Town camp leader Barbara Shaw will present Prime Minister Julia Gillard with a statement today, calling for the repeal of all Intervention legislation and demanding a development program based on principles of self-determination.
Prime Minister Gillard’s visit to Alice Springs comes in the wake of the release new government statistics that confirm growing social crises under the Intervention.
The statement ‘Rebuilding from the Group Up: An Alternative to the NT Intervention’ has already been endorsed by Aboriginal leaders from more than 15 communities, along with a range of organisations including the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), ANTaR and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission.
The statement will be formally launched at a demonstration in Darwin on June 21, marking four years since the announcement of the Intervention.
A preamble to the statement says:
“The NT Intervention has been a disaster for Aboriginal communities. Rather than ‘closing the gap’, government statistics show Indigenous incarceration rates have risen by almost 30 per cent, school attendance is down in many places, suicide and self harm have increased and thousands of workers are being put onto Centrelink as CDEP closes down. There are growing crises in urban centres such as Alice Springs as large numbers of people move in from the bush.”
“The suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act to seize land, assets and authority has destroyed trust in government and many well run programs. Much of the unprecedented investment of more $1.5 billion has been wasted on government bureaucrats and contractors”.
The latest Closing the Gap in the NT Monitoring report shows that school attendance rates fell by 5.6 per cent from 2009 – 10. There were declines in enrolment figures for both pre-school and primary school.
Rates of attempted suicide and self-harm are are now almost double pre-Intervention levels. Four in every 1000 Indigenous children was hospitalised for malnutrition in 2008-9, the highest level in a decade.
Minister Jenny Macklin claims a decrease in assault convictions in the “prescribed communities” by 70 cases since 2009 is evidence of decreasing violence. But the number of convictions in NT urban areas increased by 104 cases over the same period and rates of assault are still higher than in 2007.
‘Rebuilding from the Ground Up’ is an uncompromising call to abandon government controls and establish real self-determination.
The 11 point plan includes the re-establishment of Aboriginal community councils, abandonment of the ‘hub towns’ model and investment in all communities, an end to compulsory acquisition of Aboriginal land, the rescinding of all leases signed under the NTER and recognition of the importance of Aboriginal customary law.
The statement blames the seizure of Aboriginal housing stock and the lock-out of Aboriginal decision makers for the failings of the SIHIP program, including the appalling quality of renovations. It calls for a program of new housing and proper renovations in all communities, with a minimum 80 per cent local Aboriginal work force and direction from local committees.
For a full copy of the statement and list of current endorsements see http://rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com/alternative-to-the-intervention/
For more information contact:
Intervention Rollback Action Group, Alice Springs
Barbara Shaw 0401 291 166
Marlene Hodder 0438 816 851