Hi Akam

Anthony's got a point. You can put up a contribution on OLO's 'General Discussion' where you don't have to use your own name, just your OLO name:

* click on 'Forum' up the top of the page;

* then click on 'General';

* then click on 'Start a new discussion'.

And away you go :)

Cheers,

Joe

I am a social work student who is currently studying the proposed Stronger Futures legislation for a policy assignment. I agree that many Aboriginal people are facing a magnitude of issues currently. However, in order to properly solve these problems we need to work with Indigenous communities through actual consultation. Not the consultation that occurred for the Stronger Futures Legislation. The practice that we use needs to be evidence-based, and most of all we need to listen to what Indigenous people are saying and find a way to integrate Indigenous culture with the intervention we use.

That's right, Aka, there may well be discrimination in many places - the question is:

SHOULD YOU LET IT GET IN THE WAY ? SHOULD ANYBODY USE IT AS AN EXCUSE FOR NOT TRYING TO TRANSCEND IT ?

Yes, there is a huge gap between the living conditions of some Indigenous people and others, and (on average) between the living conditions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

According to the 2006 Census, thirty five per cent of all Indigenous women (288), aged 25-59 and living in the ACT (totalling 812), were university graduates - one in three. At the same time, in the Apatula region, across the NT immediately below Alice Springs, 0.7 % of all men in the same age group were university graduates, usually with diplomas - that's one in 140.

Now that's a gap.

And it immediately raises the question, at least for those who don't think that poor education is a good thing, even for 'traditionally-oriented' men:

WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT ?

I know that the role of intellectuals these days seems to be to describe the world, not to change it. But I would have thought that Indigenous intellectuals and academics don't really have that luxury.

The ball's in your court, Aka :)

Cheers,

Joe