http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-02/social-change-hairdressing-building-communities/7131418

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-30/remote-fashion-festival-drives-social-change/7675034

My initial thoughts were of Australian taxpayers being ripped off but theres more to this hairdresser thing than meets the eye.

Now looking at the costs, I don't think this wasn't a grant for a hairdresser to start their own business (which I already made the case would not cost a lot to get started).
This seems more like a grant to a SJW who came up with an idea to hire a hairdresser and bring this service to the town.
So I'm assuming a large part of the costs is going to pay the white hairdresser and maybe the SJW for 'management'.

I want to change my original stance, slightly.
I do feel that this hairdressing thing is beneficial to the town and I support it, but certainly not to the tune of $270,000.
Maybe 10 or 20 grand tops, plus a contribution towards the cost of a qualified hairdresser would be more than sufficient.
And preferably an unemployed indigenous hairdresser who's willing to teach others.
I'd also support real measures that gave these people jobs.
How could the same thing have been achieved for less?

Ultimately it's a band-aid treatment, and I'd really like to know how much went into white peoples pockets.
Theres no point wasting money improving peoples peace of mind of you don't provide them with jobs and an opportunity to do better for themselves within their community.

Fellow commenters are outraged towards the indigenous on this topic, but the ripoff scams actually being pulled by whites, not blacks.
Please do not disrespect the indigenous for what whites do.
I want to see a breakup of where the $266,000 was spent.

Question.

Why do the theses towns continue to exist.?

Historically a Mission , usually run by a Church ,gathered in the locals to form a 'new' Town that could not support itself. This was Warburton 80 years ago

Where does their internal income come from , the income a town needs to continue to exist.?

If this was a typical Western Queensland town of 471 (as Warburton), it would long ago have shut down.

Incidentally , Warburton is 'dry'

Armchair critic: As a fellow commentator you referenced, you obviously failed to read my comment correctly, arriving at the conclusion I blame Aboriginals entirely,
But certainly some blame for their own dilemma lies with them.
The whole of the Aboriginal salvation industry is motivated by Government "thought bubbles" and knee jerk beuracratic reactionaries!

I subscribe to Rectub's view, but it goes too far, and thus follows the form of beurocratic reactionaries...no, there is simply a need for Goverment suppliers of funding for thought bubbles, to stop their compliance to lobby groups from NGO's, and whoever else chews their ear off for personal benifit.

Steele Redux. You must be joking! Your either of two things, ( judging by your comment), totally stupid believing your TV set is delivering you the truthful message, or your one of the Aboriginal brigade, who are very happy in a life protected by Government stupidity, and an endless supply of hardworking tax payers money, streaming in to support a budging lifestyle! Which is it?

There is an additional problem surrounding all this.
On TV last week there was an "aboriginal" youngish woman talking about
I have forgotten what, but it matters not, and she was putting an
aboriginal point of view and claiming to be aborigine.
She was whiter than any of my sons and had green eyes.
The point I am raising is when is an aboriginal not an aboriginal ?
I have no idea whether she was 25% aboriginal or 12 1/2 % or whatever
but as the years go by aborigines will become less and less so.

Genealogy shows that those here from the UK are almost certain to be
descended from Richard the Lionheart or Richard the 3rd or some other
King of England. If you go far enough back we all have common ancestors.
So, why should those that can trace some aboriginality be able to
carry through the entitlements forever ?

There has to be a limit, otherwise in a hundred years or so almost
everyone will be able to claim to be an aborigine.
It is this factor which is showing an increase in their numbers.

Now if those comments were on Twitter or some facebook there would be
an absolute rage going on and this is why no one but me has raised the question.

Dear Armchair Critic,

Thank you for at least taking the time to learn about the issue. I would make the point that neither of us are close enough to truly assess the legitimacy of funding amount, but this program appears to have been road tested in many countries with notable results and I for one am happy to see it get a start in Warburton.

Having lived in the NT for nearly three years I have fond memories of going to school with loads of indigenous kids but that was in Darwin proper. I didn't experience the challenges more remote communities face in engaging youth.

I live in a rural township two and a half times the size of Warburton (with two large hairdressing salons) and we recently spent as much on a skate boarding park. I don't begrudge the park one bit but the funding in Warburton would seem to have a far greater chance of doing some real good. The teaching and empowering of particularly aboriginal teenagers may well build confidence and set the foundations for seeking meaningful employment in the future. I wish it every success.

Dear Joe,

You wrote;

“I guess, if someone dropped $ 260,000 in my lap, I would suddenly develop a full-on personality too. At that rate, I would hone up my skills as a mechanic, fireman, plumber, geologist, and brain surgeon.”

You paint yourself as a researcher yet you did not bother to look at the facts even when I spoon-fed them to you. Starlady is not the one who gets this money.

Come on mate, you can do better. Go have a look at the program properly and then give us your opinion. I would be interested to hear what you think.

Dear rehctub,

You wrote; “I think these indigenous folk have to decide whether they want to be Australians or not.”

Mate, there are times when you really do leave me shaking my head. These 'folk' were here a long time before your or my ancestors came dragging their chains. You are just a newbie my friend.

Hi Bazz,

Are you suggesting that people are 'renting out' their Aboriginality, and wringing as much out of it as they possibly can ? After all, if they can get it recognised, it's recognised for life ?

That's a very serious and valid point - in fact, a danger for many Indigenous people. Indigenous people have been coming to cities for at least three generations now and inter-marrying with non-Indigenous people, and their children probably inter-married, as their grandchildren are currently, so both genetic ancestry and shared memories of community or 'culture' have become pretty stretched. I recall a friend who had, like me, married an Aboriginal woman and was agonising over their blue-eyed kids and if, and to what extent, they could, in the future, put their hand out for benefits - this was back in the late seventies. Sadly, he was right to be worried.

There are enormous pressures on Indigenous people to exploit their Indigenous status, and of course many actively seek such opportunities. But many, I'm sure, just want to be 'human beings', to be recognised for their skills and willingness to work, regardless of their ancestry. In fact, it is often very difficult for Indigenous people to do that: they get pushed into Indigenous units, or programs, like it or not.

I remember a graduating student in Secondary Science Teaching, looking for work; I got onto someone in the Education Department who explained, with deep regret, that there weren't any Aboriginal secondary schools in SA, gosh they were so sorry. She became a social worker. Utter bastards.

I fervently look forward to the day when Indigenous people can be recognised for the quality of their skills rather than their ancestry. With forty thousand university graduates now, overwhelmingly in mainstream courses, this racist problem will only grow.

I agree with Sara Hudson, that 'need' should be the criterion for any government support, not ancestry.

Joe