Certain people from Britain stole Australia, not only from black people - but from everyone (including from other people from Britain).
Granting special freedoms only to indigenous people and their descendants thus creates great injustice.

The author writes:
"it is totally unrealistic to imagine that the 250 independent aboriginal nations at the time of colonisation could possibly survive in today’s aggressive world".

Prior to British invasion, however, the continent of Australia was free from any such notions of "nation" and "sovereignty" and the above British people are among those most guilty in the first place of creating "today's aggressive world" which depends on those stupid notions.

The author continues:
"It is, however, in everybody’s best interests that we facilitate matters and do whatever we possibly can to assist those of our indigenous peoples who, of their own free will, wish to maintain their traditional cultures and life-styles, and remain as autonomous as possible in remote and very remote areas."

Yes, but why, Oh why, Mr. Crisp, should this freedom and autonomy be reserved to indigenous people alone?

As Justice Dowling correctly held:

"Until the aboriginal natives of this Country shall consent, either actually or by implication, to the interposition of our laws in the administration of justice for acts committed by themselves upon themselves, I know of no reason human, or divine, which ought to justify us in interfering with their institutions even if such interference were practicable."

Yet the same also applies not only to aboriginal natives, but nearly to everyone else because nearly none of us was ever in fact even asked for our consent for this interposition of laws: I know of no reason human, or divine, which ought to justify that British gang in interfering with our lives with their laws.

Fungible ...the exchange of perceived misdeed, for reward, (in this case)! Two fives for a ten. :-)

Rodney really shouldn't have cited Lane, everybody knows he's a dribbling idiot, utterly unreliable, with his own crazed agenda.

But does anybody seriously think that, if Britain hadn't grabbed Australia first, no other colonial power would have touched it ? The French sailed into Sydney just two weeks after Phillip. If it hadn't been the French, in time would the Dutch or Portuguese or Russians have left it alone ? Until 2016 ? We need to get real.

But fortunately, now that Indigenous people now have control of a fifth of the continent, they can return to their traditional ways of life any time.

Speaking of which: Rodney celebrates "the world’s oldest surviving human civilisation". I've never understood what that meant. All human cultures are equally 'ancient', although some have moved on a bit faster than others. And, even if that were not so, since we all came Out Of Africa, including Indigenous Australians, then surely "the world’s oldest surviving human civilisation" is currently in Africa ? All over Africa ? And, incidentally, in southern India ? And Malaya ?

We are all equally human, all equally capable of embracing change and of innovating when necessary, and I'm sure that, given Australia's changing environment over the past sixty thousand years, Indigenous people here have readily innovated, and - dare say it ? - changed some of their cultural practices, perhaps continuously. And, from the historical record, it is clear that Indigenous people changed some of their practices, or readily adopted new ones, very soon after the British arrived, and out of choice.

Joe

It always comes down to MONEY , doesn't it ?

The New Zealand and Mau Mau examples are interesting as they were both Wars , real ones involving large massed troops and in one case a Peace Treaty and the other Independence.

Actually of your four 'issues', the first three are fine, assuming that you mean ALL Australians in Issue #2.

The Issue #4 is rubbish.

"as basic as a one chorded song, with a one word lyric"...more more more more ....Amore that! I can hear the seagulls...mine mine mine mine, me me me me...squork

I completely reject the notion that black people are less intelligent than their white contemporaries! Just surviving in a hostile land requires rare intelligence!

Some of my forbears in northern NSW only survived thanks to the intervention and bush medicine of (smarter)black neighbors! And turned a blind eye therefore to the occassional jumbuck being stuffed in the tucker bag. (dilly bag) And even taught some how to shear sheep and earn an honest quid!

Which assisted peaceful cohabitation!

I'm told I have a small percentage of tasmanian aboriginal blood coursing through my veins? Never used it or relied on it for some perceived advantage, Which likely explains why, when I tan, it starts out as freckles that resembles a mottled beige brown camouflage and why when I passed my final medical exams, (ah me Medic) I managed an average of 98% pass, which broke an unassailable record that that until then stood for 70 years! And made a few young participating ("smarter") doctors STFU!

My ("well tanned") Great Grandma had a prodigious memory, (a sign of equally unusual intelligence) as had other colored folk, who needed to remember everything in light of the fact they had no written language, just the occasional message stick/possum pelt with its unique hyroglifics? I just don't buy that racist crap they are less intelligent! Given none of mine and theirs ever were!

And the best reason for them getting up off of their bulging backsides and helping themselves! Rather than pissing endless sit down money against some wall!?
Alan B.