My first impression of this piece was its unoriginality;

Besides milking the 'self determination and handouts' rhetorical lines what else does it offer?

Nothing.

Kirsten is obviously enthusiastic about writing in this area and shows a familiarity with the literature and spin in Indigenous affairs news reporting over the past 10 years.

I give her 5/10 for effort.

3 of 10 for trying to adopt the genre.

2 of 10 for analysis.

How about a bit of constructive effort Rainier. Let us see an article from you with some practical solutions about how to solve the problems facing remote indigenous communities. It is not so easy, is it.

VK...

it is not neccesary to know "the road ahead", to notice that we are just running in circles.

If so much energy is devoted to unproductive discussions, there is not enough of it to talk about real solutions.

In one of the posts above you can find a link to a practical solution and to a case of a succesful project that did deliver change to a disadvanteged community.

The problem is that no-one wants to listen to outsiders; but if you look a the history of breakthrough developments they often came from outside...

P.

VK,
Actually I've published many times on this topic.
Unless you think newspapers are the only print media worth reading?

Sharkfin,

Perhaps the problem is that the endless money government's have thrown at this issue is always doomed because it too is done cynically? Apart from much of that money never reaching the communities.

Living in those communities and being given money at age 18 (think that's right) or choose to try and join the rest of us is in fact a big part of the problem. What would you choose after living in such a community since birth? Most choose to stay with their families and take the money.

Your generalising is a big part of the problem. You see what you want to see and it seems your knowledge comes from seeing only those people in your area.

I could generalise too, it's easy. Here's one. All drinkers are alcoholics. Stupid isn't it? Of course your generalisations are facts to you else you wouldn't be stating such in public would you?

Could I ask what else the people on Palm Island can do? Are you aware that this group of people are not one "people" at all. They are a gathering of people's from a range of tribes and communities, not "one race" as many think.

Could you please quote some references for your statement "they want to keep the big chip on their shoulder that says the white man
is the cause of all their problems and owes them everything."

If this statement was made in a court it would be dismissed as hearsay as that is what it is. It is not fact at all. It is a minority view. Again you have used a common generalisation to demonize all aboriginals. Good one.

Johnj. So you've seen the town camps in Alice. Are you aware of how those people got there and why they stay there? The answer is their communities have ejected and rejected them mainly due to alcohol abuse. They do not represent the people that live in remote communities in any way.

See post 2 below.

Apologies for the two posts but...

Those people you saw in the town camps are also rejected by the town. What can they do? What would you do? Yes they created the problem through alcohol abuse but in our cities we actually have help for people in these situations don't we? Alcohol abuse that is. Or perhaps we just generalise and state that all aboriginals are alcoholics, which is absolutely untrue of course.

Have any of you had the pleasure of visiting a remote community? Outback NT for example? I've seen many places around the world we describe in disgust as Third World standards and have also visited a number of the remote aboriginal communities over many years. They haven't changed since I first visited and I see little difference between those places and the ones I saw overseas.

Of course I don't have a solution. But continuing to blame each other and generalise can only entrench current views and the situations of both aboriginal and what Dickie refers to as "Whitey".

You can make a difference today by looking beyond what you think you know and trying to see both sides rather than "Whitey's" long term ignorance. By the way I grew up in Alice and had much the same view I see expressed by some here. Why? Simply because the town saw only those who do hit the pubs as soon as the doors open on "payday". And the resultant violence and disintegration of people and families.