The Northern Territory Supreme Court has slammed the actions of N.T Police who went beyond their powers by arresting Aboriginal people for drinking alcohol in their own home.
The news comes after a woman was arrested in 2018 in what police called proactive operations to enforce domestic violence laws. However these laws do not allow police to conduct surprise raids on households.
As reported by the ABC today, one woman was arrested after being breath tested during a surprise visit by police. Under current laws, the police would only have the power to do this if police received a complaint about someone who has a Domestic Violence Order against them.
It was this simple fact which saw the case thrown out by a local court in Katherine. But that didn’t stop N.T police who then appealed to the Supreme Court.
This case is just one example of apartheid conditions that many Indigenous people have to face on a regular basis even though they are being imposed illegally. These actions of racial discrimination not only occur in the justice system but also, in the health and education sectors as well as the workplace and society as a whole.
Too many people are applying negative stereotypes across a whole race of people which results in real world consequences such as depression, imprisonment, inadequate health treatment, financial loss and suicide.
Australia certainly has a long way to go to begin acknowledging these facts and educating the general population before we can expect things to change right across the country. You can be part of the change that is needed by highlighting and sharing stories like this one.
Welcome to Country is an Independent Indigenous news/media website. We publish stories that are often ignored by Australia’s mainstream media.
