Removal of children “inappropriate and wrong”
Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough says he wants to hold a public debate, over his concern about children who are growing up in unstable or violent situations, in town camps or remote Indigenous communities. He would like to see children forcibly removed from so called problem families, although he admits he does not have the power, or any plans, to do so. He’s also revived the idea of having money taken from welfare payments, to ensure it’s spent on essentials for children. But Director of the Goomurri Centre at Griffith University and the author of a report into abuse of women and children in Indigenous communities, Boni Robertson, says the ideas do not reflect the wholistic approach that Indigenous communities say they want. Interview courtesy of SBS Radio’s Aboriginal Program.