Aboriginal abuse curbs 'racist'

Many Aborigine communities suffer from a range of social problems

Plans by the Australian government to ban alcohol and pornography in some Aboriginal communities have been branded racist by critics.

Prime Minister John Howard announced the ban after an inquiry found child sex abuse in nearly all indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

Mr Howard said the action was necessary to tackle the "national emergency".

But several indigenous leaders and politicians have criticised the plan as hastily prepared and badly thought out.

They have also accused Mr Howard of trying to grab votes ahead of national elections later this year.

"It would be different if his social behaviour strategy applied to everyone in Australia, but it doesn't," Michael Mansell, of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, said.

It has got nothing to do with race, it's got everything to do with responsibility of the parents Prime Minister John Howard

"This is a racist attack on the weak, and an immoral abuse of power, amounting to nothing more than political vote scoring."

Leader of the Green party, Bob Brown, described it as "selective, cynical and racist".

Some critics warned that the plan could even breach federal anti-discrimination laws.

However, the National Indigenous Council has backed a crackdown and Mr Howard's plan has received in-principle support by the main opposition Labor party.

Social problems

Mr Howard announced on Thursday that the federal government would take over the administration of Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory for the next five years so that new laws could be strictly enforced.

Under the measures, alcohol will be banned for six months, hardcore pornography made illegal and all publicly-funded computers searched for pornographic images.

CHILD ABUSE REPORT Abuse is serious, widespread and often unreported Aboriginal people not the only victims or perpetrators of sexual abuse Contributing factors include poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, gambling, pornography Health and social services desperately need improving Full report [6500k] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here

All Aboriginal children in the territory will be medically examined, and welfare payments will be contingent on children attending school.

Mr Howard denied his actions were racist and said the government had a duty to protect children regardless of their background.

"It has got nothing to do with race, it's got everything to do with responsibility of the parents," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"It's just that the worst examples in Australia are to be found in many of these Aboriginal communities".

A report commissioned by the Northern Territory government last week said it found evidence of child abuse in each of the 45 communities visited.

Investigators identified a wide range of social issues, from substance abuse, unemployment, poor health and nutrition and overcrowded housing that had contributed to the problem.