The future of Aborigines in odd hands
Russell Skelton; 19/9/08
Two inexperienced senators are judge and jury on NT communities. How extraordinary. Two special-interest first-term senators are about to decide whether Aborigines in remote communities of the Northern Territory should have their lives, their right to mix with other people, regulated by a permit system. In the coming days, independent anti-gambling crusader Nick Xenophon and Family First’s Steve Fielding will decide whether the permit system should be retrieved from the rubbish bin of history. In the hung Senate they are the arbiters, the final judges. Neither has any specialised knowledge of indigenous policy, let alone the experience to decide the fate of a piece of regulatory nonsense dating back to the Whitlam era. Xenophon has asked for more time to consider the issue; Fielding says he wants to hear all the arguments before voting.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-future-of-aborigines-in-odd-hands-20080918-4jdm.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Reconciliation