This page was written by ActNow member nickcox
What did the report find?
In June 2007, a groundbreaking report into the sexual abuse of children in some Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory (NT) was released. Emerging from the Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, the Little Children Are Sacred report presented a picture of communities ridden by violence, drugs, pornography and sexual abuse, all fuelled by "rivers of grog".
Lack of education and alcoholism were identified as the main causes of child abuse in NT Indigenous communities. Stories from the report included children being exposed to hardcore pornographic videos at home and seeing adults having sex at home, thereby desensitising children to sexual behaviour. Local police officers were accused of turning a blind eye to a "rampant informal sex trade" between Aboriginal girls aged 12 to 15 and non-Aboriginal local mineworkers, who paid the girls in alcohol, cash and other goods. Alcohol was used as a "bartering tool" by black and white men for sex with under-age girls.
What was the Australian Government's response to the report?
The release of Little Children Are Sacred was widely reported in the Australian media. Prime Minister, John Howard—on the advice of Indigenous Affairs Minister, Mal Brough—declared that his government would address the child abuse highlighted by the report as a matter of “national emergency”. Using its constitutional powers to override the direction of the NT Government, Howard announced a seven point plan to address the problem. This included:
- Restrictions on welfare so parents spend their money on food and other necessities and not alcohol. Family welfare payments would be linked to children's school attendance.
- A six month ban on the sale of alcohol in most of the concerned Indigenous communities.
- A ban on the sale and possession of hardcore pornography, which was seen as “rife in Aboriginal communities”.
- Medical checks for sexual abuse for Indigenous children younger than 16. Whilst the checks are voluntary, Health Minister ,Tony Abbott has suggested that the welfare payments of parents might be reduced if their children are not examined. Around 11,000 children will be examined by the end of 2007.
- A permit system restricting non-Aboriginal access to Indigenous land would be scrapped. Howard said made the permit system made it easier for abuse to go undiscovered.
- Proposing leglisation to enable the government to acquire five year leases for over 64 Indigenous communities in return for compensation.
- Extra police provided by the federal and state governments will investigate sexual abuse in the communities.
What was the response to the government's plan from other political parties and the community?
Federal Labor leader Kevin Rudd immediately pledged the broad cooperation of his party in addressing the problem, qualifying that Labor would scrutinise the details of any legislation. Rudd indicated that Labor’s response would focus on the origins of the problem, offering money to ensure that all Indigenous schoolchildren would attend school regularly.
Some criticisms were made towards the details of the government’s policy. The Australian Medical Association said there were "nowhere near enough doctors" in the NT to conduct medical checks for the estimated 23,000 children.
The authors of the Little Children are Sacred report—former Northern Territory Director of Public Prosecutions, Rex Wild QC and senior Aboriginal health worker, Pat Anderson—started that the measures put forward by the government were significantly different to the 97 recommendations they made. ANTaR National Director, Gary Highland said that the government response seemed to ignore the findings of the report that non-Aboriginal men were also responsible for the abuse of Aboriginal children. Mr Highland said that the Prime Minister was right to describe the widespread abuse of Aboriginal children as a national emergency but wrong in the way his government was seeking to overcome it.
Australian Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett said the plan would “take control of Aboriginal lives without consultation”. Queensland premier Peter Beattie said Indigenous parents should be involved in any plans to improve social conditions in communities. "Let's not become savages in this; we need to involve the community." In particular Beattie described the six-month alcohol ban as a "silly gimmick".
Other critics believe that the Federal Government is using its response to Little Children Are Sacred as an excuse for a ‘land grab’. Arrente elder Pat Turner says that the “government is using child sexual abuse as the Trojan horse to resume total control of our land."
Anglicare Australia questioned why it had taken so long for the government to recognise an issue that community organisations had advocated for 20 years. West Australian Premier, Alan Carpenter, described Howard’s sudden interest in the issue as “another Tampa" to enhance the Coalition’s chances in the upcoming federal election. "If he thinks it's an emergency, one could ask the question: why hasn't he done anything about it in the last 11 years? This is designed to create an issue for Mr Howard to run on."
However, Indigenous leader and former Labor president, Warren Mundine, dismissed this criticism, saying the protection of children is more important than politics. To Mundine, people who claimed the Prime Minister was being driven by political motives missed the point: the vulnerable needed protection. "I take Mr Howard's motives at face value. I am quite happy to accept it may be a cynical exercise in his re-election. I don't care. What I want to use that for is to get some real outcomes for Aboriginal women and children".
How do I know this?
Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse 2007, Little Children Are Sacred, www.nt.gov.au/dcm/inquirysaac/pdf/bipacsa_final_report.pdf
The Age 2007, It’s Our Hurricane Katrina Says Emotion Charged PM, June 25, http://www.theage.com.au/articles
The Age 2007, Abbott looks at compulsory health checks, July 2, http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/abbott-looks-at-compulsory-health-checks
The Age 2007, Government softens stance on child health checks, July 6, http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/
government-softens-stance-on-child-health-checks
The Age 2007, Canberra offers to send troops for WA crackdown, July 11, http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/canberra-offers-to-send-troops-for-wa-crackdown/2007/07/10/1183833527342.html
The Age 2007, Aboriginal group lashes PM's plan, July 11, http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/aboriginal-group-lashes-pms-plan
The Australian 2007, Howard, Rudd dodge indigenous 'land grab' claims, June 29, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story
Crikey 2007, Howard's land grab: The (d)evil is in the permit detail, June 28, http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20070628-Howards-land-grab-the-devil-in-the-permit-detail-.html
John Howard 2007, Transcript, June 21, http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics
The Age 2007, Plan faces NT legal challenge, July 10, http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/plan-faces-nt-legal-challenge
Sydney Morning Herald 2007, NT sexual health checks are 'voluntary', July 10, http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/NT-sexual-health-checks-are-voluntary
Sydney Morning Herald 2007, PM accused of black land grab, July 9, http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/pm-accused-of-black-land-grab/2007/07/09/1183833415790.html
ANTaR 2007, Government’s misguided approach will add to trauma of children http://www.antar.org.au/content/view/433/1/
