ABORIGINAL women are being “kept pregnant” as “cash cows” in order to make money from government hand outs, a former Labor MP has claimed.
Former politician Gary Johns made the controversial comment during an interview on Ten’s Bolt Report on Sunday morning during a discussion over the proposed constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians.
“A lot of poor women in this country, a large proportion of whom are Aboriginal, are used as cash cows,” he said.
“They are kept pregnant and producing children for the cash. Now that has to stop.”
Johns’ comments were in response to a report from Aboriginal Housing Victoria which today revealed Aboriginal women were 34 times more likely to suffer domestic violence than non-indigenous women, published by Fairfax.
He aimed his comments at Cape York community leader Noel Pearson and his approach to constitutional recognition.
“I’d like Noel and his team to start thinking about fundamental issues that affect his people and our people at the really lower end of this society,” he said.
“They should be trying to smash the welfare state, not a liberal democracy and its constitution.”
The former MP who served in the Keating government has gained attention on social media for his controversial comments, but he’s no stranger to backlash when it comes to his views on welfare.
Writing in The Australian last year, Johns suggested welfare should be linked to compulsory contraception, saying there should be “no taxpayer inducement to have children”.
“Potential parents of poor means, poor skills or bad character will choose to have children. So be it,” he wrote.
“But no one should enter parenthood while on a benefit.”
http://www.news.com.au/finance/money/former-labor-mp-gary-johns-says-indigenous-women-are-being-kept...
I disagree about welfare being linked to compulsory contraception.
