Dave Riley, Brisbane
The new attack by the Howard government on native title is being pushed through parliament without any real consultation with Indigenous communities. Socialist Alliance Indigenous spokesperson Sam Watson said the changes would impact badly on the already atrocious living conditions for so many Aborigines in remote communities.
Watson, a leader of Brisbane’s Murri community, sees this attack as just another episode in the government’s war on Indigenous people. “These communities are plagued with chronic and significant unemployment. The communities need access to proper health care and educational resources. They should have the same access to goods and services as white Australian families in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. This legislation is not going to deliver that”, Watson told Green Left Weekly. “It is just the next stage in the 'grand solution’ that began on day one of the Howard government.”
Watson also believes that Aboriginal people are being driven out of the cities as a direct result of the federal government’s policies. “Howard is trying to create an entirely new stolen generation and a new generation of fringe dwellers. He doesn’t want blacks living in the urban areas. He’s trying to move us all ‘off shore’ — to strip us of our rights.”
