deplores the appalling incidence of violence and child sexual abuse in indigenous communities. But there simply isn’t any quick, magical solution. The policy Howard has just announced is worse, more racist and more wildly impractical and misconceived than anything Pauline Hanson ever spouted. Kevin Rudd’s meek, kneejerk endorsement of it is almost as disgusting, and marks him unfit to lead Australia. At least Howard has the guts to announce policies of his own, however repugnant and ill-considered.
The recommendations of the NT Wild/Anderson Report have been posted by Guy at Polemica.
Around the blogosphere on Friday: [by MB] Guido doesn’t think it will be a bbq stopper, Tim Dunlop calls for a bipartisan approach, Meredith at Sarsaparilla examines what’s involved in a state of emergency, Graham Young is supportive of the plan, Andrew Leigh compares the alcohol ban to prohibition, and Jason Soon calls the plan “the return of paternalism”.
I am concerned about this, not because of niceties regarding process, but because we have plenty of evidence that developing and implementing the solutions in conjunction with people on the ground dramatically increases the chances of success (or reduces the chances of failure). Virtually every comprehensive report provided to governments into this issue over the past decade or more emphasise this point. It was a key component of the Social Justice Report tabled just last week by the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
Professor Boni Robertson, who compiled a similar report in relation to Indigenous children in Queensland in 1999, has been reported making very critical comments about aspects of the plan. “When is this knee-jerk nonsense going to stop and when are they going to start proper consultation with our people so that we can get it done properly?�
On the Crikey website today: Malcolm Fraser and Lowitja O’Donoghue and Richard Farmer.
More blog reaction from Mr Lefty, John Quiggin, mark at stoush.net and the view from elsewhere.
Saturday update: The latest crop of blogospheric commentary comes from John Quiggin at Crooked Timber, Surfdom and Simon Jackman, who rightly, I think, sees Howard as having one eye on his place in history. I think the reversal of the land tenure provisions originally introduced by Malcolm Fraser also has to be seen in this context.
Some interesting reflections from Elizabeth at Scarlet Words:
Unfortunately, for every thoughtful and considered piece of commentary I’ve encountered in the blogosphere, there is another article that simply exists to deliver uninformed condemnation of Indigenous people as a whole. In making special laws for a subset of our population - whether those laws are right or wrong - our government has essentially created an “open mic night� for all those people who wish to make exclusionary statements of their own. I suppose it comes as little surprise that so many have interpreted Howard’s strategy as some sort of official sanction for otherwise unacceptable racist statements.
Some more links to relevant posts at Hoyden.
Comments redirected to this thread, apropos of a post on the response to Howard’s state of emergency declaration. Just so that a very long comments thread doesn’t become too unwieldy for readers.
Comments continued from the discussion on this related thread, between here:
[link]
and here:
[link]
Casey [at 11.30pm last night on the other thread] said
the question I pose refers to the essentialisation of Indigeneity - issues of white constructs of Indigenous identity rather than a discussion of the merits of certain ‘educated’ Aboriginals.
But the two are intertwined …. and that is why some educated “indigenies� are nothing but white constructs - press the buttons and they will dance and do all sorts of tricks for you. Such people deserve pity as much as condemnation.
And that is why other educated Aborigines are such outstanding people - they bypassed the gatekeepers to get an education, they stayed true to their own values while receiving their education and since graduation they speak for themselves; they don’t need to have any whitefella tell them what to say. Such people earn the respect of everyone.
Everyone:
The future? That’s easy. Just talk to ordinary Aborigines - no matter what their lifestyle or who they are or where they are. Find out what they need - without having their responses filtered out by professional “indigenies� running every man-and-his-dog’s agenda. Then do whatever we can to fulfil those needs. [See. I didn’t mention ‘welfare’, ‘home/house ownership’, ‘emergency’ or the other buzz-words even once :D]
Tigtog raised this excellent question on her post:
And given, as Mick Dodson said, there’s no discernible relationship between land tenure and child sexual abuse, what’s with that? Ideology?
I wonder if the sexual predators will be able to get out of that one by taking their victims on a boat into International Waters, and as such escaping prosecution that way ? I’m sure some Opportunist Boat Owner will turn a blind eye to such activities while making a quick buck carrying same.
Also, I’d like to apologise for my ham fisted use of the term “Poltical Pedophila”.
In comments at Tigtog someone asked what the HREOC says about this. I heard them being critical of Pearson’s Report the day it was released and I am sure that they were due to issue a HREOC Report on July the third so they have been gazumped by Brough and Howard. It would be great if they bought the release of their report forward before Brough can gain too much traction with the Pearson Report.
At the core of this is yet another ambit claim for the Howard Government’s increasingly aggressive Richelieuism. Let’s hope that it really is a “bridge too far”. Never thought I’d quote Rudd… but there you go!
Kim [this thread]:
“State of Emergency”??? What a load of cobblers! Many of these problems have been screaming out for attention for decades and nothing has been done. Yet now, in the middle of an election campaign, the boofhead who dithered and showed such an appalling lack of leadership on these issues now rabbits on about a “state of emergency” and lashes out with a shopping-trolley full of unplanned uncosted ratbag schemes.
The man is an embarrassment. Why doesn’t the Liberal Party just give him the heave-ho now and give his successor a chance to put out some workable policies before the federal election?
This isnt the 2007 wedge by any means. The reality is, Labor has Warren Mundine as it’s National President, a fine man who has espoused similar ideas - if anything, they (or at least the Right faction) own this issue above and beyond Howard.
I think you’ll find Mundine’s term as ALP Prez ended at the last National Conference where he was replaced by Senator John Faulkner, who is of the Left Faction, and will be succeeded by Linda Burney from NSW, wo, btw is Indigineous.
Tampa 2007?! I like it. Not!
This is the moment I have been fearing, the moment that Howard finds his issue and dog whistles his way to another electoral victory.
Any one who has given the most cursory glance at the report and recommendations arising from the ‘Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children From Sexual Abuse’ knows something had to be done. Implementing the recommendations from the report would be a good start.
What angers me most about Howard’s unilateral proclamation is the lack of acknowledgement of any need for consultation with any other government or any aboriginal community affected by his edict or the need to ensure the implementation of the actual recommendations arising from the enquiry.
The arrogance and paternalism that underlies his proclamation is breathtaking.
And what makes me weep is the way the Rudd just rolled over in Parliament this afternoon. Rudd is so focussed on making himself a small target on what are perceived to be Howard’s issues that I fear in a month or two he’ll be going bald, need an ear piece and be power walking.
There is a genuine problem with child sexual abuse for all Australians, not just those who are indigenous.
“State of Emergency�??? What a load of cobblers!
Graham the rodent is on a practice run.
APEC protests of the smallest kind will bring him to invoke emergency powers.
Personally, i believe he would happily cancel the election, if he thought he would lose and could find an excuse to do so.
Agreed, hannah. It’s been in the too hard basket for too long. But this isn’t the way to address it.
Let’s hope Howard gets the same treatment Indira Gandhi got for her ’state of emergency’ (I’m referring to her election loss, not her assassination by Sikh bodyguards, of course. I don’t hate Howard that much…)
Agree totally. The NT government weren’t even told.
The report I gather recommended a cooperative approach, building partnerships with the many many Indigenous people already working against sexual abuse, including Indigenous men:
[link]
This approach is anything but cooperative.
I don’t know if this is Tampa ‘07, but I think Labor might have been schooled this week. The Libs have had Rudd jumping through hoops all week and then come polling day, Thurday, they pull this out.
What I’d like to know is whether Howard actually planned to make this announcement this week or did he just sniff the way the wind was blowing and made this decision on a whim?
Here is Rudd’s full Quote from Question Time:
I hope in this Briefing that Rudd & Gillard advise Ratty that he’s gone overboard ?
Frank, where you implying that the rats are leaving the ship? Sorry.
I don’t know if Rudd could do anything else. Howard’s policy seems to be not so far removed from Beattie’s approach in Queensland which I’m relatively sure is popular among lot of Queensland Labor voters. Rudd’s best bet now is to take a swipe at the actual content of the proposal and to incinuate that this wasn’t well thought out. Either that or make it a non-issue by supporting it.
The thing that worries me most about this is that it seems that Labor was blindsided. If they were going to make an annoncement on Indigenous communities now they just look like they are following the lead of the Libs.
No its not good enough. I agree.
Paternalism never is.
Please remember, while its been quite some time ago, i have been on the front lines of child protection, and it is a distressing place to be. There are some stories that will haunt you for life.
As far as my understanding goes, this issue has a significant split along gender lines, with the women in communities begging for these measures - restriction of alcohol, conditional and staggered welfare payment, even at the cost of other ‘rights’. What use, they say is land when there will be no one left to live there??
DO we negate the grass level consultations with these women because they are uneducated, don’t fully grasp the implications or real costs of these decisions and therefore dont know what they really want? Do they have a democratic right to sign away some level of autonomy, even for a while, while their grandkids recover some semblance of a childhood? Should their views be given equal weight to male academics in the city? Is maternalism the new paternalism?
GOod lord its a hard call on all levels.
Tigtog: I agree the compulsory exams appear to be yet another trauma and humiliation to inflict on these kids.
Re: Protecting kids from further harm, abuse and neglect.(and keep in mind the problem of abuse is a complex mix of substance abuse, boredom, opportunistic offending, cyclic ating out, predatory peadophilia, a breakdown of values, boundaries and prohibitive mores, and nihilism,) improvement is possible by reducing exposure the to risk factors - for example, intoxicated parents means limited supervision, reduced boundaries of care, inability to manage money or provide food to kids, etc etc. Some of these parents are only kids themselves, often with petrol induced brain damage and FAS (Feotal Alcohol Syndrome). They never really had much of a chance as parents from teh beginning.
On the other hand there are strong women in these communities who have had a gutful of this mess, and have been crying out for measures to stop the grog for many many years.
So where to now?
I dont know.
I think i have to talk to a few people who have a lot more experience and insight than me over the next few days and see what they make of the Pearson, Howard and Brough stuff.
Watching Howard on Lateline. Can’t help but feel that this is a pretext for a number of unstated policies. Tony is making the case now that this is a Howardian perfect storm on a number of fronts. Too bad he didn’t ask why Howard hasn’t done anything for 11 years.
Kim:
“But this isn’t the way to address it.”
I agree.
In fact it will make things worse because it implies [directly states?] it’s an indigenous problem.
More unbenevolent paternalism.
Who was the nunga bloke, fella in a black hat, who addressed the Press Club a few years ago on this issue [vey eloquently] and who pointedly stated that the problem was not confined to the indigenous people? And that others need not have a sense of moral superiority. Ken Dodgson [sp?]?
I had his speech on video for a while but have lost it, it would be interesting to revisit it.
I don’t think its too hard to address, just deliberately ignored.
Ah, jeez, its embarassing to be a white male [remember hannah is my dog] nowadays.
Nowadays being all my life.
Anyways I’m off on a working holiday to sunny Qld for 4-5 weeks and will be out of contact with our civilization.
Probably a good thing.
SC, As I understand this it is a six month quick fix planned at this stage. Not a comprehensive setting up of a child protection system as envisioned by Pearson even. It just seems to be a grab-bag of Howard ’s favorite theories. What happens when the six months is up?
kim
Thanks for that link Kim …i’m glad to be reminded of that. Having worked in DV more recently, i do tend to get rather jaded when i’m being intellectually lazy. There are a great many men making a huge difference. My bad for overlooking that. (and i know I get too emotional when thinking about some kids i’ve known in the past).
Perhaps Styx (10.30pm) summarises the problem with todays Howard proclamation best.
Tampa? Fuhgedabout it. It’s not 2001 any more people.
As has already been mentioned, unlike Tampa the situation in remote communities is a fairly serious and genuine problem, and Teh Crodent has seen an opportunity to seize an agenda, play on all sorts of unspoken prejudices, and drive a few wedges. But so what? It’s what he always does.
As today’s leak of Textor’s Liberal battleplan has shown it’s the hip-pocket and WorkChoices that are the real electoral issues.
Indigenous issues aren’t very high on anyone’s agenda and in the lead-up to the election this won’t amount to anything much.
Will it make a difference? I doubt it. Remember those battalions of infantry that were supposed to move in to aboriginal communities 10 years ago and clean everything up? AWOL apparently.
No probs, sc. Are you back in Oz btw?
Oh, he’s a sniffer from waaaaay back.
My apologies, that is true. My point remains, however, that Mundine’s presence and the fact that there was talk of getting him a seat suggests that Labor would be likely to own this issue in the eyes of the Australian public. Plus the fact that the situation we have is a state of emergency 11 years into the Howard Government - it’d be fairly clear in the eyes of the Australian people who has been negligent towards this issue.
You may well be right, Christine. I hope so.
Btw, here is the text of the NT Little Children are Sacred report:
[link]
I haven’t been through it to see if its recommendations resemble Howard’s plan, but based on the press when it was released, I suspect they don’t.
Well, its hardly the first time he’s accused some darkies of being child-abusers with an election on the horizon, is it?
I support action on the issue - but the chosen method stinks of dog whistle to former One nation voters -
eg compulsory acquisiiton of land - read “Im reversing land rights”
Welfare restrictions etc - read “Not only am I not sorry for paternalist abuses of the past - I vindicate them as common sense”
Call me para, but one thing is alwys rock solid sure with the Rodent: we he couldnt actually give a shit, and its all about the politics.
So, Id be interested to know - were things quite this bad 11 years ago in the town camps? Or has it all got significantly worse under Howard?
Yup, we all got back Tues.
Family took off to Cairns tonight and left me here to freeze by myself. If he can get his hands on a 4wd, he’s off to the Laura Festival with some friends. No fair.
This is no where near as emotive as the Tampa issue. Tampa was perfect becaue it played on fear. Fear of being ’swamped’, fear of terrorism, fear of being taken advantaged of.
The Liberals were able to play this perfectly by playing on the scare campaign and potray the ALP as a party that allows everyone in.
I think Howard acted to take the initiative away from the ALP at the end of the Parliamentary session to look decisive and able to take action and to talk up its social credentials.
But unlike asylum seekers and that ingrained fear of the ‘Asian invasion’ that Australia seems to have as part of its culture, Aboriginals do not arouse fear.
The only way Howard will be able to use the ‘fear factor’ is through convincing voters that the ALP will directly threaten their financial future, or some unforseen security crisis.
Yeah bloody cold by Brisbane standards!
Interesting that the State seat of Caboolture was held by One Nation in the Hanson heyday. Brough would be hoping to muster those supporters together again too in his seat. These voters just love expressions of toughness with Police and Military activity.
Will they like it when their cousins on the dole have the same welfare policies applied to them, though? Is Deception Bay in Brough’s electorate or is it in Gambaro’s? Still, I’d have thought there’d be more than a few long term unemployed around Caboolture way.
Christine Keeler wrote:
You’ve summed it up nicely, Christine.
This is highly unlikely to impact on voting intentions.
As you said, this is an opportunity for the Government to ‘seize an agenda and play on all sorts of unspoken prejudices’ BUT Howard’s dog whistling politics has lost a lot of it’s potency in recent years as other issues have started to focus the mind of your average swinging voter, namely Work Choices.
Come election time this issue will barley register.
Precisely Steve - this is all about the coalition marginals in the Hanson corridor in outer Brisbane.
Which is in …. ‘hi im Kev and Im from’ land.
Keep it up, folks, you’ll talk me round.
Not that I’m going to get any happier about Howard tearing up land rights and most citizenship rights Indigenous people have gained with one speech.
Larvatus Prodeo has a tradition of “condemn threads”, here’s my attempt at starting a video condemnation thread of John Howard’s attack on indigenous rights.
Record your rejection of Howard’s plan and post it as a video responce.
I also agree it wont work for him, btw. Workchoices wont fly round Ipswich and Cabooture, no matter how many blacks he bashes.
On a lighter note: that porn ban’s going to be hard to enforce when Singtel bring TEH WIRELESS INTERTOOB to the remote town camps, innit??
(Or not)
Well, Howard made it clear to Tony Jones that middle class Darwin residents won’t have their pron habits affected…
Hang on - thats what its about!
It’s the ‘non-coreing’ of the broadband rollout.
Cant do back of Burke after all. Blacks’ll get TEH PRON!
Unless Helen Coonan mandates the PC’s in those computers have suitable firewall and other filtering measures installed.
But any smart purveyor of PrOn can easily bypass that by concealing the said materials on DVD’s with non porn labels and cases. That’s unless they will have the Porn Police insisting that they view EVERY tape/dvd brought in
Mna, I am such a role tonight. Seeing through the rat-like ploys with night vision.
One step of ya Rodent!
Erm, …. ah you know what I meant.
Oooh, Great Loophole, I can see those pesky blacks shacking up with the Darwin Middle Classes so they can get their Pron fix, and invite the Rellies over for “Secret PrOn Business”
Ken Parish has written a passionate post at Troppo deploring today’s events:
See my post on this issue here (if Troppo doesn’t crash yet again).
Howard’s got the distractions he needed.
Perhaps we also need to focus on the Honorable Phillip Ruddock’s office compiling ‘dirt’ on their enemies/opponents. The McCarthy aspect to it.
And the fact that this social obligation stuff related to the Aboriginal families might eventually lead to the more troublesome youth (their words) being put in American style ‘boot camps’…& community service programs that evolve into a ‘National Guard’…that is eventually spread to youth from all backgrounds so as not to ‘discriminate’…& before you know it, YOUR TEENAGE KIDS & those in their early 20s, either end up in prison & losing their vote because there is no Canada to run to…or in the Middle East…fighting the ‘pesky’ Islamic Extremists.
Worth thinking about. It’s all part of a Grander Plan methinks. Hup! Hup! Hup!…
(Cue soundtrack from ‘Full Metal Jacket)
Ken Parish had this to say at club troppo.
“The policy Howard has just announced is worse, more racist and more wildly impractical and misconceived than anything Pauline Hanson ever spouted. Kevin Rudd’s meek, kneejerk endorsement of it is almost as disgusting, and marks him unfit to lead Australia. At least Howard has the guts to announce policies of his own, however repugnant and ill-considered.”
So there you go if Rudd had of got the idea first that would have put him ahead of Howard. It is an original way to look at it.
Politically Rudd didn’t have much choice today but to seek further briefings and buy himself time to assess the situation. You could have only imagined how it would have been treated if he rejected the idea out of hand.
Harden the fuck up, TEH LEFT. What makes you think every pronouncement of the PM&C is about you? What makes you suspect the pressure of a Government wedge in each split infinitive and mixed metaphor?
If Labor loses it’ll be because they’re shit in a general all-encompassing sense, not because of one isolated Bill.
No, it was more recent than that, I believe, CK. The infantry-plan was around 2002 or 2003 or so, though I’m too befuddled by drink and hard living to be precise. And it certainly called for nothing like a battalion-strength force, IIRC.
Me? I’d love a bit of liberal interventionism, to see a few doors kicked in, to watch a few old blokes led away in steel bracelets, and for the Commonwealth AG’s dept with each State Government to commission maurauding circuit courts to legally whup the country North of the Brisbane Line flat of outstanding prosecutions.
That, though, that’d require policy aimed at the perpetrators of abuse rather than the victims.
I just saw Howard on Lateline too. What’s to complain about? He deliberately chose not to only give the mildest criticism in passing of the Northern Territory government, indicating that it was really a matter above politics. He appeared genuine enough in wanting to be seen as someone finally taking some major steps to address the matter.
As to all of the people complaining “why did it take 11 years?”, I assume you are going to make the same complaint about all of the Labor State governments which have been in place over roughly the same period? Everyone knows it is not exclusively a NT problem, and the slow reaction of the NSW government to its own 12-month-old report was featured on Lateline tonight too.
Anyway, the reactions of many people here to the Howard plan itself indicates why governments are slow to take ’strong’ action: because they will face strong criticism on civil rights and other ideological grounds. Given the types who comprise the party, this is a bigger problem for Labor governments. But I don’t think it could be said that Liberal governments are completely insensitive to such issues. (Fraser did introduce the NT Land rights laws, after all.)
As to Howard using this as a political ploy: well he didn’t engineer the publicity last year on Lateline that kicked off the current report, did he? Howard haters always assume everything he does is for cynical political advantage. You will never think he has done anything for the “right” reason, and I have long realised there is no point in arguing with you about this.
Finally, a couple of post here have expressed outrage about the medical examinations. Jeez, I think we can gather from the inquiry report found that many (most?) aboriginal children in the worst communities are exposed to sexual acts of all kinds, both as porn and in real life, and consensual sexual activity frequently starts as young teenagers. I find it hard to believe that such teenagers are going to face any great embarrassment over a medical examination done professionally (and why wouldn’t it be?) that may well disclose disease that could otherwise have been undetected for years, and (presumably) have affected their fertility. Are you forgetting the extent of STD’s in aboriginal communities? Yes, it is “paternalistic” for such a health measure to be imposed; it also makes a lot of sense in their situation.
Maybe that’s because there are strong grounds for such criticism.
Lauredhel pointed out to me that the “ban the pr0n” response is an implicit endorsement of the view that hardcore porn actually causes child sexual abuse.
Is this the first time a legislature is relying upon that connection? And upon what evidence are they drawing?
None. Heffernan, probably. Or to make sure Steve Fielding votes for the legislation.
Experience.
AS for fears of Labor losing, not over this pissy excuse for a ‘wedge’.
Fair dinkum, these days, in the squat space where a dab-handed political master once powerwalked in a tracky, I just see a hapless, clueless old git.
Dare I whisper it - he’s overrated. The general in his labyrnith, with a herniated testicle.
No longer to be feared. Past it.
I Believe it was as a result of this quote from the Report.
You know, (homespun story warning): when I was a kid, a shop run by enterprising non-indigenous types on Russell St used to sell flavoured metho to the Musgrave Park blacks.
Just wondering - how many of these ‘ere pubs were run by local indigenous folk?
Is it that they dont have enough control over their communities?
“Is this the first time a legislature is relying upon that connection? And upon what evidence are they drawing”
The Report. The Report considers the effect of unrestricted and pretty continuous porn viewing by all ages in a situation of of near universal substance dependence and general social dysfunction. It offers graphic examples of little kids acting out porn scenarios. It’s a world away from Fred Nile predicting doom and destruction because North Shore teenagers are checking out Nude Celebrities.Com.
I’d recommend reading the Report, in fact.
And Musgrave Park of course, Lefty E, was where Daniel Yock was arrested before the 17 year old dancer died in custody in a paddy wagon in 94. No one ever brought to justice. I was at the march to police headquarters where a ton of people got bashed.
The Jubilee Hotel in the Valley used to sell chilled metho too back in 85.
In many ways, Howard’s current tactics are straight out of the Joh playbook.
I wonder if he’s counting on some protests against his state of emergency.
Hmm, so according to Lateline Mal Brough was “a former Military Man”, which may explain his motives behind taking over towns etc.
Geoff, Kim linked to the report before, but here’s the link again in case it was missed by anyone:
[link]
I agree.
steve asked:
The strategy, according to Brough comes in three stages: stabilise, normalise and exit.
I think the two overriding factors in this one are the fact that an adequate response to the report is clearly beyond the resources of the NT Government and, secondly, Brough’s military background. He’s been emphasising the:
Hence the emergency. He’s come up with a kind of invade, occupy, pacify strategy.
The overview and the 97 recommendations of the report Kim linked to (pdf) show that the report was written by people who understand the problems and the difficulties of implementation. They suggest the 15 years will be required “to make some inroads”. It’s all about consultation with the communities, community ownership and empowerment. They stress that there is no quick way. Programs, skills and structures need to be built over the long term.
Beyond that I don’t really want to comment because I don’t know enough. Brough seems to me well-intentioned and will be able to round up the funds to make an impact. It’s the nature of the impact that worries me.
But Brough will give it a brief hit, declare it a success and move on with the job barely begun. That’s the optimistic scenario.
Yes, I was struck by the story on 730 report the other night about the great improvements in one town in which the pub was closed down.
The good news story closed with a offhand line about the non-indigenous operators of the hotel applying for a new licence.
Who’s been making the money out of misery in these towns? Is this really a story of “non-intervention in self-governing black communities having failed”?
Or did the government-licenced private sector Arthur Dalys just step on in where the missions left off in the 70s?
Sounds like General Petraeus talking about the Surge!
And The Shemaham has Spoken:
The extent of these incursions on property rights, individual freedoms and cultural mores - with strict bans on grog and pornography and controls on payments and jobs - would have been unthinkable even two years ago.
The Prime Minister would not have been able to move in such a comprehensive fashion unless the debate on indigenous rights had turned 180 degrees and the lives of children were at stake.
The sexual abuse of children, even infants, is the reason of last resort which has finally prompted a massive response to the neglect of indigenous Australia.
While the federal Government’s plans to take control are overpowering and unprecedented, with a heavy, uncompromising and unapologetic emphasis on law and order through paternalism, there is a sense their time has come.
Federal Labor’s immediate response has been in-principle support despite the obvious incursions on individual rights, a turning back of some Aboriginal land rights and an unprecedented government acceptance that pornography contributes to child abuse.
There is little doubt that the timing of the announcement was affected by the parliamentary sitting in an election year.
But there is equally little doubt that Howard has been working towards a final phase in his years of political combat on indigenous health, reconciliation and land rights.
Where are the libertarians I wonder?
Really, he fought in that war?
Which side was he on?
I´m glad you said that Mark, I was thinking the same thing. The whole plan reeks of the same sort of slap-dash night before policy as TeH Surge.
I´ve been thinking about this for a few hours and I´m not really sure what else Rudd could do. Given that the government has been a bit shy on detail I don´t think that dismissing this action out of hand would have played well, especially given that Rudd has been taking it from all quarters this week.
On the other hand, I hope the Labor party picks this plan apart for all it´s worth. I want to see a debate, I want to see Rudd questioning why Howard thinks this is the correct path of action. Taking away anyone´s rights should never be done on a whim and I want to see the Labor party standing up and saying that.
The government hasn´t presented a strong argument as to why this plan should actually work. Labor has to make the discussion not about action for action´s sake but rather about why Howard thinks he can suddenly solve this problem. I mean, if this is such a great course of action why didn´t they try it earlier. Did they need to wait till they were tanking in the polls to act?
In a strange irony it’s National Aboriginal Day in Canada:
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The Canadian attitude towards First Nations couldn’t be a bigger contrast. Not only is there a territory in the North with a legislature and its own spending powers, large settlements have been made, and there’s been much recognition of the wrongness of the Canadian equivalent of the stolen generation - the “Residential Schools�.
Crap, I was channeling the anti-Shannahan. Aparantly it´s all obvious, Howard was waiting for the tide of public opinion to turn against him so that he´d HAVE to act on an issue that he´s shown little regard for over the years.
Oh, and well said Mark. Nothing like a conservative government that believes in concentrating power.
And here in Australia it will be NAIDOC Week between 8 to 15 July
And I hope the various Marches planned will highlight how dopey this plan is and they send the Govt a VERY strong message these draconian measures are unacceptable.
Funny he announced the MPs’ pay increase a day before this, eh?
MrLefty, it´s not just the pay increases. Howard has had a new story out every day this week. I suspect that they wanted to catch Labor completely off guard with this. Oh, that and this distracts beautifully from the whole printing expense fiasco in Queensland at the moment.
Heh, I have on Video the excellent Documentry on the 1996 Election Campaign, where Working Dog’s Santo Cilluaro tails Keating, and there is a priceless scene of Keating attending a function in WA where there is this lone Liberal Yoof, carrying on about “A Vote For Labor is a Vote against State Rights” (Paraphrasing)
I wonder how this young person now feels ?
Yes, Kim, and those policies you mention have led to wonderful outcomes for the First Nations people.
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well that’s all she wrote.
All over people.. Nothing to see here.
Next week a ’special’ newspoll..
just watch.
Paulus, that just shows there’s no magic wand. As Brian said, the report to the NT government suggests with luck some improvement might take place over 15 years. The Canadian approach is recent, but it’s not some knee jerk authoritarian political fix driven by a militarist moralist.