The comment about living in the pre 1788 era is valid because it was made in relation to a comment claiming assimilation has failed. It has not.
Positive assimilation occurs through marriage, education, adaptation and mutual co-existence. We tend to focus on the failures rather than the success stories. Why?
Unfortunately assimilation does not guarantee an end to poverty because many factors produce poverty (poor health, disability, lack of opportunity due to poor education or location, addiction, a 'you owe me' attitude - you get the drift). The poverty cycle is broken through having an income level that provides for needs (as opposed to wants). Education provides this opportunity. Moving to where opportunities exist is another.
This article is about truancy and solving it. Giving money to kids is not the solution. Investing in their education is one solution. Showing them there is a better positive alternative to where they are at is another. Do our schools do this? Telling them their future success is up to themselves is another. My best teacher was the one who told me in year 5 to stop feeling sorry for myself, to stop making excuses and to get on with life ie to stop getting around with a chip on my shoulder. I wonder if a teacher would be allowed to say this in our PC schools?

Now I'm going to be really bad. Otokonoko, the only way aboriginals can make themselves less 'white' is pretty obvious. Marry only full blood aboriginals.

Why is gaining an education that gives you life oppportunites seen as turning 'white'? As postees have shown: our education is based on accumulated knowledge and wisdom from the past - and not everyone who provided this was 'white'.

re. Cynthia2's comments

There are many "mixed marriages" - between Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people where the non-Aboriginal partner has assimilated into Aboriginal family structures, law and culture. Similarly there have been many white state school teachers who have assimilated to local culture including learning local language and achieve good educational results

Why do you assume cross cultural relationships will naturally tend towards the white side?

And the full blood comment is irrelevent, "Aboriginality" and "whiteness" are about culture not genetics. Assimilation is about repressing culture and spirituality and imposing another. If we let Aboriginality and the spirit of this country free, instead of trying to block it at every turn, our own culture just might learn something. We have the highest youth suicide rate in the world, we certainly need to learn some things about culture, psychology and spirit.

Hi Derek,

Thanks for the encouragement to continue commenting. My plan is to be more selective of discussion partners.

How come throwing more money at a problem seen only an issue with Indigenous people. We continue to throw money at the cane farmers and they tend to avoid public accountability.

Have any of those that think ATSIC was spending tax payer money in a careless way ever read an annual report of the now defunct organisation? The accountability levels were higher that the (government backed) AWB but of course 'their' $300 million lose gets a slap on the wrist.

Chris Sarra changed the mindset of department staff, teachers, parents and childrens by committing to a simple though/action attitude change from..."Black = failure" to...."Black = success." Very simple, just like teaching my daughter that when the teenager deli staff looks through you at the local Woolworths and attempts to serve another customer (happens at least once a month) you maintain eye contact and tell him/her that you were there first. And, that if you dress badly then expect the Myers staff to follow you through the perfume section. - we just tested this fact last week. Attitudes need to change in order to correct past failures.

Believe me I don't think that giving kids a few dollars a fortnight (like I was given in the early 80s, albeit only $3/$6 checks) will solve the problem but increasing the funding to the amounts that knowledgable experts say will help address housing, education and health needs is worth a try. If housing experts say, $500 million will fix the housing problem in Aboriginal communities and the gov throws $50 million, what is the expected outcome? Simple hey? Add to this that most of these economists are white males not just those of us at the black coalface. Pun not intended.

Back to work, I have a funding submission to write...got to keep asking for money to warrant successful outcomes.

2deadly wrote:

To summarise:

(An Indigenous Australian is telling you his thoughts and you are continuing to reply with shallow, ignorant feelings of a better country.

"There" is a place I hope you reach but sadly like so many others, ignorance is a comfortable existance that is guilt free and soothing).

When backed into a corner with logic either run like the dickens or use the 'you don't understand the aboriginal problem lines' :-( I interact with aboriginal people every day of my life, amazingly, they want a better country where we are ALL Australians

At our primary school, out of our allocation of 19.1 teachers we have 1 full bloodied aboriginal and 4 part bloodied aboriginal teachers. They did not get money given to their parents to attend school, makes one wonder how they made it as teachers really. Perhaps their parents taught them the values of a decent society, where it is more important to self esteem to work for a living rather than keep receiving hand outs. In fact it is a rarity, not the norm to see any non working aboriginal people down our way. There are the odd bad apples, as there are in the peaches and cream population. I don't receive hand outs from the government ..... I lie, I got a $50 allowance per child at the beginning of each school year. My kids don't get Austudy till they reach the age of 16. Abstudy is handed out to aboriginal kids when they start high school. So how much more money do you want handed out, and wasted, because it obviously isn't working.

Re: the wheat board.

Do you eat bread and cereal ? It isn't just the 'white' wheat board. It is the Australian Wheat Board. Have you ever considered moving ? If things are as bad where you live as you say they, this would be an option I would look at.