tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917573032949953963.post1371791259261252870..comments2023-04-12T03:37:06.402-07:00Comments on Indigenous Nationhood: Genocide? Murder? Criminal Negligence? Or Passive Indifference? Canada is Killing Our PeoplePam Palmaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16471187916007866228noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917573032949953963.post-9495571431816501832015-03-28T18:13:01.458-07:002015-03-28T18:13:01.458-07:00 On March 10th 2015 Australian PM Tony Abbott in d... On March 10th 2015 Australian PM Tony Abbott in defence of Western Australia’s state governments decision to cut water and power supplies to over 150 of its remote Indigenous communities stated “it not the job of the taxpayer to subsidise lifestyle choices (Martin,2013). Labelling the first people right to live on traditional lands a “lifestyle choice” is not only an uneducated and ignorant statement but an embarrassment to Australia as a country which claims to be working towards reconciliation and “closing the gap”. The cost of keeping power and water running through these communities was estimated by the WA government to cost somewhere between 2 and 6 billion dollars over 10 years ( Western Australia Government).The idea of using a 1 billion dollar Regional Services fund was swiftly rejected by the WA premier. Western Australia is the mining capital of Australia; of the 446 operating mines in the country 202 are located in WA. The mining industry was estimated to pay 5.8 billion dollars in royalties during the 2013/2014 financial year (Government of Western Australia Department of Mines and Petroleum 2015).Never the less we still cannot afford to provide the most basic services to our First People because the cost is just too high. Question? What has been the cultural, spiritual and life cost to our First People that has afforded us the “lifestyle” choices we enjoy today. We have already made one apology on behalf of past governments policies which left a gaping hole in the heart of Indigenous Australia decades after children were removed from the mothers and their lands during our Stolen Generation. The long term and intergeneration trauma well documented in the Bringing them Home report (Australian Human rights Commission,2015) Now in 2015 we are again contemplating the removal in Indigenous people from their traditional lands by making it next to impossible for them to remain there. We are as a country well aware of social and health implications of such a move the Australian Human rights commission lists ownership of traditional land, customary law and connection to land as one of the major health determinants of Indigenous people (Australian Human Rights Commission,2015). Therefor forcing these people to relocate will without a doubt create a cost of its own equal to if not greater than that of investing in keeping these communities alive. Where are these people going? These people who have lived on land their entire lives, who speak English as a second language or not at all, where and what is their future? To date there has been no consultation with any community affected. On the 19 of March over 20 thousand people marched in support of those whose voices are not heard they filled the street in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney yet not one of these marches was acknowledged by our media. Social media was flooded with signs of support from across the world yet our TV screens remained void of any sign that a resistance was present. Once again our government is demonstrating not only to our First People but to the watching world that reconciliation is still such a long way away. How can we come together and tackle the many issues our First People face when we are still actively participating in cultural genocide through our disregard for the complex ways in which Indigenous People connect with their home lands and the significance of this connection is all aspects of Indigenous life. <br />Justina Andrijevichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00431441214163105898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917573032949953963.post-31029752904165578982015-02-23T12:16:23.234-08:002015-02-23T12:16:23.234-08:00How can I help?How can I help?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917573032949953963.post-14630374523175365822015-02-21T07:56:42.590-08:002015-02-21T07:56:42.590-08:00Pam; I admire you for your strong voice, I support...Pam; I admire you for your strong voice, I support your views and arguments. I enjoy hearing you speak in media and it makes me happy that we have strong people like yourself to help fight that good fight for all our benefit. We need more and more ways of educating the public about these things as there are so many misconceptions and myths about us and our circumstances that perpetuate racism, discrimination and indifference by too many Canadians. I applaud and thank those Canadians with open minds and open hearts to hear us, see us, and stand with us.<br />Waasnoode Kwe Nipisssing First NationAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com