NEWS: Australia Bans Booze and PornÂ…Unless YouÂ’re White.

POLITICS: Australia Bans Booze and Porn…Unless You’re White.

John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, announced today that the sale, possession, transportation and consumption of alcohol, as well as the possession of hardcore pornography, would be banned in Australia for at least six months.

He also said the federal government would take over the administrative duties of local communities so that this ban could be effectively enforced, including searching all public computers for pornographic images and restructuring welfare benefits so that those payments could not be spent on alcohol.

Oh wait, those bans only apply to Aborigines.

Fear not, tourists, those big-ass cans of FosterÂ’s will still be there when you get off the plane, mate!

Howard’s decree comes in response to the recent release of a comprehensive governmental report on the sexual abuse of children in Aboriginal communities in Australia’s Northern Territories. This report described child sex abuse as “serious, widespread and often unreported” in Aboriginal communities, and said the root cause was the “breakdown Aboriginal culture and society.”

The report also pointed out that “Aboriginal people are not the only victims and not the only perpetrators of sexual abuse.” and that “most Aboriginal people are willing and committed to solving problems and helping their children. They are also eager to better educate themselves.”

The report then went on to recommend a “holistic” approach to addressing these issues, urging the Australian government to work with and help empower Aboriginal communities by improving education, housing, and family support services, while making it easier for victims to report incidents of sexual abuse. When discussing the problem of rampant alcohol abuse in Aboriginal communities, the report recommended the following:

As for pornography, the report suggested an educational campaign to limit the exposure of children to sexually explicit material as well as increasing awareness of AustraliaÂ’s age of consent laws.

You may be wondering how any of those recommendations could be summed up as, “Please ignore the crushing poverty and unemployment and do nothing to improve education and social services while announcing a sweeping ban on alcohol and pornography that only applies to Aboriginal communities and not mixed-race communities nearby. As a bonus, even though the report includes numerous examples of white people sexually exploiting Aborigines, why not make it easier for white folks to enter Aboriginal land? Hey, while you’re at it, don’t bother to consult with any actual Aborigines, the people who drafted the report, or even the folks in the local government before you decide what to do. That’s bound to empower the shit out of those Aborgines!”

Well, to be fair, John Howard is kind of an asshole.

Apparently some Australians, including actual Aborigines, agree, as Howard’s response has been called an "outrageous authoritarian crackdown" and a “knee-jerk reaction.”

However, that knee-jerk reaction will soon have the force of law behind it. At least history is full of examples of alcohol prohibition working flawlessly and of there being no negative consequences when a white government enforces paternalistic policies on an indigenous non-white minority, right?

Right?

The merits of prohibition of alcohol are debatable, but prohibiting it along racial lines is disgusting.

How has banning alcohol and pornography for aborigines not caused a huge national outcry, resulting in some sort of impeachment? John Howard sounds like a really shitty guy.

Hm, where have I seen this before?

I really want to hang out with that Kangaroo

gutsy move especially coming up to the election....

you know. it might be the only thing that will work, I dont generally agree with totalitarianism (or john howard for that matter)... but the circumstances ARE as dire as these reports say...

right now most remote aboriginal communities are in terrible alcohol related poverty, where the government handouts they are given, because of being aboriginal, is just spent on alcohlism and destruction....

in most communities its perfectly acceptable to take pre teen wives (by the men) and most women have no help and no say... domestic violence is high and one in six aborigines that get taken into custody DIE THERE (!!!!).... this is trying to prevent so many things...

I can understand that this sounds relatively racist and brutal... but when a race of people are living in these circumstances it *is* race related.

also its not ALL black people in Australia... just the northern territory.... where the average lifespan of an aboriginal is mid 50's

the aboriginal problem in australia needs severe reform, education is the main thing that is going to pull these people through, gain them a better exiistence... aboriginal people can only communicate with other aboriginals when it comes to matters of their tribe... there are very few aboriginal people in politics or even white collar jobs... so there are very few aboriginals in positions of power to help these people... something needs to change and I think addressing the alcoholism issue is very very very important....its actually INTRINSIC to their survival as a race....

If what you say is correct, I would agree something should be done to attempt to improve the conditions for the aborigines, but is the current "solution" the answer?

This is so typical of our government. They have no idea how to actually fix the problems that exist in this part of Australia (where I live, incidentally) so they do something completely superficial and radical so they look like they're doing something.

The fact that Howard didn't consult with our chief minister doesn't surprise me; she is a member of the Labor party.

Meanwhile, the real victims in this scenario (the Aboriginal children) will continue to be subjected to horrific sexual abuse and domestic violence.

What a lot of people do not realise is that a lot of Aborliginal communites are dry camps already as decreed and enforced by the elders whom when a person/s found breaching the ban are ejected from the community and end up in places like Alice Springs, Tenant Creek, Katherine and Darwin. It is a lot of these that have given the perception of the race being alchoholic.

All John Howard has done is to make all native communites the same. This will allow those communites affected to overcome there problems like those who have immposed restrictions on themselves. The biggest problems contributing to the situation I have seen ( after leaving for several years in the NT and doing courses on cultrual awarness and spending time talk with Aboriginal people ) is lack of employment and education.

The race themselves are not treated as equals and from my observations are treated better then whites when it comes to govt monetary handouts but money is not going to fix the problems.

They need to be allowed to explore and feel their culture, and be made to accept reality that alot of what they are doing or in is a result of there own making but Aboriginals are not the only ones here. The entire populace world wide needs to learn that the only person responsible for what happens to you is you and stop suing others for a quick buck coz you fucked up.

Feel free to email and correct me if I am wrong.

well what is a solution? its not like its an alcohol ban for life.. its a 6 month moratorium in order to address the most pressing issues

I wish I knew( if I did, I could solve many problems for many peoples of the world), education, taking personal responsibility; certainly those would help, but as for a solution...???

as long as its for only six month ... thats when the "special camps" are ready.

If porn and alcohol are not available at the communities, people will simply come into the nearest town to get them. At best, the kids out on the communities may get a temporary respite from the abuse. It isn't a solution. I don't know what the solution is but I am sure it involves education.

This is something the elders have been trying to bring alcahol, abuse, killings and such under control John Howard is trying to do the right thing I may not agree everything he does. but trying to save our indigneous people is definitly high on the list of good things.

+ 80 Billion

It should be pointed out here that alcohol and porn has not been banned for Aborigines. It has been banned on Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. Aborigines are quite free to travel into nearby towns and purchase alcohol and porn.

Hmm can I firstly ask Exactly how much research did this seemingly american based reporter/sg member do before pasting this "rascist Australia" piece?

i see no mention of the rampant "aboriginal" petrol sniffing epidemic the Northern Territoy has also faced for years that is also part of the problems in the aboriginal communities.......
now back to the story on hand.

this problem isn't just in the Nothern Territory but is also a big issue here in the nieghbouring Queensland aboriginal communities.
since this plan was released many aboriginal leaders have welcomed the recommendations and added their own opinions on what else can be done.
the main reason it seems that the federal gov has stepped up to this measure is because state and local gov has struggled/neglected/failed at this for many many years now.

if this bold plan doesn't work then they will try something else....duh.

as serveral other Aus SGMembers have thus far commented this is a massive problem here and sometimes drastic measures need to be taken. it is only a "race" issue as the problems described are most rampant in aboriginal communities of these states (which i might add have both local aboriginal "tribal" law and state/federal law which sometimes conflict with each other in the rules of what is moral/ethical/lawful ) .....so therefore gee shock horror rascism is suddenly assumed....pull your head in mate and open your eyes to the full picture.

sure lil johnie is an asshole but someone has to try something....

so please please next time you try to sensationalise a topic research a lil more eh?

To me, this seems like slapping a band-aid on a severed limb. Temporarily removing pornography and alcohol isn't going to do shit in the long run. To truly help these people (or any people, for that matter), the government is going to need to work on a proper program for education and job skills, as well as make jobs available for those who need them. They need to attack the root of the problem, not just cut off the proverbial dandelion head.

Its a very sad situation,its been going on for so long tho,when did the governemnt "suddenly" discover it
Im not sure what the answer is but i know it involves more empowerment to the aboriginal communities,less of the people in power thinking they know whats best

There are a few towns now that have banned alcohol from its town centres

Indeed. It's not targetted at people directly by race, but at areas (which are, of course, characterised by race).

The practical question with strong-arm interventions such as these (assuming such strong-arm interventions can be justified by the clear-and-present-danger at hand) is what will be the actual effects? Will this act as an effective circuit-breaker, after which further progress can be made? Or will booze and porn just flood in through other channels?

I haven't yet figured out whether Noel Pearson is involved in this proposal at all, but he's been rallying against the dysfunctional culture of Aboriginal welfare dependency for some time now. (See here and here for example.)

Yes John Howard is an asshole but a lot of the aboriginal communities ask for alcohol to be banned. If you had ever been abused spat on and robbed by an aboriginal just for walking down the street you as I have would know how badly they handle it. Not sure why the porn is banned guess it's just to for the election which Howard is going to lose.

Great article Uncognitive.

You need to start publishing more. I really liked the one you wrote the other day too--but didn't publish. Anyway, nice job.

If its a ban on Aboriginals in all of NT, they would have to travel interstate, not to "the nearest town" - and they can still drink as long as its at a licensed premises. From what I understand, its a ban on the purchase of alcohol for consumption off licensed premises. And who's to say education won't be a part of the next stage of this ban? This is a starting point to correct a serious serious problem - and while this might not work, it might help direct the government as to how to better approach it.

The reason its taken so long for this to happen is because the state government, who are the ones responsible for this kind of thing, have refused to acknowledge the problem. The prime minister ordered an inquiry, and is now acting on the results himself because the state premier hasn't. Sure, King Johnny can be a knob, but I actually think that stepping in here where the state government hasn't is a good thing.

Agreed.

I'm not sure whether this is what you were saying here, but Aboriginals most certainly do not have to travel interstate to buy alcohol. The ban is on Aboriginal communities only. Aborigines can still buy and drink alcohol in town, as long as they are not in an unlicensed public place (but that goes for everybody, not just Aborigines).

1) On 19 September 2006 changes were made to the Liquor Act (the Act) to enable part or all publicly used space in any Northern Territory city, town,
community or region to be declared a Public Restricted Area. Once declared and publicised, consuming liquor in a public restricted area is prohibited
unless a specific permit has been obtained. Such an area excludes private
premises as defined under the Liquor Act (the Act).
2) The permit required to allow consumption of liquor in such an area is obtained by the person or organisation hosting the function or event rather than the person drinking. There are many situations in which the Commission might grant a permit including the following:
a) An organisation might be granted a permit to allow the public to consume liquor at a community festival or a sporting event on public land; or
b) A couple may seek a permit to allow their guests to drink champagne at
their wedding ceremony at a local park within the declared area.

As for the rest of what you wrote, I really hope you're right.

Yes, so they can buy it and drink it ON PREMISES in an unrestricted area, but they can't walk into a bottle shop, buy a bottle of scotch, and go drink it at home. Thats totally not under debate. They can buy and drink alcohol in NT, as long as it's consumed on prem. As for porn, they would have to go interstate, but I would say if they got caught taking it into a restricted area, it would be the slammer for them.

It's all pretty extreme, prohibition in Australia is, well, unheard of until now - we have such a huge drinking culture here, I think that alone goes to show how extreme this problem has become.

Fingers crossed these kids can now have some peace.