I was outraged when I read that Noel Mason, the newly appointed Government Business Manager at Yuendumu, was saying that they will exercise truant kids and make them pick up rubbish "until visably tired". This is outrageous. There are high rates of rheumatic heart disease and respiratory illnesses in our communities. How dare someone suggest that about someone else's kid?

It's a form of child abuse in itself. Next thing they'll be saying they'll be sending them down the mines! (nervous laugh).

Those kinds of projects won't be tolerated in Sunrise communities! We might have lost our Indigenous rights, but we still have our medico-legal rights.

Irene Fisher, CEO, Sunrise Health

And now Howard has come out supporting the idea (ABC Online http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/01/2021274.htm?section=justin):

'Meanwhile, Mr Howard has defended a plan to punish school truants in the central Australian community of Yuendumu community by making them pick up rubbish.

The community's new Commonwealth-appointed business manager, Noel Mason, wants to draw up a list of children who skip school and then use police and the night patrol to make them pick up rubbish from around the community.

Mr Howard says he has not seen the detail of the plan, but such methods teach children a sense of responsibility.

"It's not unreasonable that if people miss school, that they are required to do reasonable things to make up for that - I mean that's a normal part of life," he said.'

Making union organisers pick up rubbish was a technique used by certain employers in the Pilbara during the 90s; the technique was used by the New Right with the particular aim of destroying dignity ...

Grrrr....
Sally

_________________
'My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.'
Thich Nhat Hanh

While I don't resile from serious concern re approach ... stick versus carrot ... I have since learned that the notion of picking up rubbish did not have its genesis with Mr Mason himself but others at the time ... which raises another serious issue for all writers, journos, bloggers ... please verify your facts with the communities concerned. We are relying on you for the truth ... Malboro Man has used journalistic freedom as core reasoning for removing the permits over parts of Aboriginal land ... Whilst such freedom as it has always existed has made little difference to communities outside of the NT (cf cf general mistrust, 60 Minutes in 2000, etc); now more than ever we are reliant on the integrity of writers and researchers alike.

_________________
'My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.'
Thich Nhat Hanh