-- "The disingenuous government line - that the money could be better spent on improving health outcomes for Indigenous Australians - is hard to swallow."

I don't find it hard to swallow at all. I think the indigenous communities need substantial education and social reform before we can just throw money at them and expect them to deal with the problems.

-- "People are entitled to reasonable health care as well as to compensation for wrongs done to them by the state."

Except that once compensation is paid, they deserve no different treatment that that of white people who live in remote communities. And health services out of major population centres are not in good shape regardless of the race of people involved.

Leigh in one line the only answer the post needs thanks

With respect, these are ancient people, and the white people expect them to keep up! Are you all insane! They need to be given their own city, with their own government, and place them in the most beautiful place of their choice and let them run it. They have enough elders that are educated, so why not help them to do this. Their evolutionary
position must be respected, and lets face it, the currant system is not working.
They will grow, if we think about it.

TRTL, Poor Dan suffers from something akin to the "I'm the only gay in the village' syndome. Talented writers like Ringy get right up his proverbial goat.

“Governments must summon up all of their political courage and take the opportunity to make great strides forward in the journey towards Indigenous justice.”

More drivel about the fraudulent claim of wrongs.

the supposedly stolen children were actually being “saved”, from aboriginal communities,

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/truth_stolen_in_tasmania

I think the need for an “apology” is not warranted and if anything, those who claim to be “stolen” should be saying thank you for being saved, not that I expect that.

The nature of the people with the humanity to defend the innocent from their predatory and neglectful parents do not expect the innocent to respond, they just wish the saved ones to live an independent, productive and worth while life. I guess that would include not walking around with a perpetual begging bowl.

As for “But now that the NIC is knackered, Labor must move swiftly towards replacing it with a truly representative body.”

So what % of aboriginal genes does an “aborigine “ have to have (versus migrant genes) to qualify to be represented by such a body?

regarding

“The nation's economy is booming and we have wall-to-wall Labor governments. But managerialism must not be allowed to triumph over vision.”

Yes the "boom" which Labor inherited though liberal prudence, far better than what the liberals inherited from Keating.

I thought the labor party had a manifesto and policy. Why do they now need some talkfest of the brightest to identify new ideas? If those who voted for labor had actually read their party manifesto, they would be aware of the ideas and innovations which were driving the government.

It seems strange to me that having only just come to power, Krudd & Co should need newer ideas to implement but of course, I forget, this was the me-too election where the labor party simply copied the liberal manifesto and branded it new, well it was new, to labor.

Ah Leigh, as always, so succinct.

And rainier, adding his own form of wit to the debate.

The Bringing Them Home Report clearly found the vast majority of stolen children did not benefit. They had less education, less stable relationships and were more likely to have spent time in jail.

Quoting Andrew Bolt or Keith Windschuttle in defence of stealing children is hardly justification. These two are part of the white wash of history brigade. Like Howard they are yesterday's people.

Jack Waterford made the point in the Canberra Times on Saturday that the same arguments about saving children are being used today and that when future generations look back they might come to the same sorts of conclusions about our activities now with aboriginal children that the Bringing Them Home report did about our past actions.

According to Jack the rate of removal of Aboriginal children today is 50% higher than that identified in the Bringing Them Home report. Are we not continuing the cycle of disposession and genocide in the name of caring for kids?