Tony, surely the directlessness of most aboriginals is caused by us whites wrecking their culture by taking their homeland.
It is now made so much worse by Mr Howard's message to us all to forget about the mistakes of the past and look to the future.

But honestly, Tony, what future have the Aboriginals really got? Such was talked about during the day's of early settlement, such being the reason that anthropologists came up with the suggestion, that because Aboriginal physical characteristics had an original similarity to us whites, their colouring unlike negroid colouring could be bred-out by cross-breeding with us white cultures. In fact, it was one of the reasons in our WA for the law taking young children from their parents.

Giving them their rights after stealing what culture they had hasn't really helped either, because like the American Indians they have taken to the booze, mostly as a means to escape from the inevitable, a hopelessness that has only increased as they try to take on a white man's job.

Trying to be patronising will get you nowhere these days, either, Tony. Looks like you've got a real job on your hands, mate

Tony Abbot, self centred, self righteous, ignorant, arrogant, useless, christian isn't he. Sorry forgot, failed priest, say no more.

@bushbred If you do some reading beyond the Robert Manne variety you will discover that traditional aboriginal society was extremely violent, before they were led astray by the rotten 'white-man'. Homocide was a normal part of the competition for women, not as objects of affection but as farm implements to dig up the tubers which were the mainstay of the diet. I used to have the typical lefty attitude until I went to Barmyli, I think it is spelt,near Katherine, to help set up an artifacts shop. After 3 days i was so disgusted by what I had seen that i left. My lefty friends disowned me when i told them what I had witnessed because they didn't want to believe what didn't fit into their groupthink.

We see daily the continuing moth eaten parades of ownership reduction, and disenfranchisement of peoples by proxy.

With current thinking, and 20/20 hindsight, the 1788 - 'White Invasion' of our Aboriginal Nations and beyond, was clearly wrong.

It happened though, as a response, and subsequent to: Policies of Colonial expansionists, and the ideals of that time.

Is it now more politically correct, profitable (for some), and expedient to overtly perpetate these cycles of disharmony?

Are the visible and tangible faces of so called 'Invaders' progeny any less entitled to to ownership (spiritual or otherwise), of their homeland?

Who are the beneficiaries? Qui bono? Do the powers imparted by a mere familiar knowledge of the issues raised, affirm that already long entrenched?

Would the British government now return lands to those Australians with forebears of Anglo-Saaxon or Celtic heritage who were systematically & forcibly driven from their homelands in the 1840's?

Wake Up!

Remembering that these White Brothers were also shot, killed, and tortured in protecting their families, sacred sites and hallowed grounds. they too experienced 'Stolen Generations', fragmented families, and dispossession of their lands.

As the ongoing and joint custodians, we should endeavour to improve, not compound, the issues regarding current circumstances.

This duty we owe all future Australians - regardless of colour & creed.

The apocalyptic planetary situation has made the job easy but threatened for the philosophers. ALL kinds of ethic questions have been simplified and condensed to ONE superior existential question supplementing the class struggle problematic: Are you FOR or AGAINST survival of the planetary life?

Based on scientific analysis, everything must be viewed and valued in the light of its pro- or contra planetary life quality.

You are GOOD if you actively fight the forces that are detrimental to the planetary life. You are EVIL if you do not.

The destructive forces threatening the planet are not difficult to identify. All destructive power and viciousness is concentrated in the corporate US empire of evil. On top of the evil is the bunch of fascistic religious fanatics, nazionists, neocons and other rightwing extremists within the corporate ruling US circles. The religious ones are looking forward to receiving their exclusive premiums after the end of the world.

Their power bases - like those of Hitler and Bush - essentially are launching platforms for their deadly revenge for their evil childhood. The culture of sadistic child mistreatment among white, in particular Anglo-American, parents must stop now. From the point of view of Mother Earth, humiliation of a child is the absolutely worst of all crimes.

For 500 years it has been great fun and necessary for the sake of colonialism to torture the kids physically and mentally. But the sane part of human kind must now stop this luxurious sport, if the planet is to be saved.

The urgent cultural revolution must replace the 3000 years old unspeakably devastating set of 10 commandments by the ONE opposite, all deciding, Commandment: *Thou shalt give your child unlimited and unconditional love, respect, security and freedom to natural unfolding.*

The cultural revolution will be grossly enhanced by the eradication of the cancer tumor of the planet which immediately will be followed by a recovery from the worldwide cultural setback and metastatic oppression imposed by the empire of terror.

Depopulation is a significant part of the evil empire policies ..

Oh revelation!

The health problems of higher tobacco smoking, higher violence rates, higher alcohol rates, higher homelessness, higher death rates, higher infant mortality rates, higher alternative drug rates including glue and petrol sniffing, and many more social problems. These are not just outcomes of health problems that Abbot describes. These are the symptoms of an overall health problem due to Government neglect.

Since he admits this is such a mess, why did they cut so much funding to aboriginal services, that were trying to develop something to improve the situation over 10 years ago. Now we have to start all over again. If you cut the budget back to nothing, what do you expect.

Much of this is not even money. It is a cultural broken heart, simply because the Prime Minister refuses to try to say sorry, and show that he may make things better. Until this happens, there is no reason why Aboriginal people should believe a word they say. They don't.

Therefore this is a lost cause. The PM is lost, not the Aboriginal people. They are just waiting for him to do the right thing. Then, their self esteem, might, just might, start repairing, and we can talk about reconciliation. This will improve their health. At the moment, there is nothing to feel so healthy about.

Quite frankly, the whole country is looking rather sick at the moment. Australians in general have a low self esteem, and are far less happy than they were 15 years ago, even if many are doing better financially.