A very interesting analysis.

“But what would happen if the rules, or rather the lack of rules, in an Aboriginal community operated in our world?”

It would an almighty mess.

A strong rule of law is needed to improve everyone’s lives. Aboriginal people need to know that they are not being suppressed under the new approach but rather, they are coming under the same rules and level of policing as the rest of Australian society.

Just one point of disagreement:

“Anyone trained in social work and expert in the language and modes of consultation and ownership must be excluded. They've had their turn.”

No I think they still have a valuable part to play in effective communication.

John Hirst wrote: "in many Aboriginal communities, social organisation has completely broken down. The people have shown they are incapable of governing themselves. There is no point in consulting them about the creation of authority; authority has to be created for them. Their lives will then better match our own."

And yet John honestly believes paternalism is a myth? The 'Stolen generation' was not the product of people trying to conduct genocide or eliminate aboriginal cultures, it was the product of people who believed their actions would 'improve' the children to "better match our own" wishes.

But John is overlooking the central issue, that John Howard has again created a human tragedy - and again is using militant public display to win voter support.

Efforts to prevent the Tampa reaching an Australian port took only weeks, it has taken eleven years to create current indigenous "crisis"; the SAS were sent to control the Tampa situation, whereas now we are using State police to control "those" wicked aboriginal people. The Australian public was told the people on the Tampa were cue-jumpers and mad bombers; today the inference is that aboriginals (unimportant voters) are paedophiles and bad uncaring parents.

It is a shame if Australians have like Americans been dumb down to the level that they can no longer see these two issues for what they are.

For a person who has - in the past, at least - identified more with left of centre politics than with the conservative, John Hirst has always talked sense.

This article is no exception, and it says all that needs to be said about the Government's initiative to pull aboriginal people out of darkness and despair.

Too right, John Hirst – “paternalism” is not the word for the Howard government’s initiative and agenda for aborigines. “Big Brother –ism" is more to the point. While claiming to respond to the report Little Children are Sacred, Howard in fact ignored the recommendations of the report on education, and introduced compulsory comprehensive medical checks on indigenous children – which were not in the report. A Big-Brother-like heavy-handed approach has been taken by Howard – in a dramatic gesture,

And – what are the advantages to the government of this dramatic Big Brother gesture? Well, it certainly takes our attention away from the aborigines’ fight to preserve their land from uranium mining and nuclear waste dumping.

At the same time, by removing the access permits system, the way is opened up to subvert the Northern Territory’s Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976, and so destroy the Aboriginal people the right to prevent mining on their land

Many areas where mining companies are itching to get to uranium, and where the government is itching to introduce nuclear waste dumping. – are those same areas marked for this Big Brother intervention. Christina Macpherson www.antinuclearaustralia.com

Daeron apears to be letting his bias get in the way of common sense. Yes Daeron the sexual abuse of children is 'wicked' can't you see wickedness unless it comes dressed as john howard? When I was 18 I, like many people, thought that throwing money at aboriginals was the solution. I assumed that money would be translated into real improvements. It is now 40 years later, and sadly all the money has not been the answer and neither has 'self rule' or the implementation of soft options by all sides of potitics. john howard is to be congratulated on his approach.

John Hurst, I feel that i must be a bit older than you, as i disagree with you on just everything you have said.
I am proud to say that i was a socialist in my younger days, i am not one now, i am an anarchist, and an antichrist.
Politicians were more intelligent and wrote their own speeches, in my day.
You have denigrated the Aboriginals, thinking that whites are superior and more human. The mould you are in typifies the Howard mould.
For your information alcohol abuse and the abuse of women and children knows no post code, it occurs in Bennelong as well as any other electorate in Australia. Are you nice to your partner?.
You come accross to me as one of Howard's red necks. I find that you have been indulged and had a privileged life so far.
I am the same age as Howard and i see him as old, privileged, boring, lacks intelligence, ignorant, arrogant, weak, a liar, lacks a conscience, and he is a war criminal, and like most war criminals he is a sociopath.
I dislike people like you, but i do not hate you, i am surprised that you have students. I would like to refer you to Bishop, Minister for education, for appraisal as to how much money you deserve.
All humans are equal, in my eyes, regardless of who or what they are. I regard a person black or white in the gutter, as your equal.
We humans are all vulnerable to ill health, we are not perfect, so it is better for you to be nice to people, who you think are below you.
I know this from my experience as a nurse for most of my working life, i also worked for some time as an ambulance officer. It is amazing what people learn after a life changing experience.
Please do not rubbish nurses.