Gina-Marie CheesemanAre Aboriginals Howards natural disaster?
July 1st 2007 14:47
The Howard Government’s declaration of a national emergency over the state of indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, as well as other parts of Australia, has seen a fundamental shift in the politics at large in the lead up to the forthcoming federal election.
Suddenly it is John Howard and his indigenous Affairs minister Mal Brough on the front pages with Labor leader Kevin Rudd forced to take up the usual role of an opposition leader.
It is the Government out there making decisions and Rudd forced to basically nod his head in approval fearing that any questioning of the governments response will be meet with the kind of response Mal Brough gave to Kerry O’Brien questioning him on the detail of the so-called emergency response on the ABC’s 7:30 report last week. Brough replied to O’Brien’s question for detail by asking him if we should just do nothing.
The Government has been trying hard to paint anyone who questions their response or seeks details to their plan as being opposed to it. It has also attempted to label anyone who questions a political motive behind their response as also opposing doing something to help Indigenous communities.
This is goes to the very heart of our democracy.
NO ONE in their right mind would seek to deny help for those who suffer the sexual abuse, health, education, housing and other numerous problems that have beset indigenous communities but it is simply ludicrous for political commentators, politicians and others to suggest that the response by Howard to this issue was not driven by the political electoral cycle we find ourselves in.
Are we to believe that at no time in coming up with this response thought was not given to how this response would position Labor and Rudd? Are we to believe that at no time it was not suggested that this would see Howard as driving the political agenda and thus putting him on the front foot for the first time in a long time in the lead up to the election? Is it wrong to ask the government how they intend to implement their plan of action? Is it not the role of a democracy to ask questions of government?
John Howard was quoted as describing this crisis as comparable to Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. If this is the case then his response has taken at least 4 years to respond to unlike Bush’s much criticised slow response of a week or two. Alan Ramsey in the SMH reported on a report received by the government in 1999 and it then took them 18 months to release. The report by Dr Paul Memmott discusses almost all the problems which Howard now sees as an emergency. He also printed an extract of a speech by Mick Dodson given at the National press club in 2003 calling on help for the exact same issue. Where was the emergency then?
No one can deny that something desperately needs to be done but it is disingenuios for Howard to make out that this crisis has suddenly descended upon us like some sort of natural disaster.
Suddenly it is John Howard and his indigenous Affairs minister Mal Brough on the front pages with Labor leader Kevin Rudd forced to take up the usual role of an opposition leader.
It is the Government out there making decisions and Rudd forced to basically nod his head in approval fearing that any questioning of the governments response will be meet with the kind of response Mal Brough gave to Kerry O’Brien questioning him on the detail of the so-called emergency response on the ABC’s 7:30 report last week. Brough replied to O’Brien’s question for detail by asking him if we should just do nothing.
The Government has been trying hard to paint anyone who questions their response or seeks details to their plan as being opposed to it. It has also attempted to label anyone who questions a political motive behind their response as also opposing doing something to help Indigenous communities.
This is goes to the very heart of our democracy.
NO ONE in their right mind would seek to deny help for those who suffer the sexual abuse, health, education, housing and other numerous problems that have beset indigenous communities but it is simply ludicrous for political commentators, politicians and others to suggest that the response by Howard to this issue was not driven by the political electoral cycle we find ourselves in.
Are we to believe that at no time in coming up with this response thought was not given to how this response would position Labor and Rudd? Are we to believe that at no time it was not suggested that this would see Howard as driving the political agenda and thus putting him on the front foot for the first time in a long time in the lead up to the election? Is it wrong to ask the government how they intend to implement their plan of action? Is it not the role of a democracy to ask questions of government?
John Howard was quoted as describing this crisis as comparable to Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. If this is the case then his response has taken at least 4 years to respond to unlike Bush’s much criticised slow response of a week or two. Alan Ramsey in the SMH reported on a report received by the government in 1999 and it then took them 18 months to release. The report by Dr Paul Memmott discusses almost all the problems which Howard now sees as an emergency. He also printed an extract of a speech by Mick Dodson given at the National press club in 2003 calling on help for the exact same issue. Where was the emergency then?
No one can deny that something desperately needs to be done but it is disingenuios for Howard to make out that this crisis has suddenly descended upon us like some sort of natural disaster.
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Comment by Fashion
Fashionista Files
On the other hand I do take Howard's argument that if he had done something five years ago everyone would have screamed genocide and stolen generation and apartheid even more than they are now.
I'm glad this issue is in the headlines, I only hope that these initiatives can actually have some sort of positive impact without too much damage and perhaps remind white Australia to pay attention to the needs and concerns of Indigenous Australians.
And Rudd is still ahead, if you trust those same polls so the strong leader and policy determiner thing hasn't really worked if that was the aim.