Stephen Hagan attempts to establish his ‘fairness’ by having us believe that he has always criticised both sides of politics equally , then slips into giving the outgoing Government one of his usual serves of vitriol reserved especially for the Coalition.

No mention, you will note, of the apartheid regime of the Whitlam, Hawk and Keating hand-out type Governments which put aboriginal Australians in the position that the Coalition was trying to extricate them from when they were dumped by a few swinging voters (they didn’t get my vote either this time.)

A “national elected indigenous representative body”? Judging by the one step forward, two steps back of aboriginal history, old and recent, there is no reason to believe that any such body would be different from the infamous ATSIC. Most aboriginal Australians simply cannot cut the mustard, particularly while they insist - of have it insisted for them by white do-gooders – in separate development instead of getting out into the wider community and living like the rest of us. Stephen Hagan and other notables have managed this. Why do they wish no less for others?

It’s very strange that Stephen mentions ‘his people’s’ responsibilities as “members of the broader Australian community”, as this has never been the aim of anyone except, vaguely, John Howard. It’s always been the idea to treat aborigines differently from the rest, and it will probably continue that way.

That’s what we should be sorry about. We should also be sorry that aboriginal affairs will continue to be the dog’s breakfast it has always been under the new government and for the foreseeable future - as long as people who are Australian like the rest of us are treated differently and expected to act differently.

The white do-gooders and aboriginal professional urgers who talk about racism and discrimination are hypocrites who are more interested in hearing themselves talk and setting themselves up at the expense of people they feign interest in

Best wishes in building a new national body to represent indigenous interests. I hope the new government is supportive of your efforts to find a voice to help your people.

Stephen, Why do you continue to write articles in this forum with a "they owe me because I am a blackfella mentality" Why not instead direct you energies towards engaging Aboriginal people in the political process and lobbying politicians on their issues.

I'll bet many blackfellas today are not even registered to vote and even more worrying those who are most likely did not vote at the last election.

What makes me really angry is that these same people will be complaining this week that the gubberment has done nothing to assist them with change within their community and yet are to lazy to vote.

As a blackfella, I thought rightly that ATSIC was a waste of my time and so I was not prepared to waste my precious vote on this Aboriginal governence nonsence and time has proven that I was right.

Gubberments do not have crystal balls on what is happening on our communities, so its up to us to educate them on the issues that effect us the most as would any other lobby group would do with their issues.

Shame on you for encouraging this cargo cult mentality.

I thought Stevens post deserved better consideration than most posters have agreed to?
He made clear the fundamental facts that,
ASTIC failed to achieve the fundamentals of a democracy.
My question is "where to now"?
Democracies around the world are failing to achieve peace and yet we persist in having aboriginal people pursue our own failure?

According to Steven, and me,the trick is to involve the aboriginal nations to overcome their inadaquacies ie not enrolling to vote, being a fundamental. Trying to advance a society to a democracy we white fella's have maybe just started to comprehend ourselves is a big ask of a people whose traditions are so very different.
Education, education, democracy is still not understood by most whites in Australia voting and preferences being just part of the problem.

If we are to once again go down the"representative" trail it should be quite different this time. Not a body of self interest, as was ASTIC,
but a guided body headed and driven by a body of people educated in both aboriginal and white fella's ways.

I would propose a body made up of educated men, the proportion of which would be appointed, others being polled from aboriginal nations. This proportion being made flexible so that it changed as aboriginals were better able to manage their own affairs.
It should be a guided democracy with their own budget overseen by treasury, as is our own.
fluff4

Given the above postings, it is possible to see what difficulties you are encountering. I wish you good luck in your very worthwhile endeavours and only hope the Government's rhetoric will measure up to the needs.