The Intervention: What does that mean for us? Voices of Remote Indigenous Child Care Workers in the NT BIITE Research Seminar, Wed. July 16, 2008, 11-12pm, Batchelor Institute

The Project A participative 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

We 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?

Who was involved? 23 children’s services workers From 15 different communities All women BIITE Research Team & Children’s service workers

Data Collection Batchelor Institute Workshops –October & November 2007 –July 2008 Survey Researchers –Selina Grant –Rowena Grant –Sue-Anne Thingle –Vanessa Watson –Veronica Pompei –Jude Maglis –Renae Polly Davies –Kim Whitburn –Patricia Lalara –Lyn Fasoli –Lyndal Barrett –Saraswathi Griffiths- Chandran –Ranu James

Question 1 What Child Care workers knew about the Intervention? Now Understand more but still some questions Some small changes with CDEP and some stayed the same. Better attendance at school Some believe it is trying to stop child abuse but people still not coming forward to report abuse All said it has helped to improve children’s health Then Not many people understood People knew CDEP would change Some people believed it would improve school attendance 1/3 people thought it would stop the child abuse 1/3 thought the intervention would improve children’s health through health checks

Question 1 What Child Care workers knew about the Intervention? Then Some people thought it was about removing the land permits Not many people knew the word ‘pornography’ before Intervention Not many people knew about income management Now 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 now and some people are happy about it.

Intervention Researchers

Question 1 What Child Care workers knew about the Intervention? Money concerns People still worry about money Still filling in timesheets CDEP still in place Unfair treatment Haven’t seen non-Indigenous children being checked by army (health checks) Non-Indigenous children get abused too People still worried about so many changes Lack of Information / Fear / Confusion Some people still don’t fully understand Some people still scared and confused Some accept and understand

Question 2 How is the Intervention affecting your service? Good things Greater regular attendance at childcare, preschool & school. Good idea to employ more policing & special task force to crack down on drug & alcohol abuse.

Question 2 How is the Intervention affecting your service? Concerns Angry about staffing issues being ignored for so long, for example, their right to attend ceremonies & have breaks like bush holidays to catch up with family. Push for new child care places cannot be supported. –lack of appropriate spaces –no proper infrastructure –lack of variety of professional development & training

Question 2 How is the Intervention affecting your service? Concerns Payments that have changed from CDEP, Centrelink, Local Council to new Shire Council. From weekly payment to fortnightly payment, need to change budget to survive 14 day intervals instead of 7 days. Aged pensioners feel targeted by quarantining when they don’t have responsibility for children.

Question 2 How is the Intervention affecting your service? Concerns Family violence & child abuse still occurs outside the service. Can’t speak up because it might cause problems towards other families. Didn’t tell children their rights. No information for staff on reporting abuse.

Question 2 How is the Intervention affecting your service? Concerns Too little to late! Should have planned better before they acted. No proper consultation with Aboriginal people. Original focus for intervention misguided as big families still have not enough money for food & stress levels are still high throughout the family as a whole.

Question 3: How does the Intervention affect our community? Issues for the community –People still worried about CDEP being taken away. –People want interpreters to understand the changes. –We’re concerned because we get pay from salary. We don’t need food vouchers but our family has to use them. We are treated differently by the government. –Salary people feel like paper work is too hard.

Question 3: How does the Intervention affect our community? More issues –Families worried because drunken mob come back to the community and start fighting and making trouble. –Lack of action. –Still gambling even on quarantine. –Need more housing. –More child care places for the kids and more money for food. –Consultation with community.

Good things that happen Removal of permits so intervention mob came in and sacked the white people who were not doing their job. More children are going to school everyday. More people coming to work and less grog are coming in.

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 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 the Batchelor Institute for funding to do this project