“A domestic violence shelter in Alice Springs told ABC radio’s AM on May 1, that between Jan 1 and mid-April this year, it provided accommodation for 157 children and 149 women. However, due to lack of funding, it turned away a further 159 women and 100 children seeking support” In other words, for each woman it provided shelter to, one was turned away. Where did she go? In all likelihood, she ended up back with her abusive partner.”

“A 2009 United Nations report also noted a rise in the number of women remaining in abusive relationships because of a lack of affordable alternative accommodation, an inability to sell property and decreased support services”.(Jess Moore/ Women Bear Brunt of Crisis - GreenLeft Oct 28 ‘09) (I’d suggest it’s even worse when you have no property to sell, and support services go from bad to worse??

“In Queenslad, in the first quarter of 2005, 6874 new cases of domestic violence were reported. In the first quarter of 2009, it rose to 9739 new cases - a 42% rise”.

There is a strong link between financial stress and domestic violence. However, before the more recent financial stresses, DV was already increasing. “A series of reports in the SMH in November 2008 revealed that, in NSW, the number of deaths of women and children as a result of DV had risen to a 10 year high”

“Figures released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show that, for the period (1997 & 2002)the recorded instance of DV rose by 40% in the Sydney area, and 50% across the rest of NSW.” Government funding for women’s services is considerably less than it was a decade ago, despite the marked rise in demand.”

It’s been too easy for successive govts to blame DV on individual family breakdown and unhealthy relationships, rather than recognising the social basis of violence against women. When conservative politicians turn back funding for women’s services, denigrate the role of women in the society and enforce policies that compound poverty, unemployment, insecurity, disadvantage and womens’ financial dependence on male partners, the horrific impact on all women, but particularly indigenous women will result in more life threatening assaults on them and their kids. I’m not surprised that violence towards aboriginal women is so high, up to 40% I believe, as opposed to 25% for non-indigenous women.

In short, the intervention(invasion) is only compounding an existing pattern of abuse towards women and kids.

The challenge this time will be to persuade the education authorities to develop and employ more of the Wendy Bs and Jeannie Es (and Christine Ns and Lee Cs & Norbert Ps) who are able to bring the expertise to the classrooms that is required for bi-lingual education to produce the excellent results which are needed and of which it is certainly capable.

“In Australia, our ways have mostly produced disaster for the Aboriginal people. I suspect that only when their right to be distinctive is accepted, will policy become creative”… Kim Beazley Sr.
and,
“Above all, let us permit native children to keep their own languages, -those beautiful and expressive tongues, rich in true Australian imagery, charged with poetry and with love for all that is great, ancient and eternal in the continent. There is no need to fear that their own languages will interfere with the learning of English as the common medium of expression for all Australians. In most areas of Australia the natives have been bilingual, probably from time immemorial. Today white Australians are among the few remaining civilized people who still think
that knowledge of one language is the normal limit of linguistic achievement.”
- T.G.H Strelow,1958.

I know, I’ve used these before, but in all my time living in a remote Warlpiri community I’m yet to find more relevant quotes.

With the name change to “Closing the Gap” there should have been an end of one chapter and the beginning of another, not a slight tweaking. Some creative thought on how to promote self-determination.

“Teach a man to fish,” the old saying goes. A people needs to have control of their own food supply in some way, that’s where the difference between “money” and “wealth” begins. Or else they’ll always be made to feel like beggars.

BOB DURNAN - The people at Mutijulu were very critical of the Intervention. They were the first people interviewed on Message Stick. Their reality is much different to your assertions when you ‘dressed me down’ the other day on another post. I think I’ll take notice of those people living there, thanks. Like Bob Randall - a senior citizen!

I still believe that the real reason for the invasion has to do with mining leases and a permanent nuclear waste dump? Are there two or three possible sites to date? With all the uranium we’re selling to date, and even more to come, it would be a good ‘selling point’ wouldn’t it?Otherwise, why move people in such an officious way, when communication would be more positive - it’s not as though work has commenced?

If Howard etc were so concerned for the kids, why didn’t they act on the at least 10 reports prior to Little Children Are Sacred Report, that was initiated by the NT govt anyway. I recall the photo shoots etc with Howard in Canberra and around NT swimming pools, and after all the froth and bubble, we wouldn’t hear any more about it. Also, too many in his govt used to treat the women with scathing disregard when they’d plead for funds re domestic violence programs etc. Sexual abuse is rife in non-indigenous areas, but there’s no panic or concern for those kids - or women either for that matter! How’s the $44 million Rudd pledged re domestic violence going to be spent?

This whole saga is just a grab for land and to wind back the clock re land rights etc!Not one house has been built, or even one repaired to date - after 2 1/2 years?

Page 32 of the report:

“The number of convictions for child sexual assaults committed in the NTER communities in the two years since the introduction of the NTER measures is 22. This compares to 14 convictions in the two years prior to the NTER. In 2005-06 and 2006-07 none of the convictions involved non Indigenous people. However, in the last two years (2007-08 and 2008-09) four non Indigenous people have been convicted for child sexual assault committed in the NTER communities.

The total number of confirmed incidences of child abuse in the NTER communities rose, from 66 in 2006-07 to 227 in 2008-09. The 18 Themis communities accounted for around 39% of the increase in the number of child abuse reports made to police from 2006-07 to 2008-09.

When NSW introduced comprehensive DV legislation in the early 1990s, then followed it up a few years ago with sweeping changes to force police and DoCS to react to DV more aggressively, DV stats went up by almost a quarter. Does that mean there was a quarter more DV? No. It meant that DV was being detected and dealt with more.

While the Intervention has effectively lumbered to a halt and is now wallowing in its own filth, it would be incredibly lazy, especially for a Professor, to just rely on stats to paint the picture so many people want to paint. Remember, there was NO ONE in some of these places to even count the incidences of violence and neglect before 2007, so it’s hardly suprising that the stats have gone up.

Let’s leave reliance on bald stats to the Daily Telegraph and take a more nuanced view of the Intervention than that taken so far.

The Insight report of the housing situation a few weeks ago was sickening but it was Jack Thompson in the Arnhem lands who seemed to be doing the best deal.

Working with people to build their own homes to suit the conditions for 30% of the cost of the brick veneerals we want to impose on people that are not fit for human habitation and never have been.

I said in June 2007 that this was a crap plan because it didn’t address the real problems and was racist.

No point telling a drunk not to drink without having a drunk tank to dry out in.

No point telling a battered wife to leave if their is no shelter - and Brough had them all closed down I believe.

No point telling a housewife and mother she is too useless to handle her own money because sure and hell she will become too useless.

Without a treaty and absolute recognition of equality we will continue to treat the indigenous people of this coutnry like fools and that is a disgrace.

Brough’s Original Press Release (still as close to a plan as has been publicly documented on the Intervention):
http://bit.ly/Y531S

Little Children are Sacred Report:
http://bit.ly/iYpZp

Cape York Institute Report:
http://bit.ly/36SBVO

I watched Message Stick on the ABC yesterday. It was on the Intervention(or invasion) and was very informative. Worth watching it on the ‘net. The resentment towards it far outweighed any positive effects. One woman said the quarantining was positive for many, and I understood her reasons, but there are many in the broader community who are pretty hopeless with money, but nobody suggests that their incomes be quarantined? I recall hearing a discussion(perhaps on Background Briefing, Radio National - several yrs ago now) and the subject was a voluntary assistance program with budget planning, bill paying etc and was most effective. The women spoke in a very positive way about it - they wanted it to continue - they were involved in the whole decision process, not locked out of it like Howard and now Rudd are doing. Guess what, they stopped it after 3 months or so?? How dumb was that?

GRAEME - There’s an interview on the World Today(ABC Radio) of several months ago re aboriginal housing. There was a report that was written after several years of an investigation into aboriginal housing. It pointed to the shoddy workmanship in too many instances; eg, a light switch on an arcitrave, a light bulb in the middle of the room, but no wiring between them? No adequate facilities in the kitchen to prepare food. No locks on doors, poor sanitation etc and in many areas, garbage facilities are either poor or non-existent. I think, that in too many cases, ‘short cuts’ are made, and the contractors pocket the profits? Been going on for years.
I watched a documentary on ABC a few yrs ago re health in the Kimberly region. At times there’s up to 15 or more to a house. The houses were only 3 roomed, not three bedrooms - just 3 rooms. They were appalling! People sleeping in shifts. How can kids be OK to attend school under those circumstances, or with bad ears etc?
There’s only 500,000 aboriginal people in the whole country. What is their (govts)problem? There’s been 108 yrs since Federation, and we’re still discussing these aspects of need. Appalling!

The issue about the stats outlined in the 83 page report, is that they reflect the counting that has been enabled by having so many more people on the ground (whose only task is to collect statistics).

Regardless of these statistics, which lead you to the conclusion that “things have gotten worse,” the facts on the ground, as anyone on the ground will attest, is that in many many of these communities, “things” have actually improved markedly. If only Govts would get busy to build some housing for which the money ($672 million) has been long allocated, some really meaningful “things” might really start to happen.

The fact is that in the last 23 months, there has been a total lack of will to do anything, while even stopping doing a lot of things that used to just happen before the intervention. Repairs to housing and infrastructure used to be scheduled and ongoing, and even some new houses used to get built, but since November 2007, all that stopped - or at best slowed.

What happened in November 2007?? I wonder!! I wish I could forget.