One of Amnesty International's major focuses running currently, until mid-late next year, is supporting the Aboriginal Traditional Homelands in the Northern Territory. With a focus on the Utopia homelands, Amnesty is looking at the deprivation of our indigenous people's human rights.
Utopia homelands are 260km northeast of Alice Springs and are home to approx. 1,400 of the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr people in 16 communities. However government responses to Aboriginal affairs have not once looked into the needs of these people, with policies such as the 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), Closing the Gap and Working Future leaving Aboriginal Peoples with less control over decisions affecting them. In 2007, NTER was introduced by suspending the Racial Discrimination Act, as the policy applied for only Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, exposing 45,000 people to discrimination based on race. Measures implemented through this policy included alcohol bans and new powers for police, clearly discriminating indigenous human rights and equality. Other effects of government policies include allocation of funding pulled from homeland communities and replaced into growth towns; larger and more centralised locations away from these homelands. Funding in homeland areas does not cover any new housing, despite the fact that 500 communities make up the homelands with 35% of the population of Indigenous in Northern Territory.
The governments recommendations are that the Aboriginal People look to moving towards the 'growth' towns that are receiving funding, focusing on the benefits of mobility incentives. However, no consideration at all has been given to the unique strong ties that Aboriginal People have with their homelands, their 'country' being central to their culture and identity. Studies have shown that Aboriginal Peoples suffer much less from issues such as domestic violence and substance abuse when situated in their homelands over more populated communities.
Furthermore, these policies being put into place by our government fall below international human rights standards, as agreed upon in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the rights of indigenous people to own, live on and develop their lands; to consultation and informed consent; and to culture.
It is the aim of Amnesty International to open people's eyes to these issues, and to pressure (for lack of a better word) the government to address these issues of the Aboriginal Peoples rights to their homelands.
Amnesty International Australia, August 2011, The Land Holds Us: Amnesty International Report Digest, Amnesty International Australia: New South Wales.
Utopia homelands are 260km northeast of Alice Springs and are home to approx. 1,400 of the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr people in 16 communities. However government responses to Aboriginal affairs have not once looked into the needs of these people, with policies such as the 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), Closing the Gap and Working Future leaving Aboriginal Peoples with less control over decisions affecting them. In 2007, NTER was introduced by suspending the Racial Discrimination Act, as the policy applied for only Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, exposing 45,000 people to discrimination based on race. Measures implemented through this policy included alcohol bans and new powers for police, clearly discriminating indigenous human rights and equality. Other effects of government policies include allocation of funding pulled from homeland communities and replaced into growth towns; larger and more centralised locations away from these homelands. Funding in homeland areas does not cover any new housing, despite the fact that 500 communities make up the homelands with 35% of the population of Indigenous in Northern Territory.
The governments recommendations are that the Aboriginal People look to moving towards the 'growth' towns that are receiving funding, focusing on the benefits of mobility incentives. However, no consideration at all has been given to the unique strong ties that Aboriginal People have with their homelands, their 'country' being central to their culture and identity. Studies have shown that Aboriginal Peoples suffer much less from issues such as domestic violence and substance abuse when situated in their homelands over more populated communities.
Furthermore, these policies being put into place by our government fall below international human rights standards, as agreed upon in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the rights of indigenous people to own, live on and develop their lands; to consultation and informed consent; and to culture.
It is the aim of Amnesty International to open people's eyes to these issues, and to pressure (for lack of a better word) the government to address these issues of the Aboriginal Peoples rights to their homelands.
Amnesty International Australia, August 2011, The Land Holds Us: Amnesty International Report Digest, Amnesty International Australia: New South Wales.
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