Divine_Msn,

Yes, I agree, especially in the case of the suicide of young women and girls - that overwhelmingly, this has been the dreadful outcome of rape, perhaps pack-rape, by men in their own community. Life in a small community is very small-scale but intense, face-to-face, so when your own community does absolutely nothing in such cases, it must be psychologically devastating for the young women. In one community where we had lived, two lovely young women and a young girl suicided within a year of each other and I suspect that all three had been pack-raped.

As for domestic violence and murder, I support the on-going investigation into the death of Mulrunji Doomadgee at Palm Island, but since he was killed, perhaps a hundred Aboriginal women have been beaten to death by their 'beloveds' across the north. But of course you can't shove it up the white man in such cases, so the 'Left' and the 'radicals' keep quiet about those. Plus to bring anyone's attention to them requires some criticism of 'culture' and that won't do.

Violence is violence, murder is murder, no matter who carries it out, on whom. As a very good friend of mine has said many times, 'Reconciliation starts with the truth'. And that means the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The first step to solving a problem is to admit that there is one.

Thank you, Divine_Msn.

Joe

Amanda
I think it’s unfair for you to allege I’m discounting the incarceration and suicide rates: I agree that they are serious and terrible, but my point is that there are a number of other factors affecting the escalating rates of both incarceration and suicide apart from the NTER, and this can be seen when you examine the statistical trends for both if you go back 10 or 15 years and look at patterns.

Suicide prevention is a serious problem, but preventative programs are necessarily longterm, and relate to a complex array of health and social issues, such as early childhood development, substance misuse, emotional security and other mental and social issues. Under the NTER, health services, including social and emotional health and mental health programs, have been expanded enormously (well over $300 million extra - above and beyond what was previously being expended - has been spent on Indigenous health in the NT in the first four years of the NTER; with a lot more to come by the end of June this year).

There were tough new (non-NTER) laws and increased minimum penalties for a number of relevant offences (particularly domestic, sexual and other violence) introduced by the NT government in the past few years including prior to the NTER.
The demographics of the situation (a rapidly expanding proportion of the NT Indigenous population in the 10-25 year old age group, coinciding with rapidly increasing chronic disease rates in the 35 and over groups, providing the paradox of a lot more young people needing & seeking guidance and care from their elders at the very time when there is greatly diminished availability of energetic elders).
These factors are probably influencing incarceration rates much more than the impacts of the NTER itself (regardless of whether you can tease out how the NTER programs are influencing these rates); plus the important factors of decreased tolerance of severe violence by both juries and the judiciary, and greatly increased safety measures (around 60 extra police and 200 extra night patrollers in the prescribed communities) are also having an impact.
(continued below)

If you provide policing and safety services in communities which previously often had to cope without them, then it is hardly surprising that there are going to be increased arrests in those communities, given the levels of binge alcohol and cannabis (and, in some cases, kava and volatile inhalant) consumption occurring in most of them (particularly the larger ones).
I think you are wrong about culture and the mining companies, but I have neither time nor space to explain my reasons here.
I suspect that you may have very little direct experience of remote Aboriginal society and its cultural and social realities. Anyway, it is probably sufficient to say that whatever their strengths and weaknesses, it is primarily the work of remote Aboriginal people themselves to resolve the contradictions inherent in their present situation, and I believe that if the NTER programs succeed reasonably well in attaining their goals that this in itself will assist in strengthening many Aboriginal people to carry out the very difficult work salvaging what they can and adapting it to the conditions of post-colonial modernity.
Concerning identities of those who are participating in this debate, I think you should lead by example: are you Indigenous? Did you ever do anything else before you became a fulltime writer? Have you lived or worked in an NT remote community, or even visited one? If so, in what capacity and how many times?
I am not Aboriginal, but I have Aboriginal relatives, grew up with a great deal of contact with Aboriginal people, and have worked for Aboriginal people (in four states, via community councils and other Aboriginal controlled services) in remote Aboriginal country most of my working life, but never as a government employee, let alone working for a mining company (not that I have anything against most government or mining company employees. In fact, come to think of it, some of my best Aboriginal friends work for governments, mining companies, and a few – heaven forbid - are even practising academics! Most of them support some elements of the NTER, some support major elements of it).

Part 1
Thanks for replies. No-one knows the way out, the best we can do is swap ideas and perspectives. Some places are hell holes on earth and some Aboriginal communities are amongst them. Monstrous for those there trying to help and even more monstrous for Aboriginal people living there. No, I haven’t worked in one of these communities and I’m sure if I did my perspective would change. I’d have first hand experience but my perspective would be coloured by trauma. I can’t imagine witnessing horrors and not reacting. I don’t discount the experience of others but I don’t necessarily share the conclusions made. The current culture in these communities may be toxic but that’s not how these people lived for millennia. No group can survive for long with high rates of suicide, sexual assault, violence, social alienation and substance abuse. What we are seeing, I think, is Lord of the Flies with drugs and alcohol as a result of colonisation.

The question is what to do about it now. And I’m critical of NTER. Dan, I agree that it is primarily the work of remote Aboriginal people themselves to resolve the contradictions inherent in their present situation but don’t agree that NTER will assist in strengthening many Aboriginal people to carry out the very difficult work salvaging what they can and adapting it to the conditions of post-colonial modernity. I think Aboriginal people need to be involved with the planning rather than have NTER imposed and be forced to go along with it although many are opposed. That is very disempowering. Here’s a link to Rebuilding From the Ground Up, an alternative to NTER put forward by a number of Aboriginal elders. http://stoptheintervention.org/uploads/files_to_download/Alternatives-to-NTER-leaflet.pdf

Part 2
Also I can’t see that assimilation is the answer, it was a disaster. And I can’t see that those who want the 'traditional' way can truly live it after changes in the landscape and the disruption of traditional life. As for the comment that “patients were generally not an overly intelligent mob - least not in a contemporary sense”, apart from any drug and alcohol issues the indigenous world view is so utterly, utterly different to the European view.

With my studies I tried to get my head around the Aboriginal sense of time and I couldn’t because I’m too much a product of western culture to conceive of it. Kinship systems do my head in too. If I had to live in a society where rocks were living and trees were related to human beings people would think I was as thick as a brick and I think I’d be saying pass the red wine and valium please. I seriously doubt I’d cope. What do we do? Say forget about the way you think, you now have to think in an alien way that doesn’t make sense to you. A few exceptional people are fluent in Aboriginal and white cultures, most of us aren’t at all. It’s a big ask. It’s one reason why we have to listen to Aboriginal elders, they may differ in their views but they have this fluency.

No one person has the answer. The best we can do is listen and discuss and share personal experience plus research and toss ideas around and see if the discussion can move forward

Part 3.
I totally agree that violence is violence and murder is murder, no matter who carries it out, on whom. Respondents to the survey did say the biggest benefit to NTER was increased safety. That’s one good thing it’s done. Yes, reconciliation starts with the truth. Bring out the truth on both sides. And bring out the listening skills on both sides. Maybe even some respect.

As for where I’m coming from personally, that’s a fair call. To the answer the questions as far as I know I’m white, that’s certainly the way I was brought up and my culture. A member of my family, Hubert Plunkett, took the perpetrators of the Myall Creek massacre to trial. I’m not a full time writer at present but have been in the past, I’m mostly a student and I’ve done many, many other things in my life. I haven’t lived or worked in a remote community in the NT. My perspective is therefore as an outsider and I believe both insider and outsider perspectives are valuable and I’d love LEEMAA to post again. Currently I’m working with koori kids and have Aboriginal friends and colleagues, there are lots of Aboriginal people where I live. These are saltwater people, very different to desert people