The Gurindji people from the communities of Kalkaringi and Daguragu are the latest Aboriginal communities to come out against the Government’s so called NT Intervention.
This Intervention was enacted by the previous Government in 2007, to allegedly protect Aboriginal women and children from violence and drug abuse. The Intervention has seen Aboriginal people being stripped of their right to travel freely, limited the control over their ancestral lands, losing control of their finances and being forced to work for under award wages and conditions.
The Gurindji people have an important place in Australia’s indigenous and labour history due to their protest action 45 years ago when they walked off Wave Hill, a large pastoral holding, to protest against their working conditions. After 7 years of struggle, not only did they win better wages and conditions, but won access and control over their ancestral lands. The Gurindji people are now demanding that the Australian Government stop the Intervention immediately and are organising protests in the spirit of the Wave Hill struggle. A short video showing the struggles of Gurindji people under the Intervention is available here and a media release about the Gurindji people’s demands can be read here in pdf format.
The Gurindji people from the communities of Kalkaringi and Daguragu are the latest Aboriginal communities to come out against the Government’s so called NT Intervention.
This Intervention was enacted by the previous Government in 2007, to allegedly protect Aboriginal women and children from violence and drug abuse. The Intervention has seen Aboriginal people being stripped of their right to travel freely, limited the control over their ancestral lands, losing control of their finances and being forced to work for under award wages and conditions.
The Gurindji people have an important place in Australia’s indigenous and labour history due to their protest action 45 years ago when they walked off Wave Hill, a large pastoral holding, to protest against their working conditions. After 7 years of struggle, not only did they win better wages and conditions, but won access and control over their ancestral lands. The Gurindji people are now demanding that the Australian Government stop the Intervention immediately and are organising protests in the spirit of the Wave Hill struggle. A short video showing the struggles of Gurindji people under the Intervention is available here and a media release about the Gurindji people’s demands can be read here in pdf format.
