As debates continue about Central Australia’s crime crisis, Indigenous leaders are concerned cultural ‘payback’ is being blamed for recent violent clashes in Alice Springs. They say Aboriginal law is significantly misunderstood and are calling for greater authority to determine a way forward.
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00:00Scenes of chaos in Alice Springs, prompting two government-imposed curfews this year.
00:07I think they need to get over themselves.
00:09But many Indigenous leaders are concerned the fighting is being blamed on cultural payback.
00:14What I see play out in Alice Springs isn't payback, it's a dispute that actually needs to be resolved.
00:23Payback is just one aspect of cultural law which sees impacted parties meet after an incident.
00:29It aims to restore balance and prevent revenge attacks.
00:33Physical punishment is one option.
00:36Other consequences include banishment from community.
00:39Whatever the outcome, traditional law dictates that payback only be carried out under the authority of senior lawmen and women.
00:48But there is concern that customary law is widely misunderstood.
00:52There's a misrepresentation of Aboriginal law as if it's just violent or brutish.
00:58Some leaders claim a return to traditional justice could even prevent some of the fighting seen in Alice Springs.
01:05But others say payback no longer has a place in today's world.
01:09Violence should be unacceptable in any form whatsoever and therefore there has to be other ways forward.
01:16Some Aboriginal justice advocates say while cultural law is based on good principles,
01:21only restoration of cultural authority can ensure lasting peace.
01:26So I think we need to really go full throttle forward and start looking at how the justice system reflects a community.
01:38Calls to rethink justice in a changing world.