Aborigine abuse crackdown begins

By Nick Bryant
BBC News, Sydney

Alcohol abuse is rife among the Aboriginal community

Police have begun arriving in Australia's Northern Territory to carry out a controversial programme to combat child abuse in Aboriginal communities.

Prime Minister John Howard has also announced the police will receive military support to implement the plan.

Mr Howard announced his proposals after a report found rampant paedophilia and juvenile prostitution in indigenous communities across the territory.

His plans have been criticised by some as heavy-handed and racist.

About 20 troops are already on the ground in central Australia to provide logistical support for the extra police officers drafted in from all over the country.

The federal government has drawn up a hit list of the most violent and dysfunctional indigenous communities, and they will be targeted first.

It includes Mutitjulu, a community close to the sacred site of Uluru, where it is alleged one man traded petrol for sex with underage girls.

'State of dysfunction'

Mr Howard believes a breakdown in law and order is a major factor in the child abuse problem.

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

"A lack of effective policing has been at the heart of it," he said.

"Until law and order has been established... then we're not going to be able to make progress on things like health checks and compulsory school attendance because there is a state of dysfunction."

Mr Howard's plan though continues to be the subject of fierce debate.

State and territory leaders, suspicious of the federal government's forceful intervention, have called for greater consultation, not least with Aboriginal leaders.

One of Mr Howard's predecessors as prime minister, Malcolm Fraser, has also lashed out at the proposals, calling them a throwback to paternalism.