[Green-Activist] Media Statement from Mutitjulu

Tue Jul 3 09:10:21 EST 2007

Dear Phillip:

I suggest contacting the Central Land Council via: Contact: Murray Silby, CLC media officer (08) 8951 6216; 0447 802 949 or via media at clc.org.au 

Cheers,

John Hill
PS I would do it myself for you but I am extremely busy at the moment - sorry.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Phillip Maher 
  To: maillist for Green Activists 
  Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 7:23 PM
  Subject: Re: [Green-Activist] Media Statement from Mutitjulu

  can we get more info on who wrote this, contact details etc ie standard things for a press release - for it to have credibility it needs to be able to be verified. Then i would be happy to forward on, send to newspapers, put on web sites etc

  cheers

  phil

  On 02/07/2007, at 11:35 AM, John Hill wrote:

    Subject: Media Statement from Mutitjulu

    G'day,
    Thought this was interesting and relevant, and should be spread as far and
    as wide as possible. Please forward it on.
    Luke Whitington

    Leaders of the Mutitjulu community today questioned the need for a military
    occupation of their small community.

    We welcome any real support for indigenous health and welfare and even two
    police will assist, but the Howard Government declared an emergency at our
    community over two years ago - when they appointed an administrator to our
    health clinic - and since then we have been without a doctor, we have less
    health workers, our council has been sacked all our youth and health
    programmes have been cut.

    We have no CEO and limited social and health services. The government has
    known about our overcrowding problem for at least 10 years and they've done
    nothing about it.

    How do they propose keeping alcohol out of our community when we are 20
    minutes away from 5 star hotel? Will they ban blacks from Yulara? We have
    been begging for an alcohol counsellor and a rehabilitation worker so that
    we can help alcoholics and substance abusers but those pleas have been
    ignored. What will happen to alcoholics when this ban is introduced? How
    will the government keep the grog runners out of our community without a
    permit system?

    We have tried to put forward projects to make our community economically
    sustainable - like a simple coffee cart at the sunrise locations - but the
    government refuses to even consider them.

    There is money set aside from the Jimmy Little foundation for a kidney
    dialysis machine at Mutitjulu, but National Parks won't let us have it. That
    would create jobs and improve indigenous health but they just keep
    stonewalling us. If there is an emergency, why won't Mal Brough fast track
    our kidney dialysis machine?

    Some commentators have made much of the cluster of sexually transmitted
    diseases identified at our health clinic. People need to understand that
    Mutitjulu Health Clinic (now effectively closed) is a regional clinic and
    patients come from as far away as WA and SA; so to identify a cluster here
    is meaningless without seeing the confidential patient data.

    The fact that we hold this community together with no money, no help, no
    doctor and no government support is a miracle. Any community, black or white
    would struggle if they were denied the most basic resources. Police and the
    Military are fine for logistics and coordination but healthcare, youth
    services, education and basic housing are more essential. Any programme must
    involve the people on the ground or it won't work. For example who will
    interpret for the military?

    Our women and children are scared about being forcibly examined; surely
    there is a need to build trust. Even the doctors say they are reluctant to
    examine a young child without a parent's permission. Of course any child
    that is vulnerable or at risk should be immediately protected but a
    wholesale intrusion into our women and children's privacy is a violation of
    our human and sacred rights.

    Where is the money for all the essential services? We need long term
    financial and political commitment to provide the infrastructure and
    planning for our community. There is an urgent need for 10's of millions of
    dollars to do what needs to be done.  Will Mr Brough give us a commitment
    beyond the police and military?

    The commonwealth needs to work with us to put health and social services,
    housing and education in place rather than treating Mutitjulu as a political
    football.

    But we need to set the record straight:
    -      There is no evidence of any fraud or mismanagement at Mutitjulu  we
    have had an administration for 12 months that found nothing

    -      Mal Brough and his predecessor have been in control of our community
    for at least 12 months and we have gone backwards in services

    -      We have successfully eradicated petrol sniffing from our community in
    conjunction with government authorities and oil companies

    -      We have thrown suspected paedophiles out of our community using the
    permit system which our government now seeks take away from us.

    -      We will work constructively with any government, State, Territory or
    Federal that wants to help aboriginal people.

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