The federal government’s recklessness in pushing through parliament racist legislation that sets the rights of Indigenous people in the Northern Territory back decades will not go unchallenged, according to the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).
The ALA issued a Statement of Incompatibility on the Stronger Futures legislation, saying it ‘significantly undermines the right to self determination, the right to equality before the law, and the right to be free from discrimination.
‘Our statement shows where the Minister’s office has got it wrong and just how badly this legislation impacts on Aboriginal lives,’ ALA national president Greg Barns said.
‘The rushed recklessness on the part of government and Opposition MPs to surreptitiously push this through parliament shows an awareness that it has it wrong.
‘The ALA believes the government understood the international guidance given by the United Nations on the subject, but it chose not to follow that guidance when creating the legislation as “a special measure”.’
See the full statement at http://bit.ly/Na2VvK
