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MCGRADY: Govt doesn’t care about our communities Callum Clayton-Dixon
nganyaywana
Consecutive Australian governments are failing to uphold their “duty of care” for First Nations communities in northern New South Wales according to Gamilaraay elder and social justice advocate Madelaine McGrady. “Our basic human rights are being violated by these governments,” said Ms McGrady, a former resident of Toomelah. “They’ve wasted so much money and don’t give our mob a chance to make our own decisions and exercise true self-determination.” One of Ms McGrady’s prime concerns is “our next generation”. “In communities like Toomelah and Boggabilla, we’re losing all our young men to things like alcohol and suicide. I know two women who lost six sons in the last couple of years. One young fella said, ‘What’s the use? We can’t get any work or get anywhere, so we might as well go and kill ourselves.’ Then he went and did it [committed suicide].”
Gamilaraay elder & social justice advocate Madelaine McGrady says Australian governments have “wasted so much money and don’t give our mob a chance to make our own decisions and exercise self-determination”. IMAGE: Brendon Qu
She was also sceptical about Kempsey were among other whether the right to vote has actually communities in NSW Ms McGrady benefited Aboriginal people. said Australian governments continue to sideline. “Elders from Toomelah have
gone to Canberra and spoken to the politicians like Jenny Macklin. They just don’t care or worry about blackfellas living out on the missions. Nobody does. We see government spending money on such trivial things, and yet people in Ms McGrady questioned how Australian governments can “just leave our communities are still dying.” our mob like this in remote areas”. Walgett, Moree, Burke and
Ms McGrady believes Aboriginal children in these communities aren’t getting the same standard of education than in the cities. “There are young Aboriginal people moving on and getting a good education, and that’s good. But at the same time, government is forgetting about a lot of our kids.”
cartoon by Julie Dowling
April 18, 2013
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