wandii, neville bonner did have an affect on the grassroots people in the south east queensland community and established initiatives for community benefit well before the govt started chucking money at the 'aboriginal industry'.

as for pearson, some of what he says is right, its his method of dictacting solutions that is wrong because they lack community consensus.

we, as aboriginal people, have got to get off our bunthies and start hauling people, like our so called leaders, into line because some of them have done way more damage than good works.

agree that constructive debate is a healthy thing, but lets face it sometimes you stick your neck on the line and you get it chopped off - a deterent for many to keep their mouths shut about wrong doings instead of standing up for what's right.

there's the line, whose gonna step over it??

I agree that public sniping at each other would not advance the cause of indigenous Australians. The trick is to develop a mechanism for robust internal debates, soul-searching, etc and to continually strive for a common vision on what is to be achieved and how.

The Chinese Australians have tried to achieve a united voice since Blainey's anti-Asian immigration campaign of 1984. So far, only dismal failures. Too many ambitious leaders, little trust amongst themselves, most too busy pursuing their own interests through being a "Chinese Community leader" useable by the white powers that be. One of the unspoken rules is that we do not critcise one another.

The second best solution though is the strong visionary leader. Noel Pearson might be such a person. He may not be perfect in terms of traditional respect for other indigenous leaders, but if he is the bright hope in the horizon then may be some others could gather round him and form a more potent and integrated force.

Beware of token representation though. Senator Tzebin Chen, the first overseas born Chinese senator, got dumped when the Liberal Party in Victoria decided that there was someone else more important that needed a seat. In some ways Neville Bonner had the same problem. When he decided to speak out, he was diendorsed. According to Bonner had the Queensland Labor Party delivered its preference as promised he would have had the extra 0.03 quota or so to win the seat on his own.

I hope I am not offending anyone. I am barely aware of the severe disadvantages of indigenous Australians, though in my heart I know that the dispossession of the first peoples is indeed the original sin of Australia.

Chek Ling

Stephen,
Maybe it is time for the community to allow some of the women a say. For example, Boni Robertson is fearless, intelligent and articulate in her criticism of the current governments of Australia and her defence of the communities right to have proper national representation, as well as a coherent thinker for a way forward for Indigenous Communities based on Indigenous control of Indigenous Affairs. If the community got behind people with integrity like her, as I am sure many are, the fight might need only go a few rounds.