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key indigenous australian issues
| home | news lChurch criticises NT intervention17 October 2007 - Canberra's intervention in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities is abusive and damaging, and has caused pain, sadness and confusion, the Uniting Church's Northern Synod says. Following an annual meeting earlier this month, the synod has now released a statement saying its members condemned the radical and sweeping forms to combat child sex abuse. "This synod condemns the current legislative response as abusive, intrusive and damaging," the statement said. "(We) call on the Australian government to enter into a real partnership with indigenous people." The synod - which said it would support initiatives to keep communities safe - also voiced concerns with modifications to the permit system, which controls the access of non-indigenous people onto Aboriginal land. The statement quoted an Arnhem Land church leader who said Aboriginal people were confused. "We are now under three laws - our own Aboriginal law, Australian law for all Australians and this new white man's law for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory," the leader said. The statement also quoted other "cries for help and expressions of concern", including a child from Galiwinku who asked: "Is there a war between black and white people?" The Synod said it shared people's sense of betrayal. "Through our partnerships as indigenous and non-indigenous members of the Northern Synod we share a sense of pain, loss, confusion and sadness generated by the federal government's intervention," the statement said. The synod called on the government to repeal the NT Emergency Response Act 2007 and start a consultative processes that would uphold human rights and affirm self-determination. It also encouraged all members of the Uniting Church to place these issues before their local candidate and seek endorsement. The Anglican Church of Australia's General Synod - a triennial decision-making meeting of 247 clergy and lay people - starts in the national capital on Saturday. One of the motions on the agenda is a call for proper consultation in the federal government's intervention. © 2007 AAP Source: The Age related links:
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