There has been quite a lot said about John Howards plan to crack down on sexual, drug and alcohol abuse in remote aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. Howard has even gone as far as saying the situation is
Australia's own
Hurricane Katrina. While it seems like it's good thing that action is being taken about this, it is vastly different to Hurricane Katrina. Why has it taken until now to act? These problems have existed for years. Ask anyone who lives in the Northern Territory. It's not like these social issues have only just come out into the public light. I've been to the Northern Territory twice, and seen the evidence of widespread alcohol abuse, It's there for everyone to see, in the main streets of most towns.
As
this article states:
The strange thing is that the news about Aboriginal men's rampant domestic abuse and the increasing rate of child abuse in the NT and elsewhere came as a shock to Howard. If one cared to look, or was interested to look, the information has been around for a generation.
Why did it jump to national attention last week? Why am I asking this question on my blog? Why isn't the media filled with articles asking this very question?
