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Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin. |
Compulsory income management allowed under RDA: Macklin
Thursday, 14 May 2009
NATIONAL, May 27, 2009: Maintaining compulsory income management in the Northern Territory is not at odds with reinstating the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA), Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin says.
Labor signalled in a discussion paper last week it will continue the controversial quarantining of Aboriginal people's welfare payments when it moves to reinstate the RDA in October.
Ms Macklin says the two aims aren't contradictory because income management has benefited Indigenous Australians and is therefore permitted under the RDA.
"The income management, the alcohol controls, I think have demonstrably benefited Aboriginal people living in remote communities in the Northern Territory," she told ABC TV.
"Under the Racial Discrimination Act we can introduce special measures, measures that are to the benefit of Aboriginal people.
"In my opinion they are beneficial, they are special measures."
Ms Macklin said she planned to go out and talk with Aboriginal people in their communities.
"We'll make sure we listen to peoples' views," she said.
"But certainly the evidence to date suggests to me these measures are going to be for the benefit of Aboriginal people."
However, many lawyers argue if the government continues to single out a group of Indigenous Australians for income management it will clearly be breaching racial discrimination laws.
"That's why they had to suspend them in the first place," lawyer George Newhouse said last week. - AAP
For more information on income management in the Northern Territory, please see the related links.
Related Links
http://www.nit.com.au/News/story.aspx?id=16917
http://www.nit.com.au/BreakingNews/story.aspx?id=16859
http://www.nit.com.au/News/story.aspx?id=17048
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