Australia’s Closing of Aboriginal Communities Sparks Protests
ASIA--PACIFIC, 25 May 2015
(Photo: Scott Barbour, Getty Images)
24 May 2015 – Government moves to close remote indigenous communities because of alleged social problems and the cost of maintaining them is triggering a new wave of protests planned for next week across Australia.
Western Australia’s government said it can no longer afford to subsidize basic services to communities in the state’s rugged and sprawling Outback. The government also said the communities are plagued by problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, high levels of child sex abuse and low school attendance rates.
So far, the government has closed one community, Oombulgurri, home to roughly 100 people. Last November, it shuttered its single shop, hospital and school, cut off water and electricity, and bulldozed the settlement after evicting the last remaining residents.
Aboriginal groups point to their spiritual connection to the land that is legally recognized, and they say the government should pay to eradicate the social problems it claims exist rather than close communities.
The groups also contend that the real reason the government is preparing to evict indigenous populations is to make way for uranium and coal mining.
“This is white man’s greed,” said Jenny Monroe, an Aboriginal community leader, who accused the government of creating “victims of trauma.”
“Our law is the law of the land, not the laws of the illegitimate occupiers,” she said. “They have been doing this for 227 years, and calling it protection.”
Last November, Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett said, “We are probably going to see certainly over 100, maybe 150 remote communities close,” which would result in the resettlement of thousands of residents.
Prime Minster Tony Abbott backed the move, telling national radio it was not the taxpayers’ job to “subsidize lifestyle choices.”
The comments enraged Aboriginal leaders, prompting mass rallies in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. On May 1, more than 10,000 people marched in Melbourne’s central business district, temporarily shutting down the city. Rallies were also held in Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Christchurch, New Zealand. New protests are planned for Tuesday and again on June 26.
Since the protests, the government has backed away from the number of communities it will shut, saying they will be closed through a process of “consultation” with Aboriginal leaders to improve livelihoods.
“This is no longer a story about a potential hit list of 150 communities to close,” said Michael Tetlow, a spokesman for Aboriginal Affairs Minister Peter Collier. “It’s a long-term project that will take years and has no end point.”
That change in policy has not mollified critics. “These people are on traditional lands. They don’t want to be relocated all over again,”said Ken Canning, one of the protest organizers. He called the closures “attempted genocide.”
Western Australia Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan said the communities are dysfunctional and dangerous. “The way these communities are set up at the moment, I cannot guarantee the safety of children.”
Anthony Watson, chairman of the Kimberley Land Council, an Aboriginal land management and culture group, complained that there has been inadequate support for those displaced.
“There was no plan to look after those people, they were just dumped on the fringes of town. Where is the housing, where are the jobs?” said Watson.
While admitting that problems exist in the communities, Watson questioned the motivation behind the government plan, noting that mining companies frequently survey the land occupied by communities.
“Sure, we want to make our communities safe, but you don’t solve the problems by just going and closing communities,” he said. “That just shows the police aren’t doing their job.”
“A lot of our families are buried on these lands,” he added. “These places have special meaning. You have to wonder about their motivations.”
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