By Eileen Gould
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania
CANBERRA, Australia – In a visit to the Australian region of Utopia last week, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan urged Australia to rescind its laws, putting an end to discrimination against Aboriginal people.
Khan estimates that approximately 45,000 Aboriginal people have been affected by certain measures, in particular, those that allow land confiscation and interference with income payments.
After a report revealed large amounts of abuse and violence in these communities, the government enacted discriminatory practices as part of the 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER).
Critics of NTER, including Amnesty International, believe that it imposes harsh measures on all Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territory. One such practice is “compulsory income management”, which stipulates that individuals shall receive half of their welfare payments in the form of the Basics card, a “virtual payment” which can only be spent in particular shops on certain goods.
Amnesty claims that Australia has breached its international obligations on human and indigenous rights by imposing these measures, which have left the Aborigines feeling stigmatized and lacking the flexibility to manage their own lives.
“Disempowered, robbed of their dignity, threatened with the loss of their identity and attacked on their own ancestral lands”, Khan is shocked by these human rights violations.
In her statement, Khan said “[i]ndigenous people . . . deserve the same respect, safety and protection as does any Australian . . . but this will not be achieved in a sustained manner under the Emergency Response which is stigmatizing and disempowering an already marginalized people and which is in violation of Australia’s international obligations.”
Khan found the existence of human rights violations within one of the world’s most developed nations to be “inexcusable” and “morally outrageous.”
Individuals living in these communities are subject to chronic violence, housing problems, and health issues. Alcohol and substance abuse are also rampant.
Australia’s Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, indicated that Australia would put forth legislation to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act in the Northern Territory.
The government suspended the Racial Discrimination Act and Northern Territory anti-discrimination legislation, which allowed it to enact NTER and intervene into the affairs of Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. In doing so, the government contributed to worsening poverty levels in Aboriginal communities.
The Secretary General of Amnesty has called on Australians to put an end to this disparity.
For more information please see:
New Tang Dynasty Television – Amnesty Cracks Down on Australia – 21 November 2009
Associated Press – Amnesty boss urges equality for poor Aborigines – 18 November 2009
Amnesty International – Australia: Government must overturn law which discriminates against aboriginal people – 18 November 2009
ABC News – Shocking Conditions in Utopia: Amnesty – 16 November 2009
