Yesturdays NT News
Official offends Wadeye elders
By NIGEL ADLAM
09jun06
TRADITIONAL owners from the troubled community of Wadeye have stormed out of a meeting with a senior Federal Government adviser.
They accused Office of Indigenous Policy Co-ordination secretary Wayne Gibbons of bullying them and talking to them like children.
``You seem to listen and take advice from many people, but when we try to tell you what we know would work here, you do not listen to us,'' the traditional owners said in a letter to Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough.
``You only blame us.''
The meeting at Wadeye ended abruptly after Mr Gibbons said:
NO more federal money would be given for housing until homes damaged in rioting were repaired;
GANG members had to help repair the damage; and
EVERY child had to go to school.
He gave the community a one-month deadline.
The community leaders told Mr Gibbons they wanted these three things to happen - but the deadline was unrealistic.
It would take much longer to repair the houses.
And it would be impossible to get every child into school because there were 688 school-age children but only 420 classroom places.
The letter to Mr Brough said Wadeye had worked in partnership with Canberra for three years.
``Is this how one partner treats another - by coming in to their home and demanding unrealistic things and treating them with disrespect?
Mr Brough said:
``We don't expect them to do any structural work but we expect the houses to have the graffiti removed and the roofs to have rocks taken off.
``We'll provide the paint and material,'' he said.
``We also expect children to attend school - and not just occasionally.
``And they found that to be totally unreasonable.
``They have to realise that the situation has changed.''
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``We'll provide the paint and material,'' he said.
``We also expect children to attend school - and not just occasionally.
``And they found that to be totally unreasonable.
