All those claiming that the government is being 'paternalistic' why is it that you and your colleagues who are demanding 'consultation' have not come up with some answers before now?
I am sickened by the 'do good' and 'politically correct' brigade who have refused to allow any progress to be made, who have stood by and allowed children to be abused, drugs, alchohol and petrol sniffing regimes to rule, who have demanded that others be denied right of entry and that 'culture must be preserved' so that indigenous children are given less than adequate education.
There comes a point when all of that has to go in favour of doing the right thing by children - something that the critics have yet to recognise.

I think John Hirst discredited his argument when his article became a free-fest of rhetoric on single mothers, dole bludgers, Aboriginals .... I don't recall reading anything about being concerned about the children that wasn't related to economics.

This article illustrates attitudes of John Howard supporters, which is why opposers lack confidence in John Howard on this issue.

MLK,

Pat's letter was too long and too poorly organised. No Australian Letters Editor would accept it. If writing to a paper, she should present one key point, write in such a style, so the copy editor can cull from the bottom-up to fit-in with other people's letters, and keep the letter to less than 120 words or so. Nothing sinister, here.

If she followed these guidelines, she would have had a better chance at being published. Besides, papers received hundreds of letters each day. Should a judge's poorly written contribution be selected over your well written alternative?

Rainier's right. This old clown has been put out to pasture by the Academy, but he hasn't had the good grace to go fishing, or play bowls or whatever they do.

Instead he's become a rather pathetic armchair field-marshal in the culture wars - and this is more of the same. As is being increasingly obviously demonstrated in the media, this is nothing more than a political stunt which cynically exploits Aboriginal children. Howard and his government have been aware of the appalling conditions in some Aboriginal communities for years, but they've chosen to wait until a few months before a Federal election to purport to be doing something about.

As I've said elsewhere on this forum, if you're sucked in by this stunt you're either a racist or a fool, or both.

CJ Morgan,
If this is a political stunt to assist John Howards relection, Why does Kevin Rudd and Noel Pearson support the action taken by the Prime Minister? If the left persue this line the same as they did over the Tampa issue they will be out of step with 98% of people in a recent opinion poll who support the action. It would appear you rather ignore the rights of children to a healthy and normal life.

"The ‘Little Children Are Sacred’ report was made public in Darwin last week. The nine month inquiry went to 45 indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. It said that “rivers of grog” fueled widespread child sexual abuse.

The tragic thing is that little girls need their fathers, as Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley said recently in USA. “Many of their adult attitudes are formed by good father-daughter relationship.” Abuse messes everything up for years.

Dr. Meg Meeker puts it in her new book, “STRONG FATHERS, STRONG DAUGHTERS” – “Most are good men . . . but you are good men who have been derided by a culture that does not care for you, that has ridiculed your authority, denied your importance, and tried to fill you with confusion about your role. But I can tell you that fathers change lives.”

Meeker has seen a lot of girls stranded in the sexual wasteland, with sexually transmitted diseases, depression, eating disorders, and underage pregnancy. Dr Meeker found that the girls involved in damaging behaviors are the girls who don’t feel loved and valued by their fathers.

Fathers can ensure that their daughters grow up with healthy ideas about sexuality. You don’t have to be an expert on STDs, or anything else, to guide your daughter away from this wasteland. You just have to do your job as a dad. Talk to her, even when she doesn’t seem to be listening." Quote from Rev Dr. Gordon Moyes

Surely there is some middle ground?

Rex Wild, one of the co-authors of the "Little Children are Sacred" report has attacked the governments approach, not out of ideology, but out of practicality.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/pms-got-it-wrong-on-abuse-plan/2007/06/28/1182624002936.html

Most of the reports 97 recommendations are not being followed by the government. To latch onto a report as evidence of the need for a lightning response (complete with the military being flown in) yet not following the recommendations therein strikes me as absurd.

The author makes much of the lack of work ethic, and governmental disfunction in remote communities. A detachment from reality is apparent here. When a community has no infasturcture, health care or even adequate housing, how can it function as the author (and I) would like? To quote a member of the Mutitjulu:

"Any community, black or white would struggle if they were denied the most basic resources. Police and the Military are fine for logistics and coordination but healthcare, youth services, education and basic housing are more essential. Any programme must involve the people on the ground or it won't work. For example who will interpret for the military? ...

How do they propose keeping alcohol out of our community when we are 20 minutes away from 5 star hotel? Will they ban blacks from Yulara? We have been begging for an alcohol counsellor and a rehabilitation worker so that we can help alcoholics and substance abusers but those pleas have been ignored"

Mutitjulu has been under administration for the last 12 months. No evidence of fraud or mismanagement. It is also worthwhile to note that in collaboration with the commonwealth and oil companies, the instance of petrol sniffing in the community has dropped dramatically. I don't mean to imply that all is well throughout the territory, but practical outcomes are better achieved when we work together with the local community.

While I am please that FINALLY there is some action, surely there is some middle ground in all this? Surely we can be interventionist without hurting the people we are trying to help?