Aust: MP's racist comments about Aboriginal people

Greens urge Nationals MP to apologise and withdraw comments about Aboriginal people or resign from Parliament

The Greens MP Lee Rhiannon and Greens councillor Jeremy Buckingham have requested legal advice to determine if remarks made by National MP and Member for Orange Russell Turner have vilified Aboriginal people.

"Mr Turner has made serious and groundless allegations associating
Aboriginal people with crime and has urged the Premier to ban an increase in the Aboriginal population of Orange. He should immediately apologise and withdraw his racist remarks or resign from the Parliament", The Greens justice spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said today.

In a recent media statement Mr Turner MP called on:
" * Premier Morris Iemma to give a guarantee to the residents of Orange that he would not authorise the transfer of any further Aboriginal families into Orange." And argued: "These extra families, many of whom are already known to police are inevitably going to compound the lawlessness that has been building up in Orange over the previous six to eight months."

"This is ugly, divisive politics. The Coalition is promoting a race based law and order election campaign. In country areas they vilify
Aborigines and in the city they vilify people of Middle Eastern appearance.

"Mr Turner's statement about Orange sounds like he wants an apartheid system where Aboriginal people in western NSW would not be free to move around the state." Ms Rhiannon said.

"He has no proof for his allegations. He is making these racist comments to help consolidate the former One Nation vote.

"If Mr Turner does not have the decency to apologise surely the leader of the Nationals, Mr Andrew Stoner, or the leader of the Opposition, Mr Peter Debnam, should step in and distance themselves and their parties from these insulting remarks.

"If Mr Stoner and Mr Debnam remain silent they will be effectively endorsing Mr Turner's disgusting slur upon indigenous people." Mr
Buckingham said.

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