Free needles no answer to indigenous abuse
28.10.2000
REAL efforts are being made, we are constantly assured, to ensure that indigenous people on remote communities make their own lifestyle decisions.
However, the opposite is the truth. The result is that Aboriginal people are becoming increasingly resentful at what they see as continued white, big-brother interference in their lives.
It is almost unbelievable, but true, that on any of the remote communities in Cape York or the Gulf of Carpentaria, an average 40 public servants visit each day. That is a lot of ``advice'' being shoved down the necks of people who have had enough of it.
But perhaps the worst example is one which came to light last week. It involves a review done on the Gulf community of Doomadgee and Palm Island off Townsville. The review was done at the behest of Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Senator John Herron, who had appointed a team headed by former police officer and ATSIC commissioner Col Dillon.
The comprehensive report spelt out that a brief was supplied to the minister summarising the serious problems on Palm Island:
* a wide range of health-related matters;
* chronic unemployment;
* insufficient and inadequate housing;
* inadequate infrastructure;
* a proliferation of community organisations competing for limited financial resources; and
* tensions over land tenure and other family related issues.
Dillon predictably went into some detail about the damage being caused by over-indulgence in alcohol as well as an increased use of illegal drugs, particularly marijuana.
Most importantly, the committee identified community frustration with limits put on their own administrators, such as Palm Island Council. It pointed out that residents had come to expect too much of the council, which assumes responsibility for issues not taken by any other council in the land.
They include the provision of housing and infrastructure, law and justice, health, economic development, land tenure and land care issues, maintenance of culture and language, sport and recreation, family violence, women's issues, suicide prevention and youth programmes.
But the council feels that it has only token ``responsibility'' because of the insistence by non-indigenous administrators that their areas of concern are confidential.
Robert Blackley, 24, is the elected chairman of Palm Island. When the Dillon report was put to him on Wednesday, he was disappointed that it came up with yet another set of ``programmes'' (including that World Aid Abroad take up a role on Palm) instead of providing people with expertise who could talk to Palm Islanders, so they could do the work for themselves.
``Take the issue of health,'' Blackley said. ``I have heard for some time that Palm Island has the highest per capita number of AIDs sufferers in Queensland, and this latest report asserts there is a serious hard drug problem -- so great that it can support 30-40 drug dealers.
``That is nonsense, but I do know of several young fellows who are shooting up -- speed, I think. But therein lies the problem. I am the elected council chairman and have for several years run the suicide-watch programme as well as health committees.
``But I cannot find out how many of my people have a drug problem. The Health Department won't tell me or the council. They just happily go ahead handing them these free syringe packs so they can continue injecting themselves.
``How are we supposed to fight a drug problem among our people on our island when none of us is allowed by this bureaucracy to be told how many have a drug addiction, or who they are?
``And we are no different from others. This is what happens on all communities. You wonder if there isn't a concerted effort to ensure that indigenous people never take responsibility for their own livelihoods.''
IN demonstrating the ridiculous situation imposed by the Health Department on indigenous communities, it must be acknowledged that in the past year or so several other departments have started to do terrific work, including the Education Department, Employment Training and Industrial Relations, Justice, Emergency Services, Tourism and Sport, Police and the Premier's departments.
The Arts Department has stepped up its programme of providing libraries, which is proving a huge success.
Dillon wrote in his report that communities, councils and the Queensland Government have all said that ATSI communities need more autonomy.
But he warned: ``What is clear is that a significant degree of greater autonomy should be provided to communities. ATSI demands for more autonomy are at present largely driven by pressing problems such as deaths in custody, juvenile crime, inadequacies of western schooling, loss of culture and language, poor health and other problems to do with the everyday survival of families, communities and culture.''
Where is it all going to end, if there is so much uncertainty about how to start?
