About 1000 Aboriginal rights activists shut down Melbourne鈥檚 CBD on March 13 in a protest against the WA government鈥檚 plan to close 150 of the state鈥檚 274 remote Indigenous communities. The communities house more than 12,000 Aboriginal people.
Protest organier Meriki Onus, a member of Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, said Prime Minister Tony Abbott鈥檚 comments that living in remote communities was a 鈥渓ifestyle choice鈥 were 鈥渂latantly racist鈥.