10 Apr 2015

Australian media "ignore" Aboriginal plight

6:13 pm on 10 April 2015

A Māori rights movement in Adelaide - Iwi n Aus - is accusing mainstream media in Australia of ignoring the plight of remote Aboriginal communities.

The Western Australian state government's plans to shut down remote rural communities have sparked outrage from the Noongar community and tāngata whenua rights supporters.

The state government said it only has limited funds to sustain those indigenous communities.

The leader of Iwi n Aus, Erina Morunga, said mainstream media continued to overlook the Noongar people's concerns.

"So they tend to not tell the story of what's going on in Australian [rural indigenous settlements]," Mrs Morunga said.

"I've been watching the media from back home in New Zealand and I notice that our people are telling the story a lot more than what the media over here are telling.

"So, it kind of indicates that there are (is) definitely a relationship between the media and the politics that goes on here."

Ms Morunga said in the meantime, Australian media were more focused on suspected Aboriginal family and alcohol abuse, as opposed to the grievances caused by the planned closures of remote communities.