[ I have located the article Stephen was seeking, and have sent him a copy.
--Gary ]
First, Shane Stone is a `high flyer' in the NT cabinet, and besides being
Min for Industries and Development and Attorney General is also Australia's
only Minister for Asian Relations and Trade. The fax number that I have in
front of me for the Secretary of the Department of Industries and
Development is (61)Aust (89)Darwin 811 240. If you're faxing from inside
Aust the prefix is 089.
I am particularly interested in, on the one hand, the NT's `concern' over
`insenstive' Australian behaviour aimed at Indonesia (in particular), and,
on the other hand, its disregard for Aboriginal rights in the NT. There's an
interesting contradiction there, and one that's easily explained when you
examine the recent signing of the MOU between the NT and Eastern Indonesia
cementing increased economic links that are beneficial to a range of elite
interest groups in both the NT and Eastern Indonesia. Of course, one of the
prime economic ventures is the destruction of whole forests for material
benefit; particularly for the likes of Bob Hassan in Indonesia (recently
featured in a programme, in the ABC series on the `mini dragons', that
focused on Indonesia - the `plywood king' of Indonesia), and Bob Matthewson,
a Darwin lumber importer. Interestingly, Matthewson is Chariman of the Trade
Development Zone Authority (the TDZA oversees the management of the Trade
Development Zone - a free trade zone in Darwin that has been formally linked
to a similar zone in Sulawesi at Ujung Pandang by the aforementioned MOU),
and wrote, in a letter to the Editor of the NT Times Dec 4 1991 (following
the furore that erupted over the Dile Massacre in East Timor), that the
unions had no right to threaten action against the Indonesian Government and
Indonesian `interests'. He said: `Australian interests are also at stake,
especially those in the NT. The relationship with Indonesia will survive; it
has to. Emotional rhetoric, gun rattling and union intervention at this
stage will achieve little more than endanger an already sensitive
situation.'
A very valuable publication that would enable anybody to follow the NT's
material involvement in Eastern Indonesia is the quarterly `Territory
Business'. It's $2.95 per issue if you can't find it in a library somewhere,
but my feeling is that if you are attached to some type of government
institution (uni etc) you can subscribe for free. Address is:
Territory Business
GPO Box 4160
Darwin NT 0801
Tel (089) 895 384
Managing Editor: Penny Archer.
In the early editions (1992) Anne Kemp was the executive editor; she is also
Assistant Secretary Industry Development, NT Department of Industries and
Development, so my guess is that Territory Business falls under the wing of
the Department.
I'm looking at all of this from the perspective of a critique of Australia's
so called `push into Asia', but I'm very interested in this contradiction
that I've very briefly outlined above. I would, therefore, be interested to
not only recieve the message that I deleted, but hear from people involved
or interested in the NT's stance on Aboriginal issues.
I look forward to hearing from anyone who wishes to pursue any of the issues
I have mentioned.
Cheers,
Stephen.
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Stephen Frost | s_frost@sunarc.murdoch.edu.au
Asia Research Centre | phone: (09) 360 6232
Murdoch University | fax: (09) 310 4944
Murdoch WA 6150 |
Australia