The Northern Territory Emergency Response Bill 2007: illustrating that colonial racism toward native peoples continues in contemporary Australia

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The implementation of the Northern Territory Emergency Response Bill 2007 (The Intervention Act) reproduces the colonial view that Aboriginals are not entitled to citizenship rights as granted in The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (RDA) or control of the use land they occupied before Brittish colonisation as granted to them by law in The Aboriginal Land Act 1991 (Qld), (ALA), (UMIS, 2011). British colonisation policies and subsequent land laws were framed in the belief that the colony was being acquired by settlement of an empty land termed Terra Nullius (Macintyre, 2009, pp. 4-5). Early settlers acknowledged the presence of Natives but justified usurping their land by arguing that they were too primitive to be owners and/or sovereigns (Macintyre, 2009, pp. 4-5).

Although the RDA aims to ensure equality for all people regardless of their race, colour, ethnicity or national origin (Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d., section 5), often it has shown insufficient to protect Indigenous peoples from unfair Commonwealth policies. Similarly, the object of the ALA to recognise the interests of Indigenous people in relation to land (UMIS, 2011)), has done so only in certain situations. Both Acts ultimately do not protect Natives as the Commonwealth simply overrides them by recalling the colonial principle of Terra Nullius when it suits their political ends.
Giving no notice and without consulting Aboriginal leaders, the implementation of The Invasion Act sent police troops into Northern Territory (NT) Aboriginal lands seizing all community assets and dismantling all community run programs (Saban & Curtis, 2012 [video]). The Government enacted this bill in response to reports that due to severe poverty and high rates of alcohol abuse ...

... middle of paper ...

...975. In
Legislation. Retrieved from: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/ legal/legislation Macintyre, S. (2009). A Concise History of Australia, (pp.1-121). New York:
Cambridge University Press.

Macoun, Alissa (2011) Aboriginality and the Northern Territory intervention.
In Australian Journal of Political Science, 46(3), pp. 519-534. doi:
10.1080/10361146.2011.595700

Saban, S., & Curtis, D. [Our Generation Film]. (2012). Our generation: full length version (2010, 73min) [video file]. Accessed at: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcq4oGL0wlI University of Melbourne Indigenous Studies (UMIS). (2011). Aboriginal Land Act
1991 (Qld). In ATNS Agreements, treaties, and negotiated settlements project [online]. Retrieved from: http://www.atns.net.au/agreement.asp?
EntityID=674

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