Following on from the posts below, someone who prefers to remain anonymous has sent in this story idea:
“The Federal Government’s decision this week to wind up the ACCC investigation into child sexual assault. I know the Feds have backed down from this decision in the last 24 hours (and the politics of that are interesting in themselves) …but given that it’s been on the agenda, maybe the ACC investigation is worth looking at.
The Intervention has had some diabolical consequences for every Indigenous Australian; namely that we have been portrayed as incompetent parents and at worst, child abusers. The effect on our mental health has been profound, and this has been made clear in every health-related submission to the Federal Government’s Intervention Review Board. Check out the AMSANT submission, or the one from the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association.
So, in contemplating winding-up the taskforce, there are some big questions to ask:
• What has the ACC found so far?
• Can they substantiate any claims of paedophile rings?
The ACC did uncover some shocking cases of child abuse, particularly by truck drivers, in NSW. Those children are at risk. Can the ACC or the NSW Government tell us what is happening to the follow-up on those cases?
Does the Government have a view on the use of contraception among under-age girls – particularly the device Implanon?
There is a secrecy to the ACC investigations, fair enough – but isn’t it time we had an open discussion about the scope of the child sexual abuse problem, and who the perpetrators are most likely to be? We may find those perpetrators are visiting non-indigenous teachers, advisors, salesmen, truckies, council workers ..”
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And here’s another anonymous comment on this issue:
The role of the ACC is worth a follow up. The piece on your site from the lad from Australia Doctor is a very good piece and he raises, but we cannot know because of ACC secrecy rules, the issue of other health services who might have handed over children’s files–through fear or alternate legal advice. What of Northern Territory government clinics and hospitals? Subject to the full Federal court appeal from the ACC, where does it leave these additional files which, for the time being, have been ruled as being illegally acquired? Should not the federal Attorney-General rule that these files held by the ACC be, at very least, “frozen” pending the appeal? If not returned?
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And here’s another story tip that’s come in, again from someone who’d prefer to remain anonymous:
• The inappropriate allocation of government funding. For example, at the end of the financial year, departments often spend up quickly but it’s not with proper planning. Too often money that is desperately needed on the ground is wasted in the bureaucracies.
There has been many reports on child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities, the latest I am aware of is the Mulligan Report in SA. Not surprisingly they are very similar. The problem is that the recommendations on these reports are not fully followed through, and in the case of the “little children” report they are used for their own political purposes which I would say is equivalent to further abuse. As for the perpetrators, social dysfunction and opportunity means that Aboriginal people themselves are included in this group, but in my experience so too are foster parents and anybody else with the opportunity and inclination who access to this group of very vulnerable children.
Journalists regularly cover these stories. At the SMH, Joel Gibson covering indigenous affairs and Mark Metherall on health policy do an excellent job, as does Tony Koch at the Australian. The ABC, particular local radio, is exemplary in its coverage. If Melissa Sweet actually read newspapers or listened to the ABC, rather than posting silly blogs, she might find herself enlightened.
Well, Mark, I think the sarcasm is probably not really called for and not conducive to good discussion. She’s not alone in her opinions.
I agree that the ABC coverage is quite good; it was the only place I could find any mention of the lack of opal fuel at yalata, more than two years after promised. Was this reported in any of the newspapers you mentioned?
Certainly the SA newpapers gave this story a miss. After all it is only about helping kids and adolescents to not pickle their brains, so, quite rightly, they must have thought it wasn’t important enough to publish.