I am amazed by the lameness of the posts on this thread. Four uses of "politically correct", perhaps the laziest cliche in the book. "Stone-age culture", "clash of cultures" etc etc. ugh.

Indigenous Australians have by far the worst health of any group in the country. Indigenous health is a national disgrace. Life expectancy of Aboriginal Australians is 17 to 20 years less than the national average. Infant mortality and maternal mortality are 3 to 4 times the national average. We're not talking about "200 years ago", this is right now in your state. Check here http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/html/html_overviews/overviews_our_mortality.htm for some more cheerful reading. If this were any other group in the country there would be an outcry

Governments posture and talk about "practical reconciliation", but a relative of mine who has worked in Aboriginal health in the NT tells me that the resources are just not there. Some of these problems are fixable. We need to fix them.

Perhaps one of the things that Aboriginal (and yes, I will use the capital) people lack is self-respect. Is this because they feel that they are owed something? Or are there other reasons?

In a country that promotes multiculturalism, we are (at least officially) eager to learn the work ethic of our Asian neighbours, the culinary skills of our Mediterranean friends . . . the list goes on. But, on a level that goes beyond 'bush tucker' and the like, do we give Aboriginal Australians much credit? As a teacher in Townsville, I deal with ATSI students all the time. Many of them come from Palm Island, Doomadgee, Bamaga, Thursday Island, etc for a good education. They aren't shipped in by the government - they are brought (or sent) by their parents who want the best for them. And these kids, uncorrupted by a city upbringing, are invariably the politest, hardest-working children I deal with. Their literacy may be low, but they are eager to fix it. They may live in households of up to 15 people, but they give their families the care and respect they deserve. They may not have many books or other 'cultural' possessions, but they do have a willingness to learn - to better themselves - that many of my white students lack.

This initiative is further demonstrated by groups such as the Bwgcolman Futures Foundation on Palm. It is a community group, run and funded by the community, seeking to improve facilities on the island. They don't expect me or anyone else to feel guilty. They just ask for the occasional donation to help them achieve their goals. They don't think we owe them anything, they just recognise that there is a problem on what should be an island paradise and go about solving that problem.

It is this initiative, common to so many ATSI people, that we could learn from. Forget witchetty (sp?) grubs and emu steaks, perhaps if we valued the cultural capital of the native population we could go beyond guilt and work towards a successful future.

Otokonoko

Great post, thank you

firstly, r.e. above post. Palm Island does not have grade 11 and 12. Concerned parents do send their children to boarding school because there is no alternative.

However, on the subject of guilt

guilt is a part of western culture, inspired by christianity. It was brought to this country like smallpox, V.D. and other unhealthy things. Aboriginal people, that I have listened to, do not appeal to guilt, this issue is allways the subject of the white reaction to what is said. Aboriginal people speak of truth, justice, compassion, equality, etc. They also speak very specifically about their understandings of their own land and history.
A good example of the different cultural attitudes is "sorry". Sorry business is grieving, fully feeling and acknowledging pain. in yourself and in others. Sorry is what you feel when a relative dies because you loved that relative and you feel the pain of the others who loved them. Yet the western mind has turned "sorry" in a legalistic debate between guilt and innocense and missed the point of acknowledging pain. All that Aboriginal people were seeking was for white Australia to feel a sadness in their heart about what had happened, to truly open up as human beings. But instead it got turned around and focused on the issue of guilt and innocence of white Australia.

Guilt exists only within the white commentaries about Aboriginality, or global poverty and affluence or our lifestyles' consequence on the environment. Western culture very quickly turns to an analysis of guilt and reaches a detatched understanding that these issues belong to someone else but do not affect us. We pay for politicians to worry about these things.

Real change will occur when Australia has a change of heart. It is about the heart, which is only repressed through guilt.

Hamlet - 'The Redfern bag snatchers could be recognised for the injustices that they are trying to wrong, after all, they are simply trying to collect the rent from whites.'

Last year, my husband was attacked by 'bag snatchers' outside Redfern railway station. He is not a big man, he is in his forties, and the three aboriginals who attacked him were all in their teens. The attack resulted in 3 cracked ribs, a dislocated arm and a very bad headache when he was kicked in the head for refusing to give up his money.

Let me assure you, the cowardly attackers were not collecting 'rent' - they were simply trying to get something for nothing, and didnt care who they hurt or killed in the process, like any other scumbag.

Enough PC nonsense. Aboriginals do not have some sort of divine right, as you imply, to perpetrate robbery by violence. It is opinions like yours that have ensured that very few attackers have been arrested and charged. Perhaps if you or one of your loved ones were the victims, those opinions may change.

dee,

I lived there for years as well, me , my friends all of us were beaten robbed often at knifepoint broken bottle or swarmed even the elderly... not one of us missed this experience. None of us ever did it to anyone white or black.

Also it's a reality to be scared in Redfern if you are white, not of other races as you pass many and often in the streets at night, just of aboriginals.

On the other hand, if their is any problem community I kinda wish luck to it's Australian aboriginals, as they are from this land... but I only wish them luck in making good of themselves and not any bigger welfare or guilt/fear laying tactics... this is just ultimatly another dead end for their race.

And I'm no longer willing to "help" in anyway, why should I after what I went through with them?