Intervention for Wycheproof

Wycheproof: pornography, drinking and child abuse 'rampant', but no worse than the rest of the country

By Andrew McKenna

On the eve of the Federal election, the Caretaker Government has announced that if re-elected, it will create an intervention in the Mallee town of Wycheproof.

It will be similar to the Intervention in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Ageing said pornography, drinking and child abuse were ‘rampant’ in the small Mallee town.

‘It’s not true that the Intervention has created chaos, increased poverty and racism in the Northern Territory,’ a spokesperson said.

‘While the NT Intervention has not uncovered paedophilia rings and no child sexual abuse cases have been prosecuted, that doesn’t mean they’re not out there. And it’s the same with Wycheproof. It’s the same with most towns in the country.

‘Little children are sacred, and if they are at risk then the government must act. We haven’t funded any child protection workers for Wycheproof, but soldiers will be able to do the job better. Just like in the Northern Territory.’

There was speculation that the reports about Wycheproof were based on operators’ subjective observations and perceptions of the situation within the community, and did not include any direct field reports.

The United Nations has expressed concern over the Wycheproof Intervention, writing to Prime Minister Gillard following a complaint made to the UN by a collective of Wycheproof community groups.