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NT Intervention: No Equality in Attacking White People Too
Racist and paternalistic welfare rules applied to Indigenous people in the Northern Territory are set to be extended to everyone else in the Northern Territory in an attempt to restore the Racial Discrimination Act and still get away with treating Indigenous people like children.
Howard had to suspend the Racial Discrimination Act in 2007 to get away with this policy of welfare quarantining where half of an Indigenous person’s welfare payment could only be spent using a BasicCard, a card only accepted at a selection of supermarkets.
This is a racist policy that treats Indigenous people like children as if they’re unable to look after their own affairs. It also forces them off their land and into town centres to be able to use their card. There’s no Woolies or Coles in the smaller town camps.
It’s clearly a racist policy that only applies to Indigenous people but it doesn’t make it any better when you apply it to white people too. Labor Minister, Jenny Macklin, wants to extend it out to other Centrelink clients attacking the unemployed and single mothers.
As if this makes it any better for Indigenous people. It’s like saying you’re not discriminating against women by lowering men’s wages as well.
We live in such a racist country, where our government doesn’t give a fuck about Aboriginal people. They just want them to get off the land so mining companies can move in to mine uranium approved by sell-out Peter Garrett.
There’s a history of oppressive policies applied to Indigenous people being broadened out to everyone else. It’s as if they consider Aboriginal people to be guinea pigs to test out how to fuck everyone else over.
It kind of shows that white working class people don’t benefit from racism either, that we have an interest in standing side by side with Indigenous people against racism because it divides us and is used to attack us as well.
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I was arguing this was coming years ago, and the scum who make the rules do rarely disapoint when it comes to policies of discrimination. The real vileness of these plans becomes apparent when you think about it, so far the intervention only applies is proscribed areas in the NT and QLD. But the real affect of this legislation is an extension of the intervention into every aboriginal home across the country. Every oppressed minority group who struggles because of the discrimination they face in there everyday lives.
To make things worse you can apply to not be discriminated against, this might be a possibility if your white but could you imagine an aboriginal single mother approaching centerlink to apply for an exemption to welfare quaranteening. No this is just an extension of the racist intervention right across Australia, Which conveniently spreads its discrimination to every victim of Society! Will attack Muslims, Indians, Tamils, LGBT couples, refugees, Single mothers and any opressed group all equally!! How is this an end to discrimination?
It’s more a bigoted policy than a racial one.
John Pender´s last blog ..Vacation time in San Francisco
Bigotry is intolerance of anything differing from their own view, whereas racism is based on intolerance of other races. This is still racism as it shows discrimination and intolerance toward the Aboriginal people, a racial group.