ceiec conference melbourne nov 13-15, 2008 the intervention: what does that mean for us? voices of...

CEIEC ConferenceMelbourne Nov 13-15, 2008

The Intervention: What does that mean for us?

Voices of Remote

Indigenous Child Care Workers in

the NT


VISIONBatchelor Institute: a site of national significance in Indigenous education ― strengthening identity, achieving success and transforming lives.


The Project• An Action Research project

• To support Indigenous children’s services workers

• To understand and voice their views on the recent Australian Government Intervention in their remote NT communities.

• Funded by BIITE Research Division

• July 2007-July 2008


South Australia border

Queensland border

Western Australia border

CommunitiesYirrkala

Groote EyandtYirrkalaWarruwiNgukurr

UmbakumbaBatchelorWadeye

CasuarinaMilingimbiLaramba

Alice SpringsAputula

BatchelorTenant Creek

GapuwiyakGoulburn Island


Indigenous children in the NT

• Population of the NT - 210,000

• 30% Indigenous

• 35% of children are Indigenous and growing

• 50% of Australian Indigenous Communities are in the NT

• Many NT children don’t speak English as their first language


Who was involved?

• 34 Indigenous children’s services workers

• 17 different communities across the NT

• All women

• Researchers were the BIITE Research Team & Children’s Service Workers


Mid 2007: The Intervention

• Little Children are Sacred Report – (Wild & Patterson, 2007)

• Aug 2007 – Federal Liberal Government reacts with a

package of five Bills introduced into Federal Parliament

– resulting in ‘a comprehensive, compulsory intervention in 73 Northern Territory Aboriginal communities’ (Brennan, 2007)


The Intervention laws measures to abolish the Community Development

Employment Program (CDEP)

quarantine 50% of community members’ welfare payments, and 100% of those whose children are truants

deploy Australian Federal Police as ‘special constables’ to the Northern Territory Police Force

remove the permit system which governs access to Aboriginal land

acquire five-year leases over prescribed townships that are part of the emergency response

negotiate with interested communities on 99-year township leases


Indigenous families have been consulted repeatedly….

• Talking Early Childhood (1995)• Pipirri Wiimaku “for the little kids” (2001)• Aboriginal Child Rearing Strategy (2002)• ‘Listen to us we’ve got something to say’

(1999)• ‘Both Ways’ Indigenous Children’s Services

Project (2004)• SNAICC, Indigenous Early Childhood Case

Studies (2004)• Kid’s Tracks (2004-2005)


Consistent messages from Indigenous people…

Don’t put your ideas onto us – listen to us We want safe and healthy places for kids Child care can give kids good food Child care - by locals for locals - not just

people who are ‘passing through’ REAL ownership of the service Places for keeping culture strong Culturally appropriate training Get our kids ready for school Child care for making the community strong


Intervention research asked three questions

1. What do you know about the Intervention?

2. How is the Intervention affecting your service?

3. How is the Intervention affecting your community?


Data Collection Research Workshops• 5 workshops between

August - November 2007

• 1 workshop- July 2008

Research Methods• Survey • Discussions

ResearchersSelina GrantRowena GrantSue-Anne ThingleVanessa WatsonVeronica PompeiJude MaglisRenae Polly DaviesKim WhitburnPatricia LalaraLyn FasoliLyndal BarrettSaraswathi Griffiths-

ChandranRanu JamesRebekah Farmer


Intervention Research workshop


What child care workers knew about the intervention…

In 2008

• Everyone understood more but still had questions

• Saw some small changes with CDEP but in some communities it stayed the same.

• Most people saw better attendance at school

• Some believed it was trying to stop child abuse but people still not reporting abuse

• All thought it helped to improve children’s health

In 2007

• Not many people understood what would happen.• Most people knew CDEP would change•Some people hoped it would improve school attendance.• 1/3 people thought it would stop child abuse•1/3 thought it would improve children’s health

In 2008

• Everyone understood more but still had questions

• Saw some small changes with CDEP but in some communities it stayed the same.

• Most people saw better attendance at school

• Some believed it was trying to stop child abuse but people still not reporting abuse

• All thought it helped to improve children’s health

In 2007

• Not many people understood what would happen.• Most people knew CDEP would change•Some people hoped it would improve school attendance.• 1/3 people thought it would stop child abuse•1/3 thought it would improve children’s health


What Child Care workers knew about the Intervention

2007• Some people thought it

was about removing the land permits

• Not many people knew the word ‘pornography’ before Intervention

• People didn’t know what it was about.

• Not many people knew about income management

2008• They understand it’s not

about removing land permits

• No signs of pornography

• People agree it is trying to fix problems (alcohol and drugs)

• Everyone knows about income management and some people are happy about it.


ConcernsMoney concerns • People still worry about money• People still on CDEP & people still worried about CDEP

being taken away again.• Need more money for food.• Payments have changed

– Some people have gone from Centrelink, to CDEP, to Local Council to new Shire Council.

– ITEC– From weekly payment to fortnightly payments– Need to change budget to survive 14 days instead

of 7 day intervals.– big families still don’t have enough money for food

• We’re concerned because we get pay from salary. • Salary people feel like new paper work is too hard.


ConcernsUnfair treatment• ‘Haven’t seen non-Indigenous children being

checked by army’• ‘Non-Indigenous children get abused too’• ‘Aged pensioners feel targeted by quarantining

when they don’t have responsibility for children.’• ‘We don’t need food vouchers but our family has

to use them’. • ‘We are treated differently by the government’• ‘Didn’t tell children their rights.’• ‘People still worried about too many changes.’


Concerns

Lack of Information / Fear / Confusion• Some people still don’t fully understand,

scared and confused, • Some understand and accept the

intervention• Some think there has been a lack of

action • Some angry about cultural issues being

ignored for so long in child care– i.e. staff’s right to attend ceremonies & have

breaks like bush holidays to catch up with family.


Ongoing Concerns• Government push for new child care services

– lack of appropriate spaces– no proper infrastructure (buildings etc)– lack of professional development & training– different communities need different kinds of training

• Still gambling even on quarantine– ‘Gambling is causing gross poverty in some families,

where some children don't eat at home cos they have got no money.’

• Family violence & child abuse still occurs outside the service.

– ‘Can’t speak up because it might cause problems towards other families’.

– ‘Families worried because drunken mob still come back to the community and start fighting and making trouble.’


Concerns Too little to late!• Should have planned better before they acted. • No proper consultation with Aboriginal people.• Original focus for intervention misguided

– stress levels are still high throughout the family as a whole.

• Need more housing. • Need more child care places for the kids • Need more consultation with community.• People want interpreters to understand the

changes.• No information for staff on reporting abuse.


Good things to come out of the Intervention

• Better regular attendance at childcare, preschool & school.

• Good idea to employ more police & special task force to crack down on drug & alcohol abuse.

• Removal of permits so intervention mob came in and sacked the white people who were not doing their job.

• More people coming to work

• Less grog coming in


Child Care Workers’ Suggestions• Money management training• Breakfast programs in every school • More training or programs about drugs &

alcohol• Stop the gambling• More child care services for more children

needing care• Regular bus services between outstations and

communities so people can move out of larger communities to outstations

• Improve the roads • Fix up existing playgrounds

• More and bigger houses, with fences


Acknowledgements

• Thank you to the child care workers who participated in this project

• Thank you to Batchelor Institute for funding to do this project

• Thank you to the CEIEC Conference Committee


What did you learn from this presentation?


What issues does this raise for us as a profession?

ceiec conference melbourne nov 13-15, 2008 the intervention: what does that mean for us? voices of...

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