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Greens back UN challenge to ALP's racist policies
Tuesday 3rd February 2009

The Australian Greens today welcomed a challenge to the United Nations
on the discriminatory nature of the Northern Territory Intervention.

"Having exhausted all efforts at the Commonwealth level to reinstate the
application of the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) to the Northern
Territory Intervention this is the only avenue now open to address this
'serious, massive and persistent racial discrimination' against
Aboriginal people in the NT," said Australian Greens Senator Rachel
Siewert today.

The Urgent Action has been requested under the International Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Race
Convention) by affected Aboriginal people from prescribed areas in the
Northern Territory.

"The NT Intervention is a flagrant breach of Australia's obligations
under the Race Convention."

"The ALP recognised this when they were in opposition, and the report of
the independent Review Board warned the Minister that this
discrimination and humiliation was creating widespread hostility that
undermined the impact of the additional resources put into the NT ...
and yet the Rudd Government has repeatedly rejected Greens efforts to
overturn the discriminatory aspects of the legislation and restore the
RDA," she said.

The Australian Greens are calling on the Rudd Government to restore the
RDA and overturn blanket welfare quarantining in favour of voluntary and
targeted measures.

"Being dragged before the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD) is a serious international embarrassment for
Australia. The Rudd Government received international recognition for
its apology to the stolen generations, but that goodwill is now undone
by its stubborn persistence with this ineffective and discriminatory
approach to tackling serious social issues in NT communities," she
concluded.

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