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SA
UNIONS
BACKS
PUSH TO
RESTORE
JUSTICE
AND END
THE NT
INTERVENTION
25
May 2009
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A poignant
exhibition
of the
hardships
created by
the Howard
government's
2007
intervention
into
Northern
Territory
Aboriginal
Communities
opens in
Adelaide
tonight.
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Called
"autonomies"
it is a
photographic
exhibition
and aural
journey into
the lives of
Aboriginal
people
stripped of
their
independence.
As part of
National
Reconciliation
Week, SA
Unions has
brought the
exhibition
to Adelaide
from May 25
at Artlab
Australia.
SA Unions
Secretary,
Janet Giles
says the
intervention
saw the
Federal
Racial
Discrimination
Act
suspended,
and the
removal of
basic rights
that
included the
quarantining
of Social
Security
payments and
giving
government
appointed
people the
ability to
overrule
community
decisions.
"This
intervention
continues
today.
While it is
good news
that Prime
Minister
Kevin Rudd
on Friday
announced
that the
Racial
Discrimination
Act would be
reinstated,
this doesn't
address the
overall
concerns of
communities
living under
this
dehumanising
regime."
"Imagine
being a
mother
unable to
buy warm
clothes for
your
children
because your
access to
money was
restricted.
That is what
happened to
families
travelling
to Canberra
for the PM's
national
apology."
"For the
apology to
have real
meaning, the
federal
government
must match
its words
with
actions, and
that means
scrapping
the
intervention.
Services can
be delivered
to the NT
and social
issues
addressed
without this
overbearing
paternalistic
approach.
The
continuing
intervention
undermines
the spirit
of the
apology.
It is also
hypocritical
for such a
policy to
remain in
place after
becoming a
signatory to
the UN
declaration
on the
rights of
indigenous
peoples", Ms
Giles says.
"Unions in
South
Australia
are at the
coalface of
dealing with
the problems
of the
intervention.
Many unions
in SA also
cover the NT
- for
example the
Australian
Services
Union (ASU)
has had lots
of dealings
with this in
the past 12
months and
says it is
the number
one issue
impacting on
the work and
lives of
Aboriginal
and non
Aboriginal
communities
in the
Territory.
The
Community
and Public
Sector Union
(CPSU)
similarly
has
encountered
many
challenges.
Its members
are
responsible
for the
delivery of
Centrelink
Services
across the
Territory".
"We hope
these
powerful
pictures and
stories will
help
pressure the
federal
government
to
immediately
end this
shameful
chapter in
our nation's
history", Ms
Giles says.
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Community Meetings:
Regular community meetings are being held in the areas of Makin, Wakefield or Kingston. Come along, bring your friends and family to discuss issues facing workers today.
Contact SA Unions for the dates of the next meetings
saunions@saunions.org.au
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