Friday, 4 September By Chris GrahamNATIONAL, September 18, 2009: SICK of having your welfare entitlements compulsorily controlled by the Rudd government?
Tired of being treated like a third class citizen with no human rights?
Frustrated that you no longer enjoy the protection of the Racial Discrimination Act?
Well, why not do what Richard Downs and about 200 of his countrymen and women have done. Walk off your community, and start a new one... outside the reach of the racist Northern Territory intervention.
Two months ago, the residents of Ampilatwatja (pronounced 'Um-blood-a-watch') - a small Aboriginal community 300 kilometres north west of Alice Springs in a region known as Utopia - had had enough of the NT intervention and the Rudd government's refusal to consult with community leaders, or meet its many promises.
Raw sewage was seeping into their streets. Toilets in houses were backing up. New homes were promised, but never built (a feature of Rudd government inaction across the Northern Territory - the NT intervention emergency housing program has still not built a single home, two years after it was launched).
And no-one from the federal government was listening.
So, inspired by the actions of Gurindji leader Vincent Lingiari four decades ago, almost 200 residents of the Ampilatwatja community simply abandoned the town and walked off into the scrub. They set up a semi-permanent protest camp outside the boundaries of the NT intervention ('prescribed areas' take in Aboriginal towns), about three kilometres north of the main township.
And today, that's where they remain.
Elders are living under tarpaulins and in tents. One Aboriginal woman is living on the back tray of a ute.
The temporary protest camp has now become the roots of a permanent community. A new Utopia, free of control by Kevin Rudd's government.
"The government is playing a waiting game. They think we'll get sick of it and go back to the community," Mr Downs told NIT.
"But we're saying no, we're never ever going to go back to that community to live under your controls and measures.
"We'll stay out here till we die."
As soon as sufficient money is raised, construction will begin on a new Ampilatwatja.
"Once we've got enough funds we'll sink a new bore, and build some toilets and showers," he said.
"We're going to build tin shacks, tin sheds. We can make them into nice liveable homes. And we're not going to get any grants from the government to build government housing.
"We just don't want to have anything to do with governments. If we do that, it gives them an opportunity to control us and put leases over our land."
Mr Downs said his community had still not heard from the Indigenous affairs minister Jenny Macklin, despite walking off two months ago.
He also confirmed that Macklin had still not made any attempt to visit residents or see for herself how Aboriginal citizens are living.
"I don't even know what she looks like, other than photos of her I've seen through the media," Mr Downs said.
But if Macklin or the Prime Minister now wanted to meet, it would not be in Canberra.
"We will meet with [Kevin Rudd and Jenny Macklin] in our community, on our terms and our conditions."
Mr Downs said the community was aiming to raise about $40,000 through donations - $20,000 to sink the bore, and then another $20,000 to build the toilets and showers.
"Donations of $10, $20, $50 from individuals would be really appreciated."
• Cash donations can be made to:
Alyawarr Inkerr-Wenh Aboriginal Corporation
BSB 085995 , Account number 821104317
• You can get details on the Utopia Walk-off in the related links section below.
Related Links
http://www.interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com
http://www.nit.com.au/News/story.aspx?id=18573
http://www.nit.com.au/News/story.aspx?id=18378
