Removed for being Aboriginal. Is the NT creating another stolen generation? Padraic Gibson The Guardian March 4, 2015

There are more than 900 Aboriginal children in ‘out of home care’ in the NT. New laws will devastate groups trying to regain Aboriginal control over Aboriginal child welfare

There was a case in the Northern Territory recently in which a Warlpiri woman had two grandchildren removed from her care. In my experience, it was a fairly typical case. She was living in Alice Springs, looking after two of her grandchildren, one of whom had lost both parents to tragic early death. There were allegations that the grandmother was neglecting the children and they were removed from the local school without her knowledge or consent. ‘Neglect’ is the most common reason for removal of Aboriginal children.
These children were shifted between a number of non-Indigenous foster households. During visits they confided to their grandmother that they had been physically assaulted while in care. They lost use of their Warlpiri language……….
She was accused of being a drinker when she never touched alcohol.
The allegations did not stand up in court when they were finally tested after more than 12 months. She was accused of being a drinker when she never touched alcohol. The children were said to have chronic school attendance problems, when a look at the actual roll showed they had a great attendance record. Aboriginal cultural practices, such as having extended family members regularly stay at the house, were said to be a ‘disruption’ to the children’s lives, when they were actually a source of love and strength.
This case should serve as a warning to the dangers of new legislation for ‘permanent care orders’ in the Northern Territory……….

In reality, in many places in Australia throughout the stolen generation period, including in the Northern Territory during the 1950s and 1960s, forced removals of Aboriginal children overwhelmingly took place on grounds of ‘neglect’ or ‘destitution’ and these decisions could be challenged in court. The problem then, as today, is that ‘welfare’ decisions are taken in a policy context of assimilation, where Aboriginal culture is pathologised, communities are impoverished and Aboriginal people lack meaningful access to the courts………
Read more http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/04/removed-for-being-aboriginal-is-the-nt-creating-another-stolen-generation