I can't understand why you think this incident was because the lady was Indigenous. I can't believe you think it's the Prime Minister's fault.
Elderly people all over Australia are being neglected, people just seem to forget about older people. For the last 15 years I have been assisting some elderly (non Indigenous) people that live in pension flats. I work full time elsewhere and I volunteer time to help care for these people. No-one really cares about them, they are old, lonely and frail. I found one of the ladies on the floor of her flat one day after she had fallen in the night, she had been there all night. One of them had a fall one day at the shopping centre, nobody helped her, she is now to afraid to leave her home, and now never leaves.
I think all Australians should care more for our elderly people, and if every person helped just one eldery person it would make their world and our world a better place.

"What is the government doing to address the appalling racist attitude that more and more Australians are exhibiting towards Indigenous Australians?"

What are Indigenous Australians doing that generate this attitude of indifference?

More BS from the black Australia industry. One more piece of self indulgent rubbish. If this piece had of been about Australia’s indifference to our fellow humans, I would be right there with you Stephen. But it is a disgrace to make it about race. I am appalled at the growing number of black Australians vilifying our people, our Governments, our culture and our way of life.

Yes we should have a nation were people can willingly stop and help their fellow citizen, but this continuous assault and insult of Australia and it non black peoples just serves to make me more cautious and guarded about dealing with black Australians.

Stop making everything about you. Do what I do, work hard, pay tax and respect your elders. That way Aunty Delmae would never have been left there in the first place.

Hi Stephen

I personally feel regret for this incident. However, I think it is assuming too much when you blame it solely on racism. I have had a personal experience of physical threat by an aggressive addict whom I approached in Smith Street Collingwood when I thought they were ill. So, I may be lacking in compassion and I may be overly cautious but, for me at least, my actions would now be just the same for a non-indigenous person.

I also have problems with your plea for "the billions of dollars that Indigenous Australians are crying out for". There are some prior issues before we start handing out money.

Firstly, I know from personal knowledge that millions have been wasted by indigenous organisations themselves through nepotism, self-aggrandisement, straight out defalcation or just plain bad management etc. Would you accept the need for a focus on real personal and organisational accountability for outcomes? I would certainly not vote to spend more money knowing, for example, how one ATSIC commissioner's power base was able to cover up massive wastage through flash accounting over recent years - millions gone and nothing to show for it beyond some bankrupt companies.

Given that we are having a debate in OLO this month about healthcare where billions are also needed - not least for indigenous health - what are we going to cut from the Federal Budget to produce that money? Or, if we genuinely can't give an urban-level or even a decent level of healthcare to remote communities (indigenous or not) which we don't seem able to do, would you/should we encourage indigenous communities to leave the bush and settle where we might be able to provide the services they need?

Regards

Kevin

Stephen,

I have worked with indigenous Australians for over twenty years and over that time have come to expect this culture of blame.
It seems whenever something does not go your way it is automatically related to racism and stereotypes something that I find to be a cop out.
There are no easy answers to the problems facing indigenous Australia but what has become apparent is that aboriginal Australia is in no way capable of handling its own affairs in regard to the distribution of money. As already mentioned in this forum aboriginal politics is rife with nepotism and greed (I HAVE SEEN THIS FIRST HAND NUMEROUS TIMES) something that goes against the idealistic view of aboriginal Australia held by so many.
Instead of constantly referring to themes of racism and so called red neck Australians how about talking about aboriginal Australia taking some responsibility for themselves ensuring a positive future. These are themes that have been talked about by Pearsen and Mundine, two men with foresight not blinded by futile idealism, the kind of men who can work towards a positive outcome for all Australians, because that is what we all are isnt it?

No mind readers here so we'll never know what went through the minds of the passers by at the time. Maybe Stephen is correct and everybody who went past was racist and uncaring and let the womans skin tone combine with some stereotyping drive an assumption that she was yet another drunk aboriginal.

On the other hand maybe the failure to aid was a reflection of the numbers of people who use public places as their homes. Some are there by their own clear choice and others by choices which are not easily within their control.

I don't know how many they see around the Uni generally but as a city worker I'm used to the sight, sounds and smells of people who mostly live in public places. Some are quite harmless, other are agressive and I generally leave them all alone unless I have a reason to interact with them - sellers of the big issue are often creative and entertaining.

It's not unusual to see someone asleep on a bench seat surrounded by their stuff, walking by does not signify callousness or racism (those drunken white so and so's) rather a recognition that people living like that are a part of life and that most probably do not welcome inteference.

It's sad that we have not found better ways of helping those who would like to be helped but to claim that it must be racism because one indiginous person was not aided when she needed aid is drawing a long bow and runs the same risk as "The boy who cried wolf".

R0bert