[Deleted. Refers to earlier deleted post.]

Hmmm,
This article reflects the concerns of the author but unfortunately little else. It is great to see QUT out there and once again studying Indigenous communities but what they really need is for Universities to follow thru and run the pilot programs rather than just developing the reports. Rumour has it that Palm Island already has the eguipment and machines to drastically reduce the cost of housing by using local materials. There are already houses built by this method but our academic friend probably didn't bother asking the community.
Palm Island does need drastic increases in its building infrastructure but until the communities has an integrated approach to its development and is allowed to grow its human and social capital with that development nothing will change.
The problem of title is complex but opening it up to normal market forces would be disastrous. The cost of building a house by Qbuild at the moment is between 400 to 450 K. If the community is stay an aboriginal community the house won't be worth a tenth of this, so who would invest in a house? If the community is opened up to outsiders, and lets face it the place is the closest thing to paradise i've seen, the Indigenous communiy will be pushed out by a more than likely property boom.

So, if we let the residents on Palm Island own land and build homes it will make everything alright?

Whats wrong with getting a job and owning a house in Townsville?

The whole thing sounds like a well intentioned disaster!

I say close the residential community on Palm, create a cultral and heritage centre where young indigenous people can learn to be proud of what is left of their culture. Groom the indigenous leaders of tommorow....at last there could be true indigenous leadership!

Antigone, the last place one would look for a workable solution would be Q Build. $400k for a house, yeah, that would be right. Avoid all bureaucrats, they regard your need as nothing more than a franchise for them to exploit to the max for their own job prospects. The last thing they want is a problem to be fixed because then there would be no more need for their so-called services.

Hope you are reading this, Ludwig. When you are working on your third million, come and have a chat to me about economic engines.

Perseus, regarding your response to Antigone; here we go again with one of your classic totally polarised anti-government, anti-bureaucracy, anti-regulatory statements. It is worth repeating in full because it is a classic; “Avoid all bureaucrats, they regard your need as nothing more than a franchise for them to exploit to the max for their own job prospects. The last thing they want is a problem to be fixed because then there would be no more need for their so-called services.”

O for goodness sake. What a twisted view. Show me a complex society that functions well and maintains a healthy economy without bureaucracy and bureaucrats!

Regarding your reply to me – how about addressing the issue instead of making some inane comment. Justify your bizarre statement: “Home building, repairing, renovating and expanding is THE core economic engine of a properly functioning economy at both national and local level. Without it there can be no local economy and without a portion of tradeable property rights there can be neither.”

Aboriginal communities are generally pretty sad places. But Palm Island has two main problems that make it a worse place than other Aboriginal communities – it is an admixture of different cultures and language groups thrown together from far away, and it is an island! The second point is not something that I have ever seen or heard expressed by anyone. Residents of isolated Aboriginal communities have a sense being pushed out of sight and out of mind from mainstream culture, but on an island, this is all the stronger.

Palm Island is totally different to Thursday Island and associated Torres Strait communities, because the people there are for the most part on their traditional lands.

Palm Island was a dumping ground, no less tragic than the convict dumping ground that was Australia’s foundation, but whereas the undertones of such a ‘shameful’ past have long-gone in mainstream society (and even been turned into something positive - yes I am proud to be the descendent of a convict), the story is still one with negative connotations on Palm.

Let’s get rid of the place! Townsville is only a short distance away. It has an indigenous community at Happy Valley and a lot of indigenous people living in a more integrated manner in the community. It has had its fair share of problems with public drunkenness and so on. But all considered, I think that Palm Islanders would be a lot better off in Townsville… and Townsville would not be worse off for it