Leaked memo reveals black rebellion inside NT government

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Leaked memo reveals black rebellion inside NT government
Issue 107 - 15 Jun 2006

By Chris Graham, editor
ANALYSIS

NATIONAL, June 20, 2006: Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin is facing an internal party rebellion over her handling of Indigenous affairs with a call from one of the five Aboriginal members of parliament for his colleagues to take control of the troubled portfolio.

The details are contained within a confidential memo written earlier this month by Matthew Bonson, government whip and the Member for Millner. Mr Bonson wrote to the four other Aboriginal members of NT parliament - Marion Scrymgour, Elliot McAdam, Alison Anderson and Barbara McCarthy.

A copy of the memo has been obtained by the National Indigenous Times.

In it, Bonson expresses concern at both the "level of misunderstanding and even hate" towards Clare Martin from the public along with a general public perception that the five Aboriginal parliamentarians were "not speaking out" on Indigenous issues.

He calls on the 'black five' to take the Indigenous Affairs portfolio from Martin, who has held the position since her party won government in 2001, giving it either to McAdam or Scrymgour, the two most senior Aboriginal parliamentarians.

Mr Bonson writes: "In the last two weeks, speaking with local community people and hearing general comments I am concerned at the level of misunderstanding and even hate toward the Chief Minister.

"It seems the opinion of supporters as well as non supporters is the five Indigenous members are not speaking out on these issues."

Mr Bonson refers to the recent "Mal Brough publicity generated over Indigenous issues" and points to an article in The Bulletin magazine "which highlights the general point of view of people I have spoken to".

"I am concerned about two issues; firstly that we are actively working towards addressing social disadvantage and promoting this as a civic responsibility," Bonson writes.

"Secondly, if we fail to manage this aspect it could have a detrimental effect at the next election."

Bonson ends the memo with a rallying cry to his black colleagues: "I would suggest that although the Chief Minister has held the Indigenous Affairs portfolio we, as a group, as individuals and as a government have grown politically and practically to a point it is now time to consider Elliot McAdam or Marion Scrymgour as Minister for Indigenous Affairs.

"Our strength is we have five Indigenous elected members."

The memo follows a year of internal ALP tension over Martin's handling of Indigenous issues. It began with her June 2005 re-election campaign, which targeted Aboriginal itinerants in what is widely regarded as the most racist ALP election campaign ever.

Then, two months ago NIT revealed the NT government had underspent hundreds of millions of dollars in Indigenous affairs, while directing funding towards projects that benefit the northern suburbs of Darwin, a cluster of seats vital to winning government in the NT.

It also follows Martin's recent thrashing at the hands of federal Indigenous affairs minister, Mal Brough. Brough managed to turn the federal government's own long-term neglect of Indigenous affairs into a public relations triumph after successfully blaming all of the failures in NT Aboriginal communities on Clare Martin and the NT government.

While the NT government's performance in Indigenous affairs has been atrocious, the federal government's has been no better - the community of Wadeye, which has been the focus of media attention for the past few months, has been a federal government COAG trial site for the past four years.

But Brough threw plenty of mud, and almost all of it stuck... to Clare Martin. He most recent response was to blame "self determination" for the problems in NT Aboriginal communities, a position that is clearly at odds with the views of the five Aboriginal members of parliament.

Interestingly, Bonson's memo was courtesy copied to NT Treasurer Syd Stirling, and Minister for Police, Paul Henderson.

Both men, along with NT Attorney General Peter Toyne, are considered genuine leadership contenders against Martin. Party insiders say both Stirling and Henderson have been busy rallying support for months, but that Henderson is considered the front-runner.

That's cause for some concern within sections of the NT ALP - Henderson, according to one senior NT Labor figure, is regarded as a "Clare Martin clone" and the party would be "cautious about hand-balling the leadership to him".

If the party did, it would certainly not win back any support in the Aboriginal community. Despite being in government for five years, Henderson only managed his first visit to Wadeye - the Territory's sixth largest town - just last month. The visit only occurred because the town's now well-publicised law and order problem had become a major national - and international - news story (the BBC in Britain, for example has followed the Wadeye story closely).

Under Henderson's watch as police minister, Wadeye has had to cope with increasing levels of community violence with less than five police, while Tennant Creek - a white community of almost identical size - has had access to 26 police.

Henderson is viewed by many within the party as ambitious and opportunistic, with no real understanding or commitment to Aboriginal people.

By contrast, Stirling and Toyne both have long histories in regional parts of the NT, Toyne in particular. He lived for over a decade at the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu and is widely respected for his knowledge and understanding of the challenges faced by remote and regional communities.

If the issue of a new leader gathers even more momentum, party strategists will no doubt be mindful of the increasing power being wielded by the Aboriginal members of parliament, not to mention the fact that Aboriginal people already make up more than one third of the Territory population.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts that by 2020, Aboriginal people will be in the majority in the NT.

NIT is awaiting comment from the NT government, and from Mr Bonson.