The recent debate on Indigenous welfare has caused mixed reaction not just among Australian Christians but also on the broader community. I will attempt to explain the situation and find an action which we as Christians can do in the meantime.
A new era has dawned, with the release of the Northern Territory report called 'Little Children Are Sacred,' which was used as the catalyst for the Prime Minister of Australia to announce sweeping changes to the issue of Indigenous welfare.
The report paints a grim picture of the Aboriginal community, in particular the plight of Indigenous children. Noting that child-sex abuse within the Indigenous community is nothing new, the report states, what makes it new is the publicity given to them.
In Federal Parliament, the PM made clear the impact the report had on him personally, which spurred him into action. He told the Courier Mail, the story of a 17-year-old boy running his own pornographic empire was one of the factors driving him to implement a 'radical and highly interventionist plan.'
He again justified this 'radical' approach, saying in Parliament, that the indigenous child-sex abuse crisis was akin to the human misery caused by Hurricane Katrina in the U.S.
Declaring the crisis as a 'national-emergency,' Mr Howard unleashed a wave of controversial measures, including the ban of X-rated pornography and alcohol, in the Territory as well as using its constitutional power to take control of some 60 Aboriginal settlements.
These measures have attracted anger and derision from its critics, with the regulation of 'quarantining' welfare payment if the child fails to attend school, coming under severe attack.
Critics, ranging from state and territories leaders to aboriginal elders and activists, have savaged the PM's new indigenous policy. State and territory leaders have questioned the motives of the PM in implementing this policy, saying it sounds like a 'pre-election' stunt.
In the most direct attack of the PM's motivation, the WA State Premier, Alan Carpenter was reported on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) PM radio program as cynically saying, "Does anybody in Australia honestly believe that what John Howard's doing is not related to the forthcoming Federal Election? Does anybody actually believe that? Come on!"
The Age reported that the Federal government intervention was similar to the Tampa incident said Aboriginal elders, where the Federal government was infamously known for using the incident to advance its own political agenda even though it misinformed the electorate and used the 'race' card to draw voters in, who believe the situation is similar except this time it is 'black children overboard.'
Others, most notably Jon Stanhope the ACT Chief Minister on the ABC, said the policy was racist while some complained it was paternalistic.
The detractor's reaction, understandable, is valid given the inaction of the Federal Government in its 11-year tenure. Nevertheless, this policy has gained support from some Aboriginal leaders who said it was needed to curb the abuse.
Warren Mundine, Indigenous leader and former ALP national president, blasted critics of the Commonwealth's plan, saying in the Australian that protecting women and children is more important than politics.
He said: "I don't give a stuff what his motives are…I take Mr Howard's motives at face value. I am quite happy to accept it may be a cynical exercise in his re-election. I don't care. What I want to use that for is to get some real outcomes for Aboriginal women and children."
Noel Pearson, the Cape York Indigenous leader, slammed critics of the intervention, describing them as nay-sayers who wished for the action of the Federal government to fail in the ABC's Lateline program.
"The people who are nay-saying any type of intervention are people whose children, like my own, sleep safe at night," Mr Pearson said. "I think that is a terrible indulgence (that) when our children sleep safely at night we seek to put road blocks in the way, and we wish failure upon, any decisive action that is going to deliver some relief to vulnerable children."
He also ridiculed the opposition's claim that the Federal government have concocted this intervention to 'grab land,' saying who will want it in the Fairfax publication.
As a Christian, what do we given the validity of both sides of the debate? For one thing, we can no longer take the none-of-my-business approach and wait for someone else to do it.
We as Christians are not called on by the Lord to sit on our backside, but to go out boldly to proclaim the good news of salvation to the ends of the earth. In spreading the good news, is also the need for us to care for the less fortunate and to take an active interest in their well-being. From the Gospel of Matthew 25: 40, it reads: And the King will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me' (NRSV).
Already some Christians have supported the Federal government approach, with evangelical Christians applauding the government move to stamp out X-rated pornography.
Jim Wallace, the managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, said that the child-sex abuses occurring within the NT was evidence that the myth of pornography causing no harmful effect on society was a lie.
"The Northern Territory situation gives the lie to suggestions that pornography isn't harmful to society," said Mr Wallace. "Pornography and alcohol have been identified as being among the main factors behind the sexual abuse crisis. When children as young as three are being exposed to the worst kind of pornography it is little wonder that sexual abuse is epidemic."
This was supported by Warwick Marsh from the Fatherhood Foundation who described pornography as a 'cancer,' and urged the Federal government to cut its source, in Canberra which he nicknamed 'Pornberra.'
The Salvation Army has given support to the Federal government intervention, saying due to the urgency to addressing the issue, they supports the Federal government's commitment.
Even if you vehemently disagree with the motives and political agenda of the Federal government, at least you can feel encouraged that they are finally paying critical and much-deserved attention to the plight of the Indigenous community, which they neglected for so long.
It is not just politicians who feel indifferent to this issue, but the wider community at large, says Graeme Mundine, the executive secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia, to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 referendum.
"We are very quick to race off to save the poor children of Africa who are beamed into our TV's every night (which I don't object to) but we fail to notice those little speed humps along the road, our so called 'fellow Australians,' said Mr. Mundine.
"These little speed humps are annoying but are there to remind us that we should also address the problems in our own backyards. I call on all Australians during this time of reflecting to think again about our own country and about the continual lack of interest in Australian Indigenous issues."
It is time for us to heed that call as Christians, not to be like the followers in the Church of Laodicea who are neither hot nor cold for their mission as described in the Book of Revelation, but to be zealous and take up the cause of our fellow Indigenous brothers to see that their well-being is enhance and to share together in the abundant blessings which God has so generously poured on this nation.
It does not mean that we simply support the Federal government guang-ho and military-style approach to deal with this issue. Rather, like the Anglicans and Mr Pearson, we as Christians must persuade, forcefully if we have to, the Federal government to work with the various stakeholders involved in this issue, particularly the community being targeted or else this venture will be doomed even though it had good intention.
This is a mighty effort on our part, but nothing is impossible for the Almighty God. We as Christians are called not to work with our strength and our talent to solve problem, but to rely on the wisdom and strength of God so that this tragic situation can be addressed but not forgotten.
I appeal to you therefore not just as a Christian but as a child of God to pray for the Lord to guide everyone involved in this debate so that the best outcome can be found for not just our countrymen, but for our Indigenous brothers and sisters who with us are in Christ our Lord and Saviour.