Dear ttbn,

The Aborigines did not create a civilisation. They did what they needed to do to survive. That's what all of us do.

Settle down, peoples, no need to be nasty. All human cultures have language, religion, kinship, economies, trade, oppression, and so on. It wasn't due to stupidity, that the locals didn't have guns or patisserie.

It is a matter of record that conflicts and massacres went on for 140 years, with black casualties far outnumbering white. Skulls and other parts of vanquished blacks were sent off to Europe, just for fun. We'll get them all back from Germany, well before ye olde English give them up.

Separate point: Albanese's a tosser, and The Voice is woke-ness

david f

No, it's not what we all do. People who don't establish a civilisation are bludgers who deserve to live in caves. Australian Aborigines, as they were observed by settlers - Watkin Tench comes immediately to mind - were miserable and primitive; as I said above: they wasted 650,000 years, while other ancient cultures were bettering themselves. Aboriginal life was horrific. People are just too browbeaten to say it.

There was nothing to 'take away from them' as one young Communist admirer has said recently. They have been given much by civilised settlers, and they are still getting the same benefits and opportunities we all enjoy. The opportunities are a problem for some of them, who would prefer to sit about and take, take, take.

The fact that most aboriginal-connected Australians have done well for themselves shows that they don't need handouts and special 'voices' unless they are not bludgers; and then they don't deserve it.

Edit error. Unless they ARE bludgers, which is what the losers among the relatively small number of aboriginals are.

Recognise the Aborigines in the Constitution. One stroke with a pen and, presto they're recognised in the Constitution !
The rest of the debate has already been compensated & paid for multiple times over !

Graham starts with these two sentences in which he completely demolishes his entire premise.

"The perennially prevaricating Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Linda Burney was at it again, this time on Twitter, inferring there was something particularly deplorable about Australia's European colonisation because there was no constitutional recognition here, unlike other comparable countries.

It's another volley in the argument that if you're opposed to The Voice it's because you are irremediably and systemically racist, unlike anyone anywhere else in the world you would like to call your peer."

No it isn't.

To leap from the first to the second is exactly what he accuses Ms Burnley of doing.

The self projection is so obvious. Indeed I was recently blocked by Graham on Twitter primarily it would seem for using reasoned debate. It seems these leaps of logic are not to be challenged.

Come on everyone, we really do need to be doing better.