Paul Toohey; 18/11/08; (3 Items)
When Queensland doctor Pat Rebgetz rang the Northern Territory Health Department 3 1/2 years ago, offering to take up a residency at Wadeye, he had no concept of the levels of violence, bullying and intimidation he would encounter. He did not expect to find women too terrified to speak to him. Nor could he have predicted that he would be used in a political game, which has prevented him seeing some of the sickest patients. He says NT Health does not really want doctors in Aboriginal communities at all. With his tenure to end next month, Rebgetz, 57, is speaking out, despite departmental warnings to stay away from journalists. “This place functions like a bikie gang without the bikes,” the doctor says, having witnessed steady clan violence over his three years in Wadeye, or Port Keats, and being part of a health system that he says ensures remote Aborigines do not receive expert medical attention.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24667292-5013404,00.html
Aboriginal communities out on good behaviour
Patricia Karvelas; 18/11/08; http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24667293-5013172,00.html
Aboriginal Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma has called for Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin to use ministerial discretion to remove well-behaved Aboriginal communities from compulsory income management schemes in the Northern Territory. Delivering the annual Eric Johnston lecture in the Northern Territory last night, Mr Calma said communities should be rewarded once the minister was satisfied a community had sufficiently dealt with the issues of violence and abuse or had a locally prepared plan to achieve this. He said a specially constituted panel could be established to make recommendations to the minister about whether a community should be removed from the list, drawing on the results of community consultations, as well as advice from the department, police, the Australian Crime Commission, government business managers and other bodies.
Many workers forgo comfort and risk injury to help
18/11/08
Instead of trashing other educators, public servants, health workers etcetera, Chris Sarra should give some consideration to the attempts made by these workers over many years, often at considerable danger to themselves and their families (“‘White trash’ let Aborigines down”, 15-16/11 and Letters, 17/11). While living and working with Aboriginal people, we were grouped into the “Three Ms”—missionaries, mercenaries and misfits. We had — and probably still have — teachers/nurses/workers who could not cope with the situation and left quickly. I have seen a nurse board the Flying Doctor saying “I’m coming too, there’s no way I’m staying here.”
See: http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/letters/index.php/theaustralian/ comments/many_workers_forgo_comfort_and_risk_injury_to_help/
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, health, Violence