Well argued Tom Calma, but you'll get the usual OLO apologists asserting that if you want the Government to be consultative that means you don't really want child abuse to stop, that the Government knows what's best, that any delay will be catastrophic, etc.

There can be no proper answer to Muriel Bamblett's question: “How would you feel if there was a law which made it OK for you to be discriminated against because of your race?” But I'll bet you'll get some from the usual suspects on OLO.

As for it not being too late for consultation, monitoring and review, you assume that this Government intervention is meant to be ongoing past the next election. The warning signs that the intervention is really about something else are precisely those you drew attention to:
* the compulsory acquisition of property,
* the abolition of the CDEP employment scheme and
* changes to the permit system.

No-one in the Government has any proper answer to the question: what have these measures got to do with child protection?

Sorry I took my shoes of before I entered this thread and promise I am whispering.
Went shopping today an RDO, quietly minding my own business in and out you know the way it is.
Just like every trip into town people who can not read or write begging in the streets fighting swearing in the streets not just rubbish in the gutters.
Just asking is it OK that as I do not give money I am called a white *&^%$?
Thats not racism is it?
After all it is white mans fault they can not read or understand it is wrong isn't it?
How fair dinkum is this author?
Children being raped.
neglected, cdep? do you know how much money was never used on the people it was meant to help?
have you seen cars never returned? on the beach fishing driven by people who have not worked for years in that now gone scheme?
stop the rubbish get some truth in the community and leave the racist rubbish

'Measures taken with neither consultation nor consent cannot meaningfully be said to be for the “advancement” of a group of people, as is required by the legal definition of “special measures”.'

The State Governments of WA and NT have tried 'the consultation' process now for 50 years. All it has led to is one failed experiment after another. To allow the communities to continue the way they are is child neglect at its worst.

At some point of time it is going to take someone with enough guts or concern for these indigeneous children to take drastic measures. It will take a man like Noel Pearson who has genuine concern for his people to be brave enough to stop the talk and start the rescue.

Belly and Runner ,
Would you please answer this question ?

Why did Howard and Brough decide that the Northern Territory Police Association's RECOMENDATION , that the Permit System REMAIN in force, [in the best interests of law and order for all Aboriginals including children,] should be totally ignored ??

I would like to thank Tom Calma for his great work under considerable pressure from conservative political forces .

John Howard put his and the Liberal Government's position twice the other day in Hermansberg and at another community, for Aboriginal People and by implication their Culture , to become part of the white "mainstream " .

Without changing, their future will be "bleak" under HIS government.

No Ifs or Buts !

And that is unequivical Ugly Racism in my book, pure and simple .

A friend of mine who is a builder offered his services for free to help Aborigines build their own houses in Western NSW.ATSIC refused all funding for this self help programme of giving building skills to Aboriginal people so they could do it for themselves.

Just the other day he got a call saying Commonwealth funding would make it possible.He is providing his services for free.ATSIC should hang their heads in shame.

One must remember that when a situation has been permitted to deteriorate to this level and stage it means that our Govenment has failed in it's duty of care. In order to protect themselves the Government attacks so as to upset and destabilise the Aboriginal people and so as to be able to blame everything on the Aboriginal people themselves.

Our Governments know that it will be really easy to blame the Aboriginal people, but the plight of the Aboriginal people has occurred because of the abuses and failure of Law and Order......and it will happen in the white commmunity too if something isn't done about alcohol, drugs and the failure of the education system to engage and educate many of our disadvantaged youth.

The best way to have dealt with this sort of issue would have been to set up stations where the ABoriginal people could make complaints and allegations about those in thier Community who were abusing children and failing in their duty of care and know that they will be dealt with fairly and properly no matter who was to blame. They should have given the power to the Aboriginal people to bring those people to account first.

Then they have to fix up the Education system and the attitude towards Aboriginal children in schools.

Oh and by the way there is already a group that is permitted to be discriminated against. Discrimination against gifted children is not against the law. I know because it is happening to my children and the Anti-Discrimination board says that it doesn't count.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better