I don’t actually get to see what happens in aboriginal communities), how things are going in those poor rural areas
Tombee,
The poor aren't poor in an economic sense, they are poor in many other aspects of western philosophy. Those who are able, capable & willing are actually doing a lot better than the average non-indigenous in this country.
I you as a non -indigenous were to not go to work yet fill in your time sheet for the full hours you'd cop the brunt for doing so. Not in many cases of indigenous in the employ of Government Departments. Nothing is done stop those who do the afore-mentioned from rorting the system. I know ! But they are not to blame. The blame goes directly to mainly european descent ALP supporting bureaucrats who simply do not have the gonads to put a stop to the practice. Most of them only spend two or three years in the communities so they never get to fully experience the error of their incompetence. If any particular entity is to blame for some of the dysfunction in indigenous communities then it is fairly & squarely the fault of the ALP.

From considerable personal experience in the Wilcannia and NT outback the relevant problem is easy to see, it is the wrong 'advice' from the wrong 'advisors'.

How about somebody ask MP Nigel Scullion to comment here about indigenous employment and associated respect being achieved in mining in the NT right now.

JF Aust,
I honestly don't know about the NT but here in FNQ a considerable number of Torres Strait islanders are employed by Comalco. They mostly drive the huge trucks & if what I get told by the drivers personally I'd say 3 grand a week ain't bad money. Why not many aboriginals are employed you might need to exercise your judgement.
I am not aware of any other positions being held by indigenous other than truck driving. Someone with more knowledge may wish to enlighten us.
And, yes JF Aust you're spot on with your assessment re the wrong advisors. That is a leftover from the ALP policies which the Coalition hasn't as yet addressed. They still keep some of these useless bureaucrats & for what reason I do not know. I do daily battle with these morons & I can't wait till the Newman Govt can get away from rectifying ALP stuff-ups & start concentrating on introducing some sense at bureaucracy level.

individual,

A majority of indigenous people have low tolerance to alcohol just like I do. Nevertheless I acknowledge that personally and do not allow myself to get drunk. If affected like I have been only 3 or 4 times in my life, I spin out, get dizzy, throw up, and I suddenly become very religious praying for help and saying I will never get that way again.

It is known some people when drunk get angry, others quiet, others sleepy, others pick fights, some pick fights with their good friends. Many have fatal car accidents.

From experience working with indigenous people I think the only real problem is the alcohol, and therefore I think all that are alcoholics should join and follow AA, to learn how to keep off it.

I have seen good indigenous people work hard and save and then go to town where traditional ways had them share their earning with mates, all hitting the grog and not coming back to work until money ran out. With reliability gone due to alcohol, so are the jobs.

Not many people want drunks living next door either, white black or brindle.

I think most indigenous people would agree alcohol is their most serious problem.

Out in the Pacific some indigenous people pilot aeroplanes.
Indigenous people can achieve like whitefellas, if the alcoholic-inclined stay right away from the grog.

JF Aust,
I agree with everything you say. I only want to add my personal opinion based on personal observation. Indigenous will themselves admit that they have in general a low tolerance to alcohol & when they drink the effect of alcohol literally overtakes their reasoning before they can react & drunkeness is in place. Europeans or rather white Australians in particular on the other hand deliberately drink to get drunk. They deliberately do not control their intake & that makes them many times worse than others whose metabolism lets them down.
And yes, I know several Papuans who are in aviation & medicine etc. I know of no Australian indigenous doing that except a handful of mixed race who identify themselves indigenous but an outsider could never tell from just looking at them.

@ individual,

That we agree with each other is evidence of honesty in this discussion about the way the truly situation is.

MP Scullion was on ABC News 24 earlier today, about indigenous Australians being paid A.$70,000 a year and replacing fly in fly out workers.

No doubt a lot of those fly in's will object but they could camp out there too if allowed.
As long as the jobs get done.

If the indigenous people being paid well can stay off the grog, I think some of them could learn to fly and maybe even buy a plane.

(I think soon we will run out of posting allocation x 24 hrs)

Have a good weekend.