On one hand the author says indigenous people are healthier for living in their homelands and at the same time reports very high incidence of medical problems. Somethings amiss in her reasoning.

No amount of Government money for Education makes a difference if you don't send your children to school.

Poverty ? Really ?

Don't people in remote communities receive standard welfare payments, just like other Australians, without the standard obligations to look for work ?

Do people still get BOTH ABSTUDY (if they are enrolled in TAFE courses) AND CDEP (for working two days a week, on home duties) ?

Don't many (or all ?) Indigenous communities in the NT receive annual royalty payments, from mineral exploitation and from national park entry fees ?

Don't many families in remote communities receive the remote education allowance, up to $ 24,000 per year ?

Aren't people out in homelands happily hunting and gathering ?

What sort of rents are people paying for their half-million-dollar, seven-year-life, houses ? Do they pay for their own electricity and water use ? Don't most larger remote communities have running water, flush toilets, and therefore enough water to set up vegetable gardens, orchards, chook yards (check out a community at random on Google Maps) ?

Just asking :)

Meanwhile, in the cities, every year, Indigenous women are commencing tertiary (university) education at 80-85 % of parity with NON-Indigenous Australian women. In fact, their commencement level is higher than that of NON-Indigenous Australian men.

Joe

The only way Australia is failing the children is by allowing welfare money meant for food to be used to keep people in a drunken state and contributing to them neglecting their kids. The idea that you can go from partner to partner and not take responsibilty for your biological kids is also contributing greatly to poverty and total lack of love for these kids. Dare I say if they were a different colour they would be taken away to be cared for by people who care. Speaking the truth will be labelled racist.

MH181011

Michelle Harris,

The invaders of this country are failing their children.

The preceding comments testify to it.

Thank you, Skeptic,

Perhaps you could answer those questions ? Perhaps you could explain why Indigenous women in the towns and cities are doing so well at university, taking class background into account ? How come they seem to be doing better than non-Indigenous working-class women ?

The way things seem to be in remote communities (where invaders are pretty thin on the ground), the quicker people are able to get to the towns and cities, gain skills, then employment and be able to live satisfying lives, and guide their children for the next generation, the better. Listening to Rosalie Kunoth-Monks last night on Q&A, it appears that even leaders in communities don't have much idea what to do, except demand more outside help, in the name of self-determination. Am I wrong, Skeptic ?

Joe

skeptic

'The invaders of this country are failing their children.'

get over it. Be thankful it wasn't the Dutch or Japanese. It is likely we would not be having this discussion if that was the case. Thankfully life expectancy for the first people has increased drastically thanks to the colonisers.