Ms Leong joined with Indigenous leaders
across the country to condemn “emergency” legislation that gives the Commonwealth
control over Indigenous land, removes the independence of Indigenous
organisations and abolishes thousands of jobs under Aboriginal employment
schemes.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Mal Brough
announced the intervention, with the support of Labor, as part of a “national
emergency” in response to the Little Children are Sacred report.
The Howard Government has argued that the
legislation is necessary to address issues of child safety and sexual abuse.
Indigenous leaders have rejected this explanation at a forum hosted by the
Greens which Ms Leong held in Sydney
on August 29.
Marcia Ella-Duncan, former Chair of the NSW
Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Taskforce and co-author of the NSW Breaking the
Silence report, explained that none of the Government’s actions were connected
to the findings of the Northern
Territory report.
The authors of both the NT and NSW reports
have publicly opposed the Federal Government’s response in the Northern Territory.
In many NSW communities, victims of sexual
abuse had no access to counselling, and in some cases had to wait over 24 hours
for medical examinations to obtain evidence because of a lack of resources.
Despite this, communities were facing up to the problems, but lacked government
support.
“I challenge the State and Federal
governments to show the moral courage to sit down with communities to hear from
the women who have the solutions,” Ms Ella-Duncan said.
Larissa Behrendt, Professor of Law at the University of Technology, also addressed the forum,
condemning the sensationalist way in which the Government has handled the
issue. She argued that the Government had accused anyone who questioned the
plan of being part of the problem and thus silenced dissent. “It was a strategy
to silence those communities most affected.”
Professor Behrendt described the move as a
land grab by another name, and lamented the lack of opposition voices – “How
much change can we expect under a Rudd Government?”
Greens Senator Kerry Nettle committed to
repealing the legislation and to closing the gap in life expectancy for
Indigenous Australians. The Greens are determined to implement the
recommendations of a coalition of Indigenous organisations, supported by the
Australian Council of Social Services and major churches in order to address issues
of sexual abuse throughout the country.
Source: South Sydney
Herald November 2007 www.southsydneyherald.com.au