Stop the Northern Territory Intervention Speech

The video of Lee's speech

I do acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay tribute to their history, their culture and their ongoing contributions to our communities.

Two years ago, I think we could all remember where we were. The apology that came from Prime Minister Rudd, I actually believe was sincere at the time. It was an apology that had to be stated. It was an apology from the nation to aboriginal people, of the current generations and past generations, (marking) a shameful period from our history.

But two years later when we gather on that anniversary we don’t have anything to celebrate with regard to that apology. Because two years later, what we know with what the labor the labor government has done, actually amplifies how shameful their acts are.

And let’s remember where all this started. When the intervention was first called, it was by the Howard Government. It was John Howard’s attempt in the dying days of his government to find another Tampa, to try and wedge and divide Australia.

It was shameful that labor supported it at the time; and shameful that they have again, once in government, allowed their policy to continue and if anything made it worse.

So right now we do have a big challenge before us, but I think we do need to remember key aspects of that intervention.

Having been an activist since I was 15 and being on so many actions against military intervention in overseas countries something that shocked me to this day is how little Australia has risen up to object to the military going into the Northern Territory.

It’s something that we need to raise our voice again, because so many Australians today actually are not even aware of it. It’s still happening, it’s happening on the Labor government, and it must be reversed.

I strongly endorse Jeff’s remarks about aboriginal parents. As a parent myself, the thought of losing one’s child is just something that is an unbearable thought. But to add to that what has happened to aboriginal men, who in a blanket way have been vilified for charges, and let’s remember, have never been proven.

The crime commission was given enormous powers to go out there and find these pedophile rings. Virtually nobody was charged and arrested. Again that has now been glossed over, white washed and again it’s something that we need to remember and rectify.

Because right now what is happening two years after that apology is that the policies that are continuing to be put in place, and even worse than the Howard Government’s, means that in 10 or 20 years time there could well be another Prime Minister who gives another apology.

Now we don’t want to have to wait that long, we have got to defeat those rotten policies now.

Now if Prime Minister Rudd happened to turn up to an event like this or they sent along a Labor representative; quite seriously what they would be doing up here on stage is making out how they are out there doing all these projects for aboriginal people.

But this is where we need to dissect Labor’s own arguments. Because what they are doing is a top down process that’s delivering projects, a few projects, to remote communities.

It’s in no way engaging with aboriginal people across the country and empowering those people.

And that’s where we need to just turn around what Labor is doing. Because, yes, labor have put more resources in, but its how those resources have been used that is in fact worsening the hardship.

And again, I reiterate, will require a future generation to again apologize for what’s happening to current generations of aboriginal people.

I do bring you greetings from The Greens conference, Greens New South Wales conference being held, fortunately for us, and that’s why were are able to join you, just down in Redfern. And we are here today meeting, and we shortly will need to go back to that conference.

But this morning we passed an urgent resolution in support, and we do congratulate the Stop the Intervention Coalition for today’s fantastic action. For your ongoing work to spread the word about the intervention, to build a strong movement.

So congratulations to the Stop in the Intervention Coalition.

And that motion, that was passed unanimously, called on the Rudd Government to change its policies to get the army out of the Northern Territory.

To wind back these so-called welfare measures of the income management that will bring hardship to aboriginal communities across the country as it’s enforced with so much indignity.

And what was particularly well received at our conference the urgent need to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act.

The Greens, at this conference, are represented by local groups around the country, around the state. And we will be taking the message that you are fighting for back to our communities.

Thank you very much and congratulations.