Rather than addressing the causes of criminality in indigenous communities Minister Mal Brough is doing what any self-respecting narrow-minded reactionary would do. Got a problem with crime? The answer is more police! Oh, and more prisons. Gotta get tough. Stamp it out! That’ll learn ’em good.
The shorter Mal Brough on ABC’s Lateline:
‘No I am not worried by the failure of the Indigenous Emergency to improve the government’s standing in the polls. This is not about politics. It’s about making sure the indigenous kiddies are protected and safe in their communities. The best way to do this is to have more police and police stations so the kiddies have somewhere safe to turn to.
This will be a joint Federal/State repsonsibility. We’ll supply soldiers and doctors but the States will have to pay for the police and make it all happen. The States have neglected the situation for far too long and we’re going to set them right!’
Brough clearly has no understanding of policing child abuse. Abused children do not just walk in to the nearest police station to report the crime. It is more frequently discovered by community workers, teachers, etc. But hey, this is not about politics, this is doing something in an emergency!
Filed under: Australian values, Indigenous, Politics