Northern Territory...

Grace Oz · Jun 28, 2007

this may be a bit political, but as i am working up here, i thought i'd fish around and see how others felt. i am really upset that the federal government has decided to "invade" i suggest that the use of the word; "invade", is somewhat exaggerated. our indigenous communities and restrict their livestyles is banning the unrestricted use of alcohol in the hopes of preventing violence, abuse, etc, really such a bad thing? if those who are incapable of restricting themselves and behaving responsibly and appropriately, can't help themselves, then an outside entity is surely the only other option? especially when it involves children. and, the blatent waste and misuse of taxpayer funded welfare money! without consulting elders. the govt probably should have/perhaps could have, consulted with elders first, as a mark of respect and goodwill. but please remember, aboriginals are no different than other australian's and must abide by the same laws the rest of us have to abide by. child abuse, petrol sniffing, drug taking, molestation, violence etc, is not acceptable in any community. how long will they be up here, and what will the role of the remote area nurses be? i would imagine the nurses role will remain unchanged. maybe involved in testing/examining the children,perhaps, but otherwise overall, unchanged. i believe that any trust built up by nurses will be lost. i shouldn't imagine so, if the nurse continues to interact as usual and offers reassurance. i think too that ppl may leave their communities and either go 'bush' to avoid the influx, or come into town as all communities are now being made "dry". speaking to some indigenous ppl, they believe that it is going to create an "us" and "them" situation. they've always held the opinion that it's "us" and "them!"i fail to see how they would only take that view now just because they're going to be held accountable to appropriate behaviour. i understand the problem is serious,
therefore you surely understand the need for something to be done, finally, to address the very damaging behaviours of many people in those communities.but i think a knee jerk reaction may be counterproductive. my last point...what is done in indigenous communities should be done in nonindigenous communities...well... it is! the white indigenous community, ( i say that because the word "indigenous" actually applies to all people "born of this land"), has to abide by the laws of the land, and when not complying, are made accountable and/or are investigated.
i'm afraid the government is damned if it does. and, damned if it doesn't! [/quote]
tiwi, i wish you all the very best as you endeavour to work in challenging times in the nt.

stanne · Jun 30, 2007

I agree with Grace Oz

AussieTina · Jun 30, 2007

OK this is one topic that has made me rather irritated. :madface:

How can the protection of children from being abused, and raped be bad?

The communites in question had the chance to do something about this and for whatever reason did not.

For some reason this has become a race issue, and as far as I can see it is not a race issue, it is just a child protection issue. It would be great if we had the resources to do this Australia wide, but unfortunately we don't and the resources need to be (and are) focussed where the greatest need is.