"Indigenous Australians have for tens of thousands of years practiced a far richer form of democracy than did the city-state of ancient Athens".

What a load of old cobblers! Killing. Infanticide. Cannibalism. Filth. That is the real story.

Aboriginal Australians did not practice any form of recognisable democracy. Tribal groups were dominated by male elders who made all decisions and the warfare between groups resulted in constant disputation between groups that usually ended in bloodshed.

Aboriginal people were primarily responsible for the loss of Australia's megafauna in the years after they colonised the continent and they then used fire to mold the environment to fit their needs, so their environmental care actions were all designed to allow them to survive in this mostly harsh environment.

Read the book 'Blind Moses' by Peter Latz and you'll discover what central Australian Aboriginal life was really like compared to the rose-coloured false description contained in this article.

While I mostly agree with ttbn. would have put it more politely. Bah humbug!

I cannot see for the life of me around 3% of us and coming into today's world as a stone-age culture given what seems to be demanding gifted shares in return for what!? Shiploads of humbug and inculcated BS?

Mostly the work of the creamies? Who almost to a generic man, reject their white forbears? If anyone else wants shares they need to work for the money and buy what they can afford!

As for our indigenous brothers, that means full assimilation and making sure they take what is offered, an education and accepting the rules and laws that apply to everyone else born here!

I mean, not all aborigines arrived here one fine day but came in waves over thousands of years, displacing those already in ownership occupation!

So, that which is claimed as a birthright belongs to all or none save the very first of the first! The Tasmanian aborigine?

I'd accept elders as all future governer generals And they would need to also be highly qualified judges, lawyers, scientists and the like! And a flag with the aborigine flag in the corner! Thus far and no further!
Alan B.

What the authors omitted is that they also invented the jet engine 20 000 years ago.

"they also invented the jet engine 20 000 years ago."

Not true. The truth is they were so advanced that they COULD have easily invented the jet engine but decided, via their democracy, to not build it because it would have been detrimental to the environment.

Its the same reason they didn't go ahead with nuclear power and frozen yoghurt.

Some people dispute this, but they're all racists.

Do these academic twits actually believe this garbage they print, or are they simply currying favor with the aboriginal groups?