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The Forum > Article Comments > Yes we can - no we can't > Comments

Yes we can - no we can't : Comments

By Stephen Hagan, published 6/2/2009

It may be a bit much to ask for an Indigenous PM of Australia but what about all Indigenous Australians having access to running water?

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Houellebecq, I am sorry, but you should have lived in the Northern Territory, (as I did) when aboriginals were not allowed to have access to alcohol. It was a much safer place for everyone, blacks and whites. Then the white do-gooders from the south thought it would be a good idea for them to be given the same rights as the rest of the community, without explaining to them that with rights come obligations and it was all down hill from there.

Fortunately, there are some places where they have pulled themselves up by their boot straps, but these are still too few. Although there is much more that needs to be done, the ball is now in their court now that the government has said "Sorry".

David
Posted by VK3AUU, Friday, 6 February 2009 2:04:38 PM
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Stephan

It would indeed be a proud moment if we had an Aboriginal PM. While you may perceive my views as parochial, there are some ingrained problems which articulate indigenous spokesmen refuse to acknowledge.

Having worked in education for 10 years, I assure you that truancy among indigenous kids is high. In my location, businesses in the CBD, during school hours, have resorted to calling the police when invaded by groups of indigenous kids who should have been at school.

Principals who repeatedly sent notes home to parents or suspended these kids were wasting their time. Parents would not even respond.

One must ask how much control parents have over their children?

I witnessed a fine example of wonderful parenthood by a poor, very shy Aboriginal widow who had seven or eight kids. These kids lived 40 kilometres from the school they travelled to by bus daily and their attendance record was excellent - better than other kids. In addition to that, the widow was the only Aboriginal parent in the school who, each month, graciously gave her assistance at the school canteen.

To the best of my knowledge all her children have found successful careers and have rightfully taken their place in an affluent society.

If you aspire to great things for your people Stephan, as the widow did for her children, I must ask you why this aspiration has not been instilled in the parents of truanting children?

My observations continue to reveal that many indigenous kids have been educated by elders to resent whites. As young children they delight. As teenagers, they hate.

I too grew up in a remote area, in a canvas lined humpy with a "thunderbox" down the back yard. Certainly we had running water, however, none of the hardships we endured were permitted to be used as an excuse not to attend school even though we would arrive at school, bare-footed, cold and hungry.

Education = success. Illiteracy = failure. All Australians have that choice.
Posted by dickie, Friday, 6 February 2009 3:36:45 PM
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Stephen,
I dont know if you read the posts your articles attract or not, so i maybe wasting my time.

Firstly, I don't know if Warren Mundine has ever tried to get nomination for candidacy for the Senate or a House of Reps seat. He seems a good level headed bloke to me and I see no reason for him not to get a nomination. Aden Ridgeway was part aboriginal and he was a Senator. Did not Charles Perkins hold a fairly senior position in the public service and there are a number of public servants with aboriginal heritage.

Someone stated a while ago that some 65000 aboriginal people have got higher education quals. I do not know if that is true but I know this, those that have those quals did not get them by not going to school and then sitting at home. No they had to leave home and go where there were high schools and then to Unis and study. The same as anybody else has to. Good on them. I acknowledge and applaud everyone who has the willingness to get out and have a go.

You say "---wish that all indigenous Australians be afforded equal right, access to the same education, health, legal, housing and employment opportunities" Stephen they do. All australians are equal and have the same opportunities.

All that live in Sydney, canberra, or other large city have access to the same facilities. In fact it could be argued that those with aboriginal heritage have access to more legal facilities than others.

All that live out the back of Woop Woop the same applies. It does not matter if a persons heritage is aboriginal, chinese, pom, indian or eskimo. What opportunities there are, are available to all. Because a person chooses to live in a certain place means he/she has to accept the facilities that are there. If he wishes to gain a job in a certain field or further his education he has to go and live where those jobs or facilities are.

continued
Posted by Banjo, Saturday, 7 February 2009 12:02:39 AM
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Stephen continued

If he has a condition that requires specialist treatment, he has to go where the specialists are.

You speak of running water and sewerage being made available. Hey, I live in the bush and I had to pay for my own and to get the phone and power connected, nobody came along and did it all for me. I accept that because I want to live here.

Not too far away is a small villiage of about 400 people. Some years ago they got a reticulated water supply and later sewerage. The council did the work after doing the sums and the people agreed to pay a special 'villiage improvement rate' which pays the loan monies the council took out to enable the work.

The recipiants of the services pay for them. That is how it is done.

Is that not simple?
Posted by Banjo, Saturday, 7 February 2009 12:18:41 AM
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Was there ever such a winger.

Yes Mr Hagan, I think we should supply aboriginal communities with exactly the same facilities as our "other" comunities.

My community is not remote, it's less than 60Km from the Brisbane GPO, so it must be rich, hay? In my community, our rural watch association [do you have any of those?], delivers our news letter to 830 homes, housing a little over 3000 people.

Most of your comunities, of this size have running water, a septic, or sewerage system, a health center, staffed by a nurse or 2, a police station, with 6 to 10 police, a school, a sports centre, & playing fields, all supplied at tax payer expense.

So just what do we have in our privileged more or less white community? Well we have a volunteer fire brigade, [do you have any of these?] with most of the equiptment paid for by fund raising, although we now pay too much extra in our rates, & get some equiptment. Oh, yes, we get 3 hours of mobile library as well. This only costs us, on average $1600 a year.

Now, what don't we get. Well, how about running water, sewreage, a health centre, nurses, a police station & police, a school, sports centre, or playing fields. We do have a pony club, but the grounds were donated by a resident, & the facilities built, & payed for by the members.

Most of our kids have to spend more than an hour each way, getting to & from school, on a bus, which for many of us, is not free, & its 28Km just to get to a tip.

So you winging fool, just tell me where to go, to pick up all those extra facilities you have, that we don't. I suggest, next time you look where your foot is, before opening your great mouth.
Posted by Hasbeen, Saturday, 7 February 2009 1:34:15 AM
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Just to second what Banjo has said:

I had a similar experience living in a small -white-community in an outback/bush area.There were no council supplied water , sewerage or garbage services .

And to add injury to insult, the (distant)responsible council would impose rates, a component of which was listed as water & garbage -services, it had neither the will nor the way to supply
Posted by Horus, Saturday, 7 February 2009 6:52:16 AM
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