More than a century of misinformation and disinformation has manifest veils and layers between many Australians and the First Peoples of this continent.

Effectively, the oppressor has a responsibility to redress to the best of ability the damage - psychosocial and material - to the First Peoples of this nation - who have endured hits on their person, identity that people should not be hit with.

For the record, if you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander aged 15 to 35 years, nearly one in three deaths in this vast age group will be reported as suicide.

The leading cause of death for First Peoples aged 15 to 45 years is suicide.

A third of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is marginalised in extreme poverty. In the homeland communities - 'the remote' and regions - Aboriginal communities have been degraded by one government after another - manifest economic inequalities - shanty town existences - this is the making of governments and not of the communities. This is racialisation and racism. Aboriginal communities have the right to social wealth and economic equality, to an equivalency of services that non-Aboriginal communities are availed to. We have a moral obligation to redress wrongs in tangible and real ways - we have done the opposite as the statistical narratives demonstrate and as the failed reductionist policies of one government after another also prove. Of all middle and high income nations with relatively recent colonial oppressor histories Australia, one of the world's wealthiest nations per capita, has the widest divide of all measurable indicators between its First Peoples and the rest of its population. This speaks for itself - and indicts.

Gerry Georgatos

'Is it not too much ..that we afford the same dignity, respect and assistance to our indigenous' Is this guy for real? Not all indigenous are dependent on the Govt. Many work, pay bills, buy their own homes etc. The rest of the 3% of population receive numerous forms of assistance from the Government and are not comparable to those in third world countries, They really have nothing and appreciate anything they get. Which communities in the Kimberly are living in third world conditions? If the reference is to towns where houses are smashed up, beaten up cars everywhere and basically rubbish tip looking, they did that all by themselves. As for the very remote, smaller communities, even though they might live in shanties, as Michael pointed out 'we cannot grasp their spiritual link to land and culture and they cannot just up and leave..' so cant be relocated but they still rely on Govt assistance. If the Govt had an ulterior motive for wanting to move them like- 'mineral deposits', as with the other mines they would receive millions in royalties.
As for Govt spending on 'infrastructure for their future prospects' is there a shortage of housing? Havent heard that one yet.
$30.3 billion funding for 2012-2013'not truly representative..alot of the money for basics that are a right and given to every Australian' Gerry Geogatos. What is our right and what have we all been given? I didnt get it. Come on!

Hi Jodelie,

With respect, you're forgetting that many settlements look like rubbish tips for a reason - none of that junk-food packaging, used Kimbies, busted-up cars, plastic bottles, paper, etc., is Indigenous - it's all been produced by non-Indigenous people. So whose job should it be to clean it all up ? Obviously, non-Indigenous people: they created the problem, they solve the problem. You know it makes sense.

And after all, as many Indigenous people believe, whitefellas not only get their houses free but also get them cleaned up by the Government - you don't see many of their places covered in rubbish, do you ? So that must be why. And if the Government gives whitefellas houses, and cleans them up for free, why not Blackfellas' ?

Seriously, many Indigenous people seem to believe the above: It's amazing that, once a settlement is cleaned up, a lot of what looks like poverty vanishes. In a study I did thirty-odd years ago, I found that at one settlement where I had lived for years, believing that poverty was rife, [rents: between two and six dollars p.w., with some people in arrears by two years], median income was equal to the Australian median. Squalor is commonly confused with poverty.

I remember driving some women into town on a Saturday morning, (I think in 1975), going past a house on the outskirts where the bloke was doing his lawn: the women all looked quite resentful and one said "[Sniff] .... he's got a [ - ] nice yard." I didn't understand why the resentment for many years. Now I think I do.

I hope this helps :)

Cheers,

Joe

Joe. Well said thankyou. I find it very 'unbelievable' for someone to say "A third of aboriginal/ torres straight live in extreme poverty." Unless they are full blood 'first peoples' choosing to live off the land and independently, every aboriginal/TI not gainfully employed receives govt assistance. Dole, medical, housing, schooling the list goes on as does the lists of billions of dollars in funding. For anyone to suggest housing and infrastructure be build to accommodate those who chose to remain in remote areas 'homeland' is stupidity, hypocrisy even. They have chosen to live on the land, remain connected to their old cultures which is their right, but by they must accept some responsibility for themselves. As for those living in townships and cities, their right to 'social wealth and economic equity' is recognized and met. Every opportunity is handed to them to have an education, gain skills for employment same as every one else. Weather or not they make the most of these opportunities or remain defiant and govt dependent is also their choice. Its time to stop playing the victim.

Aboriginal Academics stand to gain too much from their peoples self inflicted misery. If they fix the problem their generous gratuities' will end.
Posted by Jayb, Wednesday, 12 August 2015 12:44:01 PM

So very true!!

The indigenous people of Canada and the U.S.A seem to fare better than our own indigenous people. Their governments let them run casinos and by all accounts they do quite well off them. Since most Aussies would bet on two flies crawling up a wall, maybe our government could take a look at this as a solution.