National Indigenous Times Issue 138, September 20, 2007

Brough announces extra $700m for NT intervention
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: The federal government will spend more than $700 million on a new range of measures in its takeover of Northern Territory Indigenous communities.

AMSANT slams intervention child health checks
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: The federal government's health checks of Indigenous children in the Northern Territory have been labelled inefficient, ineffective and potentially unethical by a lobby group representing NT Aboriginal health services.

$100m to go to follow-up health care
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: A $100 million fund has been set aside by the federal government to provide follow-up care for Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory with dental, stomach, ear, nose and throat problems.

Labor questions "new" money
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Labor says the outlay of half a billion dollars committed on Tuesday to fix and build the homes of Northern Territory Indigenous people is not new money.

Mobile teams 'doomed to failure'
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Mobile teams of health professionals visiting remote Aboriginal communities must be integrated with existing health services, the Fred Hollows Foundation says.

Indigenous health campaign kicks off
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: The nation's leaders have been challenged to take concrete steps to boost the health and life expectancy of Indigenous Australians on the first National Close the Gap Day.

NSWALC welcomes state govt inquiry into life expectancy gap
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: The NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) has welcomed a state government inquiry to investigate the difference in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Brough "a bit confused" over SBS "porn" in NT
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Mal Brough has accidentally admitted he hasn't read at least one key section of the Little Children Are Sacred report, despite claiming it was the catalyst for the federal government's half billion dollar fight against child abuse in remote Aboriginal communities.

Welfare latest move in NT
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Aboriginal people from four central Australian communities had half of their welfare payments quarantined from Monday in a federal government bid to stop the money being spent on alcohol, drugs and pornography.

Porn bans hit the Territory
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: The federal government's pornography bans started in the Northern Territory this week.

Review called over CDEP alternatives
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: The federal government needs to review its alternatives to Community Development Employment Programs (CDEP), a group of remote Aboriginal service providers says.

Care for country under threat: NLC
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Canberra needs to ensure jobs and wages for Aboriginal rangers or risk programs that protect the Northern Territory's unique environment, the Northern Land Council (NLC) says.

Thousands of tourists face alcohol bans in NT
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Under new restrictions that began on the weekend, thousands of tourists will be banned from having a beer while fishing on river banks or camping in many Northern Territory national parks.

NT alcohol changes will spark backlash: Crossin
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Federal government changes to its Northern Territory alcohol restrictions will spark an enormous backlash but won't stop Indigenous people getting drunk, a Labor senator says.

Alcohol ban for Fitzroy Crossing
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: The strictest liquor licensing conditions in Western Australia could soon be slapped on the troubled Kimberley town of Fitzroy Crossing.

New national Aboriginal body to counter govt policy
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Aboriginal leaders have formed a national representative body to counter what they say is government dominance of the Indigenous policy agenda in the wake of Canberra's intervention in the Northern Territory.

NT intervention supporters 'naive': Dodson
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Aboriginal leader Pat Dodson has described the Howard government's intervention in the Northern Territory as a sinister attempt to extinguish Indigenous culture.

Qld ministry reshuffle puts women in hot seats
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: For the first time in Australian political history - at either a state or federal level - two women will assume ultimate responsibility for Indigenous affairs in Queensland, following the swearing in last week of the new Queensland government's ministry.

A Major call on Bligh to give hope to Cape folk
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Premier Anna Bligh must shape a new future for Queensland's Indigenous people by decreasing the welfare dependency that is crippling Cape York communities, Young Australian of the Year Tania Major says.

NITV viewing numbers to rise on Foxtel, Austar
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: A note to Eddie McGuire. Increasing the potential audience share of a television channel by about 25-fold is not only do-able, it's actually being done.

Stolen Gen bill introduced by Democrats
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: A bill to set up a compensation scheme for members of the Stolen Generation has been introduced into the Senate by the Australian Democrats.

Police start work in Territory
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Eleven police officers from Queensland started work in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities last Wednesday as part of the federal government's 'emergency intervention'.

Third world eye programs needed here
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: Eye services similar to those available in third world countries are needed to help fight rising rates of blindness in Aboriginal communities, experts say.

New centre for health studies
Issue 138, September 20, 2007: A new Centre for Indigenous Health at The University of Queensland is uniquely placed to attract Indigenous students to health professions and generate real health benefits for communities, according to Centre Director, Professor Cindy Shannon.