...The author makes many relevant points concerning the apparent discrimination of Abstudy payments, and the article is well written from the perspective of one living in a community such as Moree, where racial segregation is most apparent: But, as a member of the Moree community, she should also be aware of the starkness in living standards between Aboriginals living on the mission site on the Gwydir Highway, and the town community.

...It cannot be denied that Aboriginals in the main, live a gruelling and segregated life outside of white society, which necessitates Government innovations such as Abstudy, to assist them in a chance to achieve equality.

...On my many visits to the Moree spar pools, I have never observed an Aboriginal face in the crowd, (apart from a couple of kids that entered in our party and, I might add, were given their own personal official observer to oversee law and order issues on site, (how rude)).

to assist them in a chance to achieve equality.
diver dan,
with all respect, my experience after 30 years is that that's the last thing the majority of indigenous aspire to. Why, because equality has one serious side-effect, responsibility.

These are simply racist policies that allow one group of people more rights or entitlements than another. Many people can't see through this scam. The best test I can think of is to just change around the colours of the various groups that the rules apply to. If it is considered racist when applied to any group then it should be applied to no groups at all. In other words would we all readily accept whites getting these extra benefits the author has listed on the ABSTUDY website, at the expense of the rest of the population. I think most would not, thus the policy should be scrapped.
It seems whites are the only group that racist policies are allowed to disadvantage and what's worse is that this is just so readily accepted in today's society.
There are just so many policies where certain groups are entitled to extra benefits at the expense of the rest of the population. These should all be ceased.

Careful there Ozzie, if you start to apply that policy to race, you'll end up having to apply it to gender as well.

I have no doubt that the feninatzies have all ready issued a contract on you. People like you are far too dangerous to the cause, for the "ladies" for them to let you hang around.

...The tribal instincts of Aboriginals tends to confine them, as a group, to behaviours outside desires of integration into the white society. One of the ways to promote integration under those circumstances is to encourage them, by such means as Abstudy grants, to move outside their confined square.

...I have noticed though, even with this extra help, those Aboriginals who take advantage of the extra privilege Abstudy is, are ostracised in their own group as a result, often resulting in a life in no-mans-land; not fitting anywhere in society. The same cannot be said for ethnic groups or those in the white society. Added to that argument, we owe it to them to assist with extra help where possible, to improve their lot, if they are motivated to do so: I don’t see a problem with that!

Ozzie, I'm probably a lot more "full on" about the White thing than most people and I don't have a problem with Abstudy or extra benefits for Aboriginals, neither do the other racialists I associate with. You can't compare White people with Aborigines, we're different and within different ethnic groups there is significant diversity in intelligence, temperament and natural ability regarding scholarship. What are we really talking about here? Egalitarianism is the problem, we can oppose formal racial equality and still be a just society, people with special needs do require special consideration, doesn't that make more sense? Maybe the state could ask Aboriginal elders or land councils to nominate young people for special scholarships on the understanding that once they qualify in say, medicine, law, social work or nursing that they return to work within their community. That way you could focus educational assistance upon not only the brightest people but the most civic minded and ethnocentric individuals, thus building an educated Aboriginal elite.