Just before I go to bed I thought I'd add a comment to my previous rant about the long awaited apology.
The policies that lead to so many children being removed (sometimes forcibly) from their parents were what is commonly known as "intervention", I'm pretty sure child welfare agencies still use the term. It was the intervention by Government agents, which resulted in effect in the stolen generations.
I really hope that after having made such an important apology our federal government is able to see the similarities between the policies they have recently acknowledged as harmful and wrong and their current "Intervention" in the Northern Territory. Surely now would be a good time to re-asses the way that the federal Intervention is conducted and prevent the terrible errors of our past from being repeated!
It must surely now be acknowledged that Aboriginal communities are not all the same, that cultural and social protocols can vary from place to place and that the people in each of these communities deserve the right to be listened to. Shouldn't the members of those communities be offered assistance to improve their communities based on the work many have already begun by their own initiative?
I hope the attempt to protect children in aboriginal communities can now be approached in a more compassionate way rather than applying the carpet bombing approach.
Aside from the current NT intervention and the dysfunction it is trying to address I believe a lot more can be achieved if we Balandas could simply give in and make some attempt to understand and become part of this countries rich heritage.
P.S... (added 16.02.08)
PM speech: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/Rudd_Speech.pdf
Nelson speech: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/Nelson_speech.pdf
2 comments:
Great blog! I'm a migaloo in North Queensland, and I agree--people *must* see the connections between this current intervention and the various interventions of the past.
A proper deadly Murri woman from Townsville gave a speech where she said Aboriginal people have had to deal with Invasion, extermination, protection, assimilation, integration, self-determination, reconciliation, and now they're back at invasion again.
Thanks Theresa,
Yeh it's just like ground hog day.
I try to approach issues like this with an attitude of 'If there is to be a change let it start with me'.
As I get older I am starting to see how the world works. It seems like everyone wants to be able to say exactly 'how it is' or 'how it should be'.
Maybe we just need to slow it all down and take some time to listen.
How will the government get it right if nobody wants to listen.
It's like my wife deciding she's finally going to help me fix my bike (this is a stretch).
But instead of letting me explain the various parts of the bike she just comes marching in, tells me how she's been all the way through school and doesn't need to take lessons from me, then starts whacking the rims with a hammer!
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