I'd like to add that when I criticise people I don't criticise all. I only target those who don't consider others. That group of people includes all walks of life & all races. I don't criticise for criticising's sake I do it in the hope that some catch on & do their thing to reduce corruption, incompetence & racism. We can not hope to achieve that if we're accused of racism at the slightest hint of an indigenous person having a hand at wrong-doing.
White Australians have bent over backwards to make things better, don't let a handful of leftist mouthpieces have you believe otherwise.
The NTI wasn't activated because some bright spark had a good idea. It was developed because the decent sector of the Government was at the end of their wits to find a solution. Howard's mob had the sense to ignore all the experts & let common sense have a go.
A lot of harm was avoided.

With respect Dan, I think you are the one being selective discounting Aboriginal incarceration rates and alarming suicide rates. We could argue whether or not NTER is a factor, but the fact remains that, at the very least, NTER has not had a positive effect after all these years. Why isn’t suicide prevention a priority? It’s appalling that the rates are worse.
Also it’s all very well to say that other policies address Aboriginal culture but it is the Stronger Futures policy that aims at creating major changes in people’s lives and it doesn’t mention Aboriginal culture at all. How can you close the gap if you refuse to listen to or understand one side?
This policy is assimilation. In fact it is colonialism 2012 style, with colonialism defined by the Macquarie dictionary as “the policy of a nation seeking to extend or retain its authority over other peoples or territories”. Stronger Futures gives the government enormous control over Aboriginal people and there is strong resistance to it. There are human rights issues here with NTER breaching the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. No wonder Amnesty is concerned.
In regard to culture clashes the biggest one is the conflict between the Aboriginal concept of caring for country and the mining industry. Perhaps that is why Aboriginal culture and opinion is left out.
Some people here seem to believe that having studied Indigenous Studies at university is a form of ignorance and instead those on the ground should be listened to. It’s fair enough for people to have an opinion but could they please explain where their perspective comes from. Could those who say they live and work in remote Aboriginal communities please explain something about their roles. Personal points of view vary depending if you are Aboriginal or not, an elder or an appointed Government Business Manager, a police officer, health worker, a mining exec etc.

Amanda,

Your focus on suicide prevention is most welcome and timely: in some remote communities, the youth suicide rate is more than ten times the national average. Many of us have lost many young friends and relations through suicide and have been shattered by its pointlessness and the grief and trauma that it causes.

Perhaps alienation, the perceived futility of life, easy recourse to violence and grog/drugs are partly responsible, but some genuinely courageous attention to Aboriginal suicide OUTSIDE OF CUSTODY is long overdue:

* as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody found, with 23 % of prisoners Indigenous (at the time of the Royal Commission) and 22 % of all deaths in custody being those of Aboriginal prisoners, there really was no elevated levels of deaths, by suicide or any other means, of Aboriginal prisoners in custody over those of non-Aboriginal prisoners.

After all, if 80 % (or 1 %) of prisoners were Aboriginal, wouldn't one 'expect' 80 % (or 1 % respectively) of all deaths in custody to be Aboriginal ?

To take the argument to an extreme, if 99 % of prisoners were Aboriginal, what would you expect the custodial death-rate to be ? Somewhere around 99%, no higher.

If 0.1 % of all prisoners were Aboriginal, what would you expect the custodial death-rate to be ? No higher than 0.1 %.


* but we knew at that time that suicide outside of custody, especially of youth, were far higher for Aboriginal people than for non-Aboriginal people.

Is it too outrageous to suggest that, relatively speaking, Aboriginal people are safer in custody than outside of it ?

What does that say about community life, available social support measures to protect young people, and their perceptions of life-opportunities ? Overwhelmingly, young Aboriginal people who suicide are unskilled and unemployed (no, not all: just overwhelmingly). How have parents and schools let young people/kids get to this point ?

Joe

What does that say about community life,
Joe,
I hear comments of dismay from the older generation that our laws are utterly ineffective when it comes to discipline & way too harsh & unfair when it comes to petty stuff.
I totally agree with them.
The Police are expected to uphold law & order but the civil libertarians prevented that long ago. If there's one group to blame for this break-down then it's that lot.
I speak with both hoodlums & Police regularly & all agree. The law is the biggest hurdle in our society. Not just as in Law & Order but all other laws imposed upon us by incompetent bureaucrats.
{eople simply can't even fart anymore without having to observe some legislation. It's all too much & it makes people go off the rails. Too many just say stuff this nonsense & go & top themselves. No inquiry ever finds the real guilty party guilty-bureaucrats.

You say "This is ideological racism, based on the belief that Indigenous people can't sort out problems for themselves and need government control." Actually, it is assistance, not control, and it would seem that they can't sort out their problems for themselves.

Joe - a voice of experience and commonsense!

Amanda - I've had experience in a health care role, not in communities where population is predominately indigenous but significantly higher than average. I had colleagues who were working in aboriginal communities. If there was one thing we agreed on, THEY ARE A HARD PEOPLE TO HELP. My indigenous patients were generally not an overly intelligent mob - least not in a contempory sense. This may have been lack of education but substance abuse, including FAS and child neglect certainly contributed to what I suspect was low average IQ.

Violence, aboriginal on aboriginal - off the planet. Forget police brutality, you were (undoubtedly still are) at greatest risk of death or GBH at the hands of your 'tribesmen'. Domestic violence - particularly distressing. As one colleague put it, "If whitey gives his Mrs a flogging he'll leave her bleeding, bruised and sore for a week. If it's a blackfella and his Mrs can walk within a week, he hasn't beaten her hard enough" Children - first rape victim I saw was 2 yrs old. Her rapist 19. The mob had been 'partying'. She was stabilised and flown to Brisbane. I was 'unloading' to the Sister who ran 'Childrens Ward' who essentially advised me take a teaspoon of cement because although this one was unusually young, I'd see plenty more child rape.

Indigenous prisoners are disproportionate in number. One might also argue that many having committed serious violent crime, the levels of criminality are significantly higher in the indigenous population. Racist ...??

I'd expect suicide is often response to sexual assault, violence, social alienation, substance abuse or combinations of these factors.

In view of the greater good that seems the lot of 'Australianized' aboriginals, I'd argue assimilation is the answer. Otherwise let those who want the 'traditional' way truly live it - without whitefella houses, tucker, grog or drugs. Oh sorry - that'd mean a lot of 'experts' out of work. Not really - none of the 'feral' crop would or could do it. And the 'culture'? One word - TOXIC