Issue #1498      20 April 2011

Intervention a sham

Territory Elders tell of community destruction

Some of Australia’s most prominent leaders and Elders from the Northern Territory have condemned the federal government for continuing with the Intervention (Northern Territory Emergency Response) program, labelling it a sham and a failure.

Seven prominent Northern Territory Elders have also released a heartfelt and powerful message to the people of Australia in which they say they “have lost our rights as human beings, as Australian citizens and as the First People of the Land” under the Intervention process.

The seven Elders who signed the message were Rosalie Kunoth-Monks from Utopia, the Reverend Dr Djiniyini Gondarra, from Galiwin’ku, Harry Nelson from Yuendumu, Miriam Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann from Nauiyu, Djapirri Mununggirritj, from Yirrkala, Dhanggal Gurruwiwi from Yirrkala and George Gaymarani Pascoe from Milingimbi.

Ms Kunoth-Monks left no doubt about the impact the Intervention was having on communities throughout the Northern Territory.

“It is destroying our communities,” she said. “It has taken away our rights and it has failed to deliver proper services. The pain of the whole thing has destroyed quite a large number of my family on Utopia.

“The destruction of the Intervention has left us with no functioning housing and with very little infrastructure”.

Ms Kunoth-Monks also delivered a broadside to other Indigenous leaders for failing to stand up for the rights of the communities.

“Who are these leaders?” she asked. “They are almost house slaves to the masters who are committing horrendous punishment against our people,” she said.

“These people have left us. They are academics in a white man’s world. They are assimilated to such a degree they feel uncomfortable when they have to come and sit down in the dirt with us. Do they understand who we are? Do they understand what an Aboriginal person is today?”

In their statement, the Elders appealed to all Australians to help them convince the federal and Northern Territory governments to “end the nightmare” the Intervention was causing.

“The legislation under which we now live does not comply with international law. It is discriminatory. We are no longer equal to other Australians. We are no longer equal to you,” the statement to the people of Australia said.  

Next article – Government signals unwelcome shift in homelessness policy

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