Respect and Listen

Media coverage

Quotes by Rosalie Kunoth-Monks:

"It's nothing new. It is not only at Utopia, it's throughout the Northern Territory as far as I can see - starvation is a strong word and not used for no reason. It's real"

"I know of two old ladies, although they had the money for food deducted out of their pensions as a prior arrangement, who did not get anything, not a smell of a bone. What else needs to be done? Do people need to lie down and die so others can understand what's happening here is real?"

Koori Mail, Edition 623, 6 April 2016 - Utopia people are starving, claims Elder

'concerned Australians' Media Release 1 April 2016

An Australian Easter 2016 - People starving at Utopia, N.T.

Rosalie Kunoth-Monks OAM, 2015 NT person of the year and Arrernte-Alyawarra Elder said that Aboriginal people living in remote outstation Utopia are starving.

Utopia represents sixteen remote outstations 260 kms north east of Alice Springs. Rosalie lives in one of the outstations with her daughter Ngarla and grandchildren.

Rosalie and Ngarla have reported that the elderly in the communities have not been receiving their regular daily meals as expected through the current aged care program. When meals have arrived they have not been nutritious.

“Last week after having to call for the meals, one elderly man with end-stage Parkinson’s received two small packets of mincemeat and white bread, the elderly women close-by received nothing,” said Ngarla Kunoth-Monks.

“The whole community including children and the elderly go without food, often on a daily basis”, said Rosalie Kunoth-Monks.

There are approximately 150 people living in Rosalie’s homeland surrounds and over 1,200 people living in Utopia. Hunger is not just happening here but in other remote areas.

Jon Altman, Research Professor in the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation of Deakin University said, “It is an indictment of Australia’s Indigenous policy that people living in remote Australia experience deep poverty and almost beyond belief that people need to endure hunger in a rich country like ours.”

Rosalie called for immediate help in food drop offs which was difficult to achieve over the Easter break. Georgina Gartland of 'concerned Australians' said, “the recently released Review of Stronger Futures was disappointing. The legislation should have been repealed and on food security there was no mention of freight subsides for the delivery of food to remote communities which would help make food more affordable. Indeed it is quite ironic that a few days later we have reports of people starving and others going without food. Much more lies at the heart of this, including deliberate policy coercing people off county.”

Rosalie spoke of profound despair in her community and strongly stated, "This is failed policy and a failed system! We do not want pity, we do not want hype around this, we want facts!"

Alastair Nicholson AO RFD, QC concluded, “It is a continuing tragedy and an indictment of Australian and NT Governments’ policies that Aboriginal people should be facing starvation conditions this Easter anywhere in Australia. Urgent action is needed to correct this situation."

Reproduced with the kind permission of 'concerned Australians'.

Petition:
Elderly First Nations people are starving in remote homelands because they fail to receive nutritious food on a regular basis through a community aged care programme. The programme is funded by the Australian Government and is administered by the regional Council.

This petition is asking the Australian and Northern Territory governments to:

· Address any failures of aged food services and its delivery immediately.

· Undertake an independent investigation into these failures

· Ensure ongoing funding and delivery of nutritious food through aged and community care.

· Ensure closer monitoring of aged food services in remote communities.

· Introduce freight subsidies to help make food more affordable in remote communities.

Improve the general living conditions of First Nations people in their homelands by:…..more at…

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Australian_and_Northern_Territory_Governments_Australia_Stop_starvation_of_Indigenous_peoples_in_remote_homelands/?cbjvhhb

For more information on Indigenous issues in the NT go to: www.concernedaustralians.com.au

Interview with Jon Altman: please click here
Interview conducted by Valerie Farfalla on 3CR Monday Breakfast (855 AM) on Monday, 11th April, 2016.

For an interview with Georgina Gartland on 28 March: please click here

Free screening of John Pilger's Utopia in Mona Vale on 11 April 2016: please click here

Back in 2011 Amnesty International's Secretary-General described conditions in Utopia 'devastating' see below links:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/conditions-in-utopia-devastating-says-amnesty-chief-20111009-1lfsl.html

http://www.smh.com.au//breaking-news-national/aboriginal-policies-ethnic-cleansing-20111009-1lffx.html

http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/26426/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2011/08/traditional-indigenous-communities-abandoned-government-australia/

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