Alcohol and porn ban for Aborigines

Australia plans to ban alcohol and pornography on Aboriginal land to curb a "national emergency" in child abuse, prime minister John Howard has said. The bold measures to tighten controls over remote indigenous communities would also include strict new limits on welfare payments. Mr Howard's announcement comes after a report from officials in Australia's Northern Territory found high instances of child abuse in Aboriginal communities. "This is a national emergency", Mr Howard told parliament. "We're dealing a group of young Australians for whom the concept of childhood innocence has never been present." "Exceptional measures are required to deal with an exceptionally tragic situation." Under the proposal, the sale, possession and transportation of alcohol would be banned in Aboriginal communities for six months, while every Aboriginal child under the age of 16 would undergo a medical check. Extra police would be deployed and pornography outlawed, with computers searched for x-rated images. There's a news video on this page.