Maori Party Defends Aboriginal Rights

Maori Party Defends Aboriginal Rights

Tariana Turia and Dr Pita Sharples, Co-leaders, Maori Party

Friday 24 August 2007

The violation of aboriginal rights exposed by Maori Party MP, Hone Harawira, in his recent visit to Alice Springs, appears to have moved to a new level says Maori Party co-leader, Dr Pita Sharples.

“Today we were referred a letter from Jennifer Martiniello which reveals that private homes are being raided in the Northern Territory and demonstrates the way in which control has been taken away from indigenous communities” said Dr Sharples.

“We have also been told that Commonwealth spending on indigenous affairs over the last financial year was dramatically reduced (some say by more than $100 million) the Northern Territory has called on the Government to address the chronic overcrowding at schools; and as Hone reported, many Aboriginal organizations are threatened with funding instability” said Dr Sharples.

“We call on all indigenous people, world wide, to stand up and speak out against the unspeakable violation of human rights occurring in Australia against the Aboriginal nation in the Northern Territory” said Tariana Turia, Co-leader of the Maori Party.

“To be silent is to endorse and allow” said Mrs Turia.

“We must not let what is happening in Australia continue without strong and universal opposition from the indigenous community” said Mrs Turia.

“All indigenous people are vulnerable to the abuse of power by the majority” said Mrs Turia. “We must stand up and be counted and call for a halt to the dehumanising actions of the Howard Government”.

“We will be writing to the Australian government, again, expressing our serious concerns about the action and the treatment being meted out to Aboriginal people” ended Mrs Turia.

The letter from Jennifer Martiniello is attached

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Dear Kerry O'Brien and 7.30 researchers

I have just returned from the Northern Territory. I want John Howard to explain why house to house raids without warrants are being conducted by the AFP in all the Alice Springs town camps. I also want to know why at least two of the senior women who toured major cities speaking out against a uranium waste dump on their traditional lands have been raided by the AFP on warrants issued by a Federal Magistrate in Canberra, their furniture slashed with knives, belongings damages, laptops and mobile phones seized, and phones tapped.

I was told by one of the women that the warrant gave 12 hours access to her home, and that she was told that the measures were justified because of the security crackdown for APEC ministers. One of those women is an elderly grandmother. I have also been told by town camp residents that the AFP has set up surveillance on all households in the town camps, and have photographed without consent, every Aboriginal child in those town camps. In the 1990s the AFP were successfully taken to court for exactly the same violations in Redfern. Please report on this disgraceful conduct, and pursue a full explanation from the Howard Government.

Jennifer Martiniello is a writer and academic of Arrernte, Chinese and Anglo descent. She is a Member of the Advisory Board; Australian Centre for Indigenous History, Australian National University.

ENDS