The 'Crisis' in NT Aboriginal Communities

Published in the Australian Christian magazine, July 24th 2007.

On Thursday 21 June 2007 Prime Minister John Howard, made an announcement that would explode through Northern Territory Aboriginal communities and reverberate around Australia. Together with Indigenous Affairs Minister, Mal Brough, he revealed that the Federal Government was seizing control of 60 remote Aboriginal communities in a bid to overcome child abuse in the Northern Territory. Reactions to this ranged from labelling it the ‘second invasion’ through to lauding it as a definitive solution to the ‘Aboriginal problem’.

Since then, debate has raged fiercely and the flood of socio-political opinion has managed to muddy the issues sufficiently to confuse most intelligent Australians. Furthermore, it has drowned out the voices of those who are most affected – the individuals and families living in Aboriginal townships and communities. As a doctor based in Alice Springs I am privileged to count many of these people among my friends, colleagues and patients - and it is their voices I wish to share with you now.

“They’re coming to take our children”
Initial reactions were dominated by fear. The presence of the Australian Federal Police brought back memories of brutality, abuse and separation at the hands of authorities, miners and pastoralists within the last half century. Living members of the ‘stolen generation’ felt this most acutely and the perceived threat of further removal of children led many families to run from their homes.

As the fear now subsides it is being replaced by a quiet strength and determination. No-one questions the critical state of Aboriginal people living in remote communities (particularly regarding child abuse). No-one debates the need for urgent Government action. Aboriginal leaders have been pointing to the ‘Third world’ health statistics, appalling living conditions and the resulting social dysfunction for years, crying out for Government attention. However, there are grave concerns that the Government’s current approach will fail and may actually add to the suffering of Indigenous children rather than relieve it. Dr Mark Wenitong, President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) writes:

"As medical professionals, we question the notion that you can treat poverty, dispossession, marginalisation and despair (the root causes of substance misuse and sexual, physical and emotional abuse) with interventions that further contribute to poverty, dispossession, marginalisation and despair."[i]

An alternative approach is needed!

Looking for a Solution
The Governments ‘State of Emergency’ decree was triggered by the release of the Little Children are Sacred report[ii]. This report outlines disturbingly high rates of child sexual abuse and points out that the causative factors include alcohol abuse, unemployment, educational disadvantage, poverty, family breakdown and cultural clashes resulting in hopelessness among young men. As the report points out, none of this was new information. The solutions too are not new.

"What is required is a determined, coordinated effort to break the cycle and provide the necessary strength, power and appropriate support and services to local communities, so they can lead themselves out of the malaise: in a word, empowerment!” (p. 13)

The report provides a detailed set of 97 Recommendations about how this could be achieved. Unfortunately, there is disturbingly low correlation between these Recommendations and the Federal Government’s subsequent policy announcements[iii].

An Alternative
Aboriginal controlled organisations are at the front-line in tackling the social issues present in Territory communities. These are a diverse set of organisations involved with healthcare, education, legal assistance and community development. As a collective they have released an Emergency Response and Development Plan that will harness the current political will in way that can result in empowerment and real, sustainable change[iv].

What Can You Do?
This is not an “Aboriginal problem”. It is an Australian human rights problem and it is the responsibility of all Australians to respond[v]. Change is in the air, and the policies implemented over the next few months will have repercussions for generations. What these repercussions will be depends on Australian citizens becoming informed and vocal. This doesn’t necessarily mean protests and pollie-bashing, but it does mean standing in solidarity with the Aboriginal leaders and organisations who are working so hard to make justice and equality a reality for all Australians.

1. Read and sign the open letter to Mal Brough. This has been signed by Mick Dodson, Malcolm Fraser and dozens of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations and individuals. It gives a good overview of the change of policy needed to address the ‘crisis’ and is available on ANTaR’s website: http://www.antar.org.au/content/view/441/1/.

2. Join ANTaR’s ‘Sea of Hands’ campaign: www.antar.org.au/sea_of_hands/. ‘Sea of Hands’ is a movement towards genuine Reconciliation, and the declaration adopts a human rights based approach requiring governments to work in partnership with Aboriginal communities and organisations.

3. Join the Oxfam ‘Close the Gap’ campaign: http://www.oxfam.org.au/. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders die 17 years earlier than non-Indigenous Australians. 'Close the Gap' campaign calls on Australian governments to take action to achieve health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within 25 years.

4. Write your own letter to your local Federal MP. Example letters are available on the ANTaR website (http://www.antar.org.au/content/view/492/1/) and on my blog (http://www.adventureswithhamish.blogspot.com/). Follow up your letter with a phone call or visit to your MP.

More Information
http://www.antar.org.au/ – Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation have an excellent website with up-to-date information, easy to read hand-outs, letter writing tips and their “Sea of Hands” campaign.

[i] The Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (2007), ‘Indigenous doctors demand real and long term results in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids' health (PDF)’. Media release available online: http://www.aida.org.au/res/File/Press%20releases/NT_Measures.pdf.
[ii] Northern Territory Board of Enquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse (2007), Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle “Little Children are Sacred”, NT Government: Darwin. Available online: http://www.nt.gov.au/dcm/inquirysaac/pdf/bipacsa_final_report.pdf.
[iii] Anderson, I. (2007), ‘Ian Anderson compares the federal government's response to the Little Children Are Sacred report with the authors' recommendations’, Australian Policy online. Available online: http://www.apo.org.au/webboard/comment_results.chtml?filename_num=161613.
[iv] Combined Aboriginal Organisations of the Northern Territory (2007), A proposed Emergency Response and Development Plan to protect Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory. Available online: http://www.snaicc.asn.au/news/documents/CAOreport8july.pdf.
[v] Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (2007), ‘A human rights based approach is vital to address the challenges in Indigenous communities’. Media release available online: http://www.hreoc.gov.au/media_releases/2007/45_07.html.

The 'Crisis' in NT Aboriginal Communities

Back to the Future

Apologies for my blogging absence over the past month. I've recently returned to Alice Springs after taking four weeks of annual leave. It is good to be back home in the Alice, settling back into work and enjoying the summer warmth. The biggest issue happening up here is obviously the recent attention towards the social 'crisis' in Aboriginal communities. It is almost one month since the Government first made its shock policy announcements, so I thought I'd give you my perspective as the dust begins to settle...

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What's up with the 'Aboriginal Crisis'?
I returned to Alice Springs to find Aboriginal people here in a state of fear. Families have left their communities in a bid to stay away from the Federal police - out of fear of a rebirth of the stolen generation. Maybe that sounds like an over-reaction? But many Aboriginal elders here in the centre have experienced the removal of children by authorities first-hand (and remember, last time it was "in the child's interests" too). They also experienced the abuse and exploitation by goverment workers, pastoralists and miners - and fear losing control of their land will put them at risk again.

Local Aboriginal organisations, including Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (where I worked earlier in the year) have made formal responses to the government policies. The general gist is:

1. Yes, there is a social and health crisis among Aboriginal communities (and town).

2. We welcome the Federal attention and funding.

3. But we have grave reservations about the policies as they stand now.

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Allow me to step back and recap the recent developments. Four weeks ago the Australian government declared a State of Emergency for remote Aboriginal communities. This was purportedly based on the release of the Little Children are Sacred report. This report outlines disturbingly high rates of child sexual abuse and points out that the causative factors include alcohol abuse, unemployment, educational disadvantage, poverty, family breakdown, the loss of traditional family values in Australian society, and cultural 'clash' leading particularly to hopelessness among young men. As the enquiry points out, none of this was new information. Aboriginal leaders have been pointing to this crisis for years, crying out for Federal attention and support. So what does the report say?

"What is required is a determined, coordinated effort to break the cycle and provide the necessary strength, power and appropriate support and services to local communities, so they can lead themselves out of the malaise: in a word, empowerment!

Are there simple fixes? Of course not! Our conservative estimate is that it will take at least 15 years (equivalent to an Aboriginal generation) to make some inroads into the crisis and then hopefully move on from there.

However, we do make some recommendations that are capable of comparatively easy and prompt implementation. Again, they are obvious. We have been struck time and time again over these last six months, by how often the same obvious problems are exposed and the plain responses articulated. That is that everybody knows the problems and the solutions." (p. 13)

The report contains a detailed list of Recommendations - read the report. Since then, the Federal government has certainly delivered the attention, with Mal Brough (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs) and Prime Minister John Howard launching some big policies. These have included:

1. Mandatory child health checks. (These have now been scaled back to the pre-existing standard child health check, after realising that mandatory health checks are a form of abuse too).

2. Sending in the troops. Hundreds of Federal Police have been sent to remote communities to enforce law and order.

3. Removing land permits and native title power.

But what does all this have to do with the Reports call for empowerment? Indeed, where in the detailed Recommendations did the government pull any of this from? The mind boggles.

Where to from here?

Change is in the air, and despite the deficiencies of the government's approach this is an opportunity. So I'd ask you all to get on board and help make a difference for Australia's First Peoples. Here is a three-step start.

1. Read and sign this letter to Mal Brough. This is an open letter from Mick Dodson and signed by dozens of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations and individuals. This gives a good overview of the change of policy needed to actually address the 'crisis'.

2. Sign on to the Oxfam 'Close the Gap' campaign. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders die 17 years earlier than non-Indigenous Australians. 'Close the Gap' campaign calls on Australian governments to take action to achieve health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within 25 years.

3. Write your own letter to your local Federal representative. I've posted up a letter I have sent to the PM and Mal Brough below - feel free to copy from this. [As a NT Government employee I am potentially breaking my contract in writing directly to MPs, hence why I keep my comments very general]

Today I took part in a national day of action specifically standing up against the proposed 'Land Grab'. Aboriginal leaders from Alice Springs and surrounding communities spoke about what land means for them.

"We do not own the land. The land owns us... Taking the land from us takes part of our self."

"Aboriginal people in central Australian have fought long and hard for control over the land from which they were removed. On this issue there is unity - land is non-negotiable."

Going Bush

Speaking of 'land', I got to go bush with my brother Tristan the other weekend. We headed west from Alice Springs for a couple of hours to Orminston Gorge - part of the beautiful West McDonnell Ranges. The days were perfect - clear blue skies and warm sunshine. The nights were freeeeezing!

Open Letter to Mal Brough

Dear Mr. Mal Brough:

Thank you for your reply dated 17 May, regarding my concerns about the Town Camp redevelopment plans. At the time I raised concerns regarding the poor levels of community participation, questionable project methodology and the detrimental effects on local culture and community. These concerns were based on my review of the Alice Springs Town Camps Task Force report and discussions with local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community leaders (see Blog below). My concerns remain and it was no surprise to me that the plans were unanimously rejected by the Town Camp communities.

Since our last correspondence the Government has recognised that the Territory’s Aboriginal communities are in a State of Emergency. I agree. The levels of violence, alcohol abuse and ill health are indeed a social crisis – a fact attested to by numerous reports and in the voices of many Aboriginal leaders over the past decade. The Government has committed additional resources to address this crisis, and rolled out a number of major policies. In an interview alongside AMA President Rosanna Capulingua on the 5th of July, Tony Abbott MHR was quoted as saying “the Government will pay what’s necessary”[i].

I commend the Government on recognising this crisis and directing substantial attention and funding towards it. However, I would like to take the opportunity to express some of the concerns of myself and other health and community workers involved in working with Aboriginal people in Alice Springs.

1. ‘Aboriginal Crisis’. This is not an Aboriginal crisis – it is an Australian social crisis that must be borne by all Australians. Speaking about it as an ‘Aboriginal crisis’ only serves to place blame on Aboriginal Australians and further polarise community perceptions. Conceptualising it as an ‘Aboriginal crisis’ puts the emphasis on ethnicity as the problem rather than pointing towards the actual problems (i.e. poverty, dispossession, and barriers to accessing mainstream employment and services). Policy that adopts this view and targets Aboriginal Australians, rather than the social ills, amounts to nothing less than racial discrimination, as noted by Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner with regard to the originally proposed ‘mandatory child health checks’[ii].

2. Community Participation. A consistent theme in the multiplicity of reports regarding the burden of health and social ills on Aboriginal Australians is the need for community participation. However, current policies have been made behind the closed doors of Cabinet with, at best, token community participation. For example, the Alice Springs Town Camps Task Force report specifically noted the success of various Tangentyere Council initiatives such as the Night Patrol in reducing crime and violence. Yet Tangentyere Council has faced funding cuts to the very programs that the report identified as deserving additional support. Aboriginal controlled organisations are at the frontline in addressing Aboriginal health and social issues. It is imperative that these groups are involved not only in the implementation of Government policy but also the development, evaluation and modification of policy[iii].

3. Putting a lid on a boiling pot. I welcome the additional law enforcement personnel provided to address the violence and abuse present in some NT communities. However, we must recognise that this is simply putting a lid on a pot of boiling social ills. My fear is that the underlying issues will not be addressed and will simply be contained out of the public eye. The greater challenge is to invest long term in addressing issues of education, housing, alcohol abuse, health, employment opportunities and leadership development!

4. Aboriginal Land Title. I am puzzled and disappointed by the Government’s continued obsession with removing Aboriginal control over land. It shows complete lack of understanding of what land means for Aboriginal people. From a psycho-spiritual perspective, Aboriginal people belong to the land and removing control over it removes a part of the Aboriginal self. From a pragmatic perspective, abolishing the permit system and turning over land and housing to Northern Territory government will not assist in addressing the current crisis, and may be detrimental. Existing titles already allow security, health and welfare personnel access to communities. They also give the community some control in excluding other potentially exploitative individuals and groups. Removing this land ownership will only further erode Aboriginal self-determination, destroy Aboriginal identity and leave communities even more vulnerable to exploitation.

Aboriginal people from Central Australian communities and towns have reacted with great fear to the Government plans. The influx of security and Government personnel has raised the ghosts of the ‘stolen generation’ and many families are scared the Government will again begin removing children. These may be irrational fears, but for people who have experienced removal, exploitation and abuse by Government representatives and white land-owners and miners, these fears are very real. Aboriginal Territorians are feeling hopeless, fearful and betrayed by the current plans. We are crying out for people to stop, listen, and work out decisions in partnership, rather than simply enforce these pre-packaged solutions from outside.

I do hope that this can be used as an opportunity to more fully recognise Aboriginal people as Australia’s First People in equality with our multicultural Australian siblings.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Dr. Hamish Graham

[i] Transcript of doorstop interview Parliamentary offices with Tony Abbott MHR (Federal Minister for Health and Ageing) and Dr Rosanna Capolingua (AMA President), July 5th 2007.
[ii] I also find it extremely disturbing that the Government would consider changing existing Human Rights legislation in order to enable the implementation of other aspects of this policy!
[iii] This means getting greater representation on task forces from trusted Aboriginal leaders such as Patricia Anderson, Marcia Langton, Ian Anderson and Mick Dodson.