The prevailing conditions for Aboriginals are a national disgrace that should have the current political partiy hanging its head in shame, along with a population that has accepted the non-action. Here is a whole group of people wishing to come into the mainstream of life, being denied access to services such that causes health problems, with the resulting unacceptable higher death rate; an infant mortality rate that does not bear thinking about; lack of access to decent educational opportunities, oh, dear me, the list is too endless. And neither party mentions this! What concerns me is whether the next political leaders will continue to allow this to happen. I certainly don't see signs yet that they won't.

Cook Shire in Cape York is complex. It is a single Shire that needs to be understood better by Federal and State as well as almost new Local Government staff.

In this Shire Indigenous people are "invisble" and "white" disadvantaged people are "invisble". So is virtually everyone who does not "BELONG" to a government department through their work.

Each government institution runs on it own agenda ... at crisis level.

A does not communicate with B well as that would mean "problem-solving", losing the impatiality that protects mainstream government workers from lobbying for something different, from within the Shire.

There is NO "community building", or an inclusive effort to engage citizens on solving problems.

It seems citizen's are not required to participate in anything "formal" unless it is to be interviewed in some way as "CLIENTS".

It is a local problem - a mainstream percpection.

Whose Devlopment?

Who Benefits from the Development?

HOW?

Our mainstream undermines the treasure of local business and community efforts in general . It is a cultural problem being reproduced at all levels of government. The local and regional STAFF, see us generally as a bunch of "misfits", regardless that our own knowledge might infact help re-solve issues that cause us to be so disadvantaged or financially a funding dependant Shire.

Regardless of the fact that we could all be learning from one another.

I think the issue is about TRUST. Those who sell the all good story get the gradification while those who struggle like myself to be heard are treated as a threat, disffused - alienated by their discrimination.

I believe Cook Shire could be a leading Shire in all areas of Community Health and Civic Wellbeing.

We the people of Cook Shire need more community support, to create better understanding, so we can ALL "share the burden" and PROBLEM SOLVE.

I vote for Reform (from here) so we might get a better hearing on the issues of Health, Education and Micro-Small Business Training and Employment.

Government Business at all levels needs to become COMMUNITY BUSINESS - inclusive of GROUND LEVELS.

http://www.miacat.com/
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The budget was absolutely woeful. Bribes handed out to all and sundry, but indigenous health completely ignored.

The AMA has just released their latest report card on indigenous health http://www.ama.com.au/web.nsf/doc/WEEN-73EVGV Their recommendations include:

1. An additional $460 million a year in targeted resources, particularly for community controlled primary care

2. Commitment to a target of 2.4 per cent of all health professionals being from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds by 2012

3. Mainstream services to focus current resources to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

All sensible and worthwhile, but given the budget just handed down, nothing will change in the short term.

The less money spent on Indigenous Health, Indigenous Housing, Indigenous whatever the better.

The term Indigenous long been part of the problem, not the solution.

When funding for "Indigenous *" ceases then funding for Health, for Housing and for everything else will continue, be recognised as being there for us all.

When in communities, missions, ghetto's see ourselves as part of wider community, see how our problems are same problems in wider community, then we will learn how to solve them a lot quicker because most these problems were already solved elsewhere in the community.

Some certainly a bit slow seeing existing solutions, bogged down by listenting to all those lectures of need re-invent wheels, design new "culturally appropriate" wheels, not just make use of best wheels we can see around us when we look.

Really is all a bit like Toyota story, at first few would admit wanting to buy them because they were Japanese, and to buy Japanese had you treated like you betraying our country; Despite threats of damnation from all those proppred up by vested interests in keeping Toyota competition out gradually people decided they were good value... and of course the whole country has been ruined by them doing so :-

"In this Shire Indigenous people are "invisble" and "white" disadvantaged people are "invisble". So is virtually everyone who does not "BELONG" to a government department through their work."

Home for me is Hope Vale Miacat, you speak the truth, know what you're saying only all too well.

hi its me a australian that happens to be indigenous and live alot in my remote ares of central and western desert
health is a major concern for us at the lack of housing and the price of food nowadays it is nearly 10 bucks for a small packet of meat and potatoes are about 1 buck each we dont get much help from gov on minimising the cost of food 380 bucks is pretty much not going to feed your family for the fortnight so people have to continuosly ask a family member for money on there pay day putting them out of pocket for the fortnight and then it happens to you on your payday too
when the supply of healthy food runs out you have to resort to canned food which doesnt do much good for health and then when times are bad we have to hunt not much kangaroo or bush turkeys left around close proximmity and goannas are small so they dont feed everyone so we are now eating camel

if gov really wanted to help they should be setting up farms on the remote areas to help supplement the diets and they could mabey give us all a pool to cut down on ears eyes and nose and skin problemms as well as helping to assist the wonderful nurses who preety much have to be reliant on everything and go without so much
housing give people decent housing and good food prices and run the workshops on why it is good to have a shower take care of yourself and mabey help with the furniture side of things so people can feel pride in their homes and in themselves and make sure that young ones are kept busy because alot of us suffer from major deppresion though it is not talked about much i think the health minister should come and stay with me for a while on the same budget and live in my house with evryone else to get a true feel not a gamon come and stare at us approach or atleast send one of his people to do it by the way wonder when the (modern day rum core) gov will compensate us properly just a thought then mabey we all could afford to live better off and open our own bakerys and butcher shops etc etc paintingpintupi napaltjarri