The following abridged statement was released on October 29 by Aboriginal people from Northern Territory communities targeted by the federal government's NT Emergency Response laws.
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Minister Jenny Macklin has once again broken a clear promise she gave to Aboriginal people in the NT. She gave her word that the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) would be re-instated in the October sittings of parliament.
Macklin also gave this promise to the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, following a complaint by many of us from "prescribed areas".
This is unacceptable treatment. Racism increases and living conditions deteriorate each day the RDA remains suspended and the intervention remains in place. We are like outcasts, denied basic rights afforded to other Australians.
The government is playing legal games as our lives get worse. It keeps the RDA suspended so it can threaten the Alice Springs town camps with compulsory acquisition and force communities to sign long-term leases.
When it finally re-instates the RDA it will be to entrench the racist intervention — not to restore our rights. Macklin claims the intervention can be classified as a series of "special measures" under the RDA, operating "for the benefit" of Aboriginal people.
How would the minister like it if someone took her house, quarantined her money, controlled where she shopped, ate and slept, and then told her it was all for her benefit?
Macklin will claim her department has "consulted" with Aboriginal people, that we have somehow given consent to these laws.
But the consultation process was a sham from the beginning. Public servants mostly patronised communities with a government story about how the intervention is working.
The Future Directions for the NTER document that the consultations were based on gave no real choice to Aboriginal people. Leaked documents from the minister's office prove that we were never consulted about compulsory acquisition of our land under the five-year lease, because the government knew we would not consent.
We were asked which brand of compulsory income management we would like, what kind of alcohol controls or police powers. But communities have said many times we want an end to all racist control measures.
We made these statements again in the "consultations". Get rid of the laws. We want the resources wasted on "intervention" to go directly to communities to meet our real social needs.
Macklin will not get away with this. The idea that taking Aboriginal land, housing and basic human rights away is "for our benefit" is the same paternalism that created the Stolen Generations.
The people at Ampilatwatja have walked off in protest against the intervention and we are standing up across the NT. We are part of a growing movement around the country, including unions, human rights and church groups.
Rudd's apology feels hollow two years on. We have been betrayed once again. We are calling for protest rallies across Australia on February 13, 2010.
Racism is not a special measure. No more broken promises: it's time to break the intervention.
Signed by:
Richard Downs, Ampilatwatja
Dave Lewis, Ampilatwatja
Wally Miller, Ampilatwatja
Banjo Morton
Graeme Morton
Larkin Morton
Roger Morton, Antarringina
Harry Nelson, Yuendumu
Dave Ross
Kingi Ross, Irrultja
Jimmy Rubuntja, Epenarra
Harry Rubuntja, Canteen creek
Geoffrey Shaw, Mt Nancy Town Camp
Fred Teece
Donald Thompson, Antarringina
Loretta Baily, Antarringina
Betty Beasley, Ampilatwatja
Casey Holmes, Antarringina
Frankie Holmes, Antarringina
Eileen Hoosan, Mt Nancy Town Camp
Angeline Luck
Lily Morton
Elaine Peckham, Iwupataka Land Trust
Hellen Rubuntja
Barbara Shaw, Mt Nancy Town Camp
Raelene Silverton, West Waterhouse