Discussion Questions - Essay Example

Q1 The legislative responded by putting some measures in place through the commonwealth to protect children in the aboriginal communities. They included: restrictions of alcohol, reforming how the cash flows into the region to control substance abuse and also ensure that money meant for children welfare is not misappropriated. Ensuring that children attend school by linking the parents’ income support and payments of family assistance to school attendance and also providing meals for the children in school at the parents’ expense.

They also ensured that all children underwent compulsory health checks so that they could be treated of any illnesses and effects of abuse. The policing levels were increased and ground clean ups introduce in addition to repair of the community, to ensure it was clean and healthy, through a process called work for the dole. Housing was also improved and living arrangements changed to include market based rent and tenancy as commonly known. Pornography was also banned and any community-funded computers were audited to check for illegal materials, the permit system was also scraped meaning that anyone could access the common areas.

And finally managers were appointed to ensure that the aboriginal decision makers did not wield as much power as they used to. The police, army and doctors were mobilized and asked to volunteer to help in this cause, in a span of 3 months there was a notable difference in that no case of child abuse had been reported. The federal government then tabled three bills to the Australian parliament, which made the government’s intention clear; it was observed that the commonwealth had other intentions apart from helping the sexually assaulted children of the aboriginal communities.

The organization wanted to be able to control the communities, acquire leases of the town for five years and do away with the permit system. The government used this move as an opportunity to change the ownership of the aboriginal land from kin based to individual forms (Turner and Watson, 2007). Q2 It became clear that the passing of the said legislation gave the government powers to: control how the aboriginal communities spent their welfare money. These policies raised some issues and dilemmas with the public and the aboriginal people.

This is due to the fact that the police were given powers to enter personal property without permit in pursuing of a person considered to be under the influence of alcohol. Records of people using computers that were funded by the government were expected to be kept for a period of about three years. Customary law and cultural practices were not to be put into consideration by direct courts while setting bail or sentencing anyone. The commonwealth were also given powers by the legislation to: terminate or alter any funding agreements that were being held with the community organizations, to dictate how government funded assets were used and also instruct people to take up specified tasks through the government appointed business managers.

The commonwealth was also allowed to oversee the governance process locally and have their representative attend meetings that were government funded and terminate employment of any individual working in a government funded body. They were also given p