The Northern Territory Emergency Response - Has it Really Improved the Lives of Aboriginal Women and Children?

In 2007 the Commonwealth imposed a series of measures under the umbrella of the Northern Territory Intervention, in response to allegations of the widespread sexual abuse of Aboriginal children and violence inflicted against Aboriginal women. Some of the measures were controversial, not only because of the absence of prior consultation, but also because of their blanket operation. In particular, the income management regime was imposed on entire communities, as an attempt to discourage undesirable behaviours by regulating the spending of income support payments. There has been little debate among feminist scholars who publish in this forum on how feminists should approach the measures. This paper argues that feminist scholars should consider how specific measures may impact on Aboriginal women's daily lives, engage with research and contextualise their analysis with Aboriginal women's historical experience of state intervention