“An intervention intervention: Rudd dobbed into the UN“
It took almost three years for the Howard government to get a “please explain” from the United Nations on its treatment of Aboriginal people. Kevin Rudd’s administration looks like achieving it less than two.
Earlier this week, a group of human rights lawyers lodged a complaint against the Northern Territory intervention with the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. (continued, link below)
Posted Friday, 6 February 2009 by Amy McQuire in Chris Graham, Editor of The National Indigenous Times, blog 6 February 2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
NATIONAL, February 3, 2009: Aboriginal people from the town camps of Alice Springs and nearby communities are preparing to take their fight against the federal intervention to the United Nations.
Sydney-based human rights lawyer George Newhouse says the Australian government, in its treatment of his clients, would not want to be seen in a place which makes determinations about third world despotic regimes that are repressing Indigenous populations.
Former Federal Court judge Ron Merkel QC is also working on the case, to be taken to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
“The complaint will be that the intervention laws are racially discriminatory and they breach Australia’s international obligations, in particular under the race convention,” Mr Newhouse said.
Announced by the Howard government 18 months ago in response to harrowing claims of widespread child sex abuse, the intervention required the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act in order to roll out some of the more controversial measures. (continued, link below)
http://www.nit.com.au/News/story.aspx?id=16973
Categories: INDIGENOUS NEWS
Coober Pedy Regional Times 
Do you think Rudd and Howard will be charged with genocide when this information is dealt with by the international courts?
Rudd reminds me of the guy with the funny moustache who got everyone in Germany all excited in the 1930s – what was his name again?
The theatrics of the various interventions has been obvious for some years when you really think about it.
In fact if it wasn’t for this continual pounding on the aborigines, specially after all the “Sorries” we’ve heard, we might not have noticed. You only have to see where all the minerals are and where they want to put the waste dumps and lease or re-lease land, that you can’t help but see that the poor old blackfellow hasn’t got a chance.
It’s good that we’ve finally seen it, as it’s been going on all the time . It’s just so far over the top now that noone will ever believe another politician when he says he wants whats best for the indigenous people.
It’s looking more and more like they need a hand, not a hand out. It’s pretty clear that they’ve been robbed blind for the past few hundred years.
I’m not sure what it is Canberra are trying to pull playing this game and what sort of people they are that think they can treat humans this way. Leave the the aborigines to come forward if they want to give up their land. I bet my bottom dollar that this has never happened yet..
Can’t imagine what it must feel like to be stalked and treated like idiots when it’s pretty clear they aren’t. Its this sort of thing that causes all the suicides.
Comeon Australia, stand up and be counted while theres still something worth salvaging out of this country and the goverment turn it into a proper cess pool.
Cant representatives of the state or nation lodge an application on behalf of these people to UNHRC?
This would be a good task for the Greens to help out the Kokatha and protect the land from the mining devastation. If this happens, and Rudd and Howard are charged with Crimes against humanity, I wonder if he will say sorry again from his prison cell?
With this Intervention still in place, and Rudd fishing around to dump nuclear waste (one of the motives of clearing the blacks out), he isn’t that different from murderers such as Idi Amin, except of course he was a black fella :)
While they are at the UN protesting about the different treatment received by blacks, perhaps they could also complain about all the money that is thrown at them, forcing them to sit there and do nothing.
Our Australian Northern Territory (NT) Intervention continues to impact on Kaurna people in Adelaide having to host & support people with hospitality on Kaurna lands. Resourcing with food and shelter etc. It is a strain and grossly unfair that Governments are not respecting and resourcing Kaurna etal.