Dr Tomlinson's article is a welcome summary of the history of government dealings with aborigines, and especially of the Howard government's lamentable record.
The "Little Children are Sacred" report did not recommend the kind of police/military crackdown, nor the mandatory comprehensive medical testing of children - that were announced by Howard. The Howard initiative also ignored the recommendations of that report, about early childhood education.

But - it is obvious that election time is approaching. Howard needed an issue to make him look noble and altruistic. And what a suitable issue! On the one hand, it takes attention away from other matters. It also nicely portrays the aboriginals as, at best incompetent.

It takes attention away from the "From the Heart, for the Heartland" speaking tour of aboriginal traditional owners protesting against uarnium mining and nuclear waste dumping on their land. Yesterday, Pat O'Shane, prominent aboriginal lawyer, pointed out that "Removal of permits and the [Australian] Commonwealth's control of the territory would enable Howard to place control of the mineral resources on Aboriginal lands into private hands".
Christina Macpherson www.antinuclearaustralia.com

Good one John!

While Howard has clearly tried to keep Aboriginal affairs off the national agenda (the out of sight and out of mind approach) his belated intervention will not deliver him another term.

No amount of acting suddenly compassionate and caring will convince me otherwise. He has repeated suggested that this issue is beyond politics but this only provides an out for not explaining what his own ideological beliefs and politics for his own inaction of the last decade. Like not knowing about the AWB scandal?

As one Aboriginal health professional recently said- she would willingly conduct ear and eye examinations on Howard and his mates as they have clearly been blind and deaf for over ten years.(perhaps longer)

My predictions:

1. The Australian and other NewsCorp media outlets will run good news stories from inside the various communities over the next 3 months. This will allow Rupert Murdoch to deliver his practical re-election contribution to the Howard Coalition.
2. Dumb Australian’s will believe Howard has solved the ‘Aboriginal problem and this will improve his chances for another term.
3. The problems will still be there this time next year and Brough and Howard will have already ‘cut and run’ and declared that "they can't solve everything", "its a blackfella thing - you know what we mean"

Mark my words.

Does anybody know how many taxpayers’ dollars have been consumed by Aboriginal Affairs over the past 10 years? [an estimate to the nearest billion dollars will do].

Question for you - how much did it cost to buy Australia from Aboriginal people?

I have been surprised by what I have read the last few days and ashamed I had not taken the time to seek this information earlier.

It seems clear that there has been a comprehensive failure by all governments in their duty of care toward some Australian citizens.

It also seems to me, that with this knowledge, the reaction by the Federal government is possibly motivated by a desire to remove itself from future accountability by placing the blame on the Northern Territory government and aboriginal leaders.

Many measures announced could well have been instigated without the arrogance displayed by both Howard and Brough. The message sent has already been negative and already there has been changes to the hastily drawn up plan proving that consultant was clearly required from the outset.

It is very distressing.

I wish the best for the aboriginal communities and hope from this day on as a nation we support them 100% and ensure our future governments are 100% accountable on aboriginal issues.

I do see now a clear need for an apology.If not for deeds done decades or centuries ago, but for what has happened under our watch.

The record of the Howard government in indigenous matters is like the prelate's egg - good and bad in parts. The government did move to stem at least in part, the misdirection and wastage of resources that have been the subject of many Auditor General's reports over thirty years and more. Recent recognition that indigenous people should take responsibility and be accountable is a step away from the 'Uncle Tom' dependence that has been criticised by activists over the years.

But why bring baggage to the table at a time of momentous change? What other issue has managed to galvanise both sides of politics and all layers of government to cooperate and take action? Even if the PM is playing politics (and he would not be the only one doing that) why risk scuttling this rare and golden opportunity to get some real change on the board?

If Howard is playing politics, nothing would suit him more than to engaged in a good old Aussie blue on this matter. Talk is cheap on both sides of politics. Alternatively, the many people with goodwill towards indigenous issues can act to ensure that the debate is not trivialised into a left v right catfight, nor is it narrowed into race and gender politics.

So here is a plea to forget the baggage for a while - it will still be there to rake over some other time - and go for some practical action on child neglect NOW. There are thousands of vulnerable children and youth at risk and the debate has been hijacked too many times before.

Why is it that governments do not understand Indigenous Culture. I was brought up to believe the way to resolve problems was to consult with the Elders. These people are the Tree of Knowledge.

Howard says he wants to put an end to child abused, what about the women who are told to sell themselves for Grog.

To resolve these problem of child abuse, one must understand their cultural and start from the ground up.

First, start by weaning these beautiful people of WELFARE. Create employment for them which befits their cultural. We have protected to some extent Indigenous Paintings. There are other industries where there work should be protected from both local and overseas manufacture. Such as the production of boomerangs etc. When you walk into a tourist shop what do you see 'Made in China' etc. We have seen 'The Lost Tribes' just recently. This a way for these people to earn money, by teaching visitors about their culture and their way of life.

When it comes to their housing, to be quite honest I would not allow my dog to live there. They just want basic housing for each family. Including a place that will allow them to cook in their traditional way. That means away from their homes. Other things such as education, a Doctor on call, running water etc.

Education does not simply been taught the 3Rs but including Indigenous Studies about their traditional way of life and local language. Free education for those who wish to attend a place of higher learning.

If we are to help our Indigenous Brothers and Sisters than stop forcing our values on them, list to what they want for a change.

Cornflour

I totally disagree. I do not trust John Howard with sole responsibility of this issue. Already errors are evident. Mandatory medical checks of children under 16 just one example.

We cannot get this wrong once again, and for the first time in many years we have to challenge the Prime Minister on ever single detail and be totally informed on exactly what he plans to do. We MUST take collective responsibility if we care about the outcomes.

We have trusted him on so many issues only to see our trust betrayed.

Wow,

So we just let the abuse happen anyway. Well I find it particularly repugnant that an academic on the public payroll rolls out his tripe as if he personally could make a difference. Bono made more difference than all the posturing of academics.

Academia always get it wrong. It is not only the Howard government that has failed aborigines but all governments.

The Australian people failed them! The only way out of this morase is genuine help, not posturing.

Ps..if the aborigines got real help and their lives were significantly improved then Australian citizens would not stand for it, as the less fortunate white australians would create such an outcry about them not being helped. The same goes for self reliance, the biggest obstacle is that business would protest. Food share is an example of a program destroyed by business, because it became too successfull. Lets educate aboriginals to the level of this Prof and see him squeal. Aboriginals suffer because we hurt them, and to stop this requires more than a mealy mouthed Prof.

Basic Needs: Health, Housing, Education and Employment. Sanitation, Real Nutrition and access to Clean Drinking Water. These are the PRESSING issues confronting the majority of Indigenous Australians in most rural and remote areas.

Infrastructure - through out ALL HUMAN SERVICES needs a MIGHTY SHAKE UP.

ROADS - ROADS - ROADS and transport services!

Peoples voices have been Nullified by a LACK OF GOVERNMENT RESPONSE, throughout the Public Service!

People who SPEAK OUT within the Public Service are SIDELINED, LOOSE JOBS... become outcasts themselves!

THE REGIONAL NETWORKS RUN ON A SILO CULTURE within the PUBLIC SERVICE.

WE are ALL responsible for the the condition of our country. Social Justice issues have been in the decline for almost two decades. Social issues are not "TRENDY".... they are confronting.... affronting and need to be dealt with face to face. This is difficult for regional networks as well as rural isolated communities, in the long-term.

I believe this Federal government has worked hard to 'demonised those who have sought self-determination with and for our Indigenous Australians'.

I believe this government lacks heart and soul at ground levels.

This hysterial "election" approach will cause divisions rather than UNITY where resentment or deep hurt over this callous directive adds more salt to those (on all sides) already wounded. This is a moral panic - wreakless in the way it is being fought-out and delivered to our nation.

However, it is up to ALL Australians to utilise the moment to MAKE CHANGE for the better, by PROBLEM SOLVING mindfully and pro-actively - our way through this MESS - through knowledge building, enhancing cohesion, so we can ALL work together!

Regardless of the Federal Governments motives, this issue is REAL and gives us all a POLTICAL OPENING to DEMAND the Political WILL to ACT.

Aboriginal people NEED HUMAN RESOURCES, as any civilised community does when competing for services in this day and age.

http://www.miacat.com
.

Miacat
"WE are ALL responsible for the the condition of our country"

Indigenous people need to take more responsibility also. This is not just the Government's responsibility. Indigenous people need to send their children to school and stop trashing and destroying their houses. Even a lot of the Indigenous houses in urban areas in NT are filthy and trashed and there is no excuse for this.
If people live in filthy conditions, of course they are going to get sick. Unemployed Indigenous people get the same amount of welfare as unemployed white Australians.

Healthwatcher:
in bald figures around $33 billion of Commonwealth funds has been spent directly on "Aboriginal Affairs" over the last ten years.

To be fair you would deduct from this the money spent on the CDEP (mistakenly known as the "black work for the dole scheme") as this is in lieu of benefits that people would be receiving anyway. This would take up around $3.5 billion.

Similarly with much of the rest of the Indigenous section of the Commonwealth's budget: the same amount should be deducted for expenditure on health services, in lieu of use of mainstream primary health facilities. This would bring us down to about $26 billion.

You could deduct another large hunk for public housing; more for education, employment services, municipal services etc. You would end up with only a relatively small fraction being spent on things that are distinctly different and Indigenous specific.

So don't get too anxious about that.

But what I suspect you are really concerned about is this: why has all the money spent by governments generally on Indigenous people over the last ten years not produced better results than appear to be the case?

The reasons for this are fairly complicated, but I believe that Brough is aware of some of the reasons and trying to deal with them.

For example, the Commonwealth in the 70s and 80s unilaterally withdrew much of its direct activity and expenditure on job creation, community development, administration and management in Indigenous communities, which began the process of degeneration of standards and services in these places.

State governments (particularly the NT and SA) pulled back from adequately policing many remote Indigenous communities, and this led to a huge growth of substance abuse and violence, which in turn led to extraordinary increase of abuse and thuggery.

Consequently even the relatively high levels of expenditure (provided through grants to a ragtag army of small, often ill-governed and semi-competent councils and NGOs )has not been deployed in an "effective or efficient manner" over many years, and the average efficacy of many services has been on a down-hill run.

Problem Solve. Jackson the picture is a big one. Yes Indigenous peoples do and most want to take responsiblity, just as mainstream do and want to support the question of "sharing service provisions" Alma Ata (Health for ALL) which has been ignored by all governments, at various degrees on the issue of civic health VS political mentalities.

Jackson, have you ever lived in the heat and dust center of rural Australia? It is so basic... micro hot... most visiting peoples working hide with clean office conditions and their air conditioners switiched HIGH.

Have you ever lived poor with other families in the same house... many in our population cant survive the few days with relatives at xmas let alone having them long-term. This is the similar part of the 'Kids at Risk' arguement (household dysfunctions) in mainstream... used as a reason to address (who influences who... independence, affordablity) and adequate youth housing.

The school issue is hugh. Transport, Bullying, Social Cohesion, Cultural Appropriateness.... Staffing... Content... Teaching APPROACHs... as well as the background causal elements to crime - through crime prevention... which leads us back to the begining again.

See Dr Weatherburn, Helping Families And Communities - I have an intro on;

http://www.miacat.com/CrimeReductionReseach/FtVIEW_CPTheory.asp

The nature of Poverty is something we can not argue about.

I say Jackson get on board and help... go to a rural isolated community and offer to work alongside those who struggle with time, money and resources as well as their health. 'Share the Burden' Jackson and report how it felt.

This issue is about comfort zones and using our imagination as we try to understand. I know people who find it difficult to see, but I tell you, if it was that easy, there would not be the levels of deprivation we ALL witness... still, in these communities, today!

We ALL need to get real!

http://www.miacat.com
.

Miacat
Of course it is a big picture. Certainly we all need to help Indigenous people but they need to help themselves too. I realise Indigenous people living in remote communities are disadvantaged, but the Indigenous people living in urban areas are not living remote and have access to the same services as white people. On welfare pay day there are dozens drunk, urinating, spitting,swearing and fighting outside the supermarkets, with kids in tow.
It would be nice if the kids were at school, kept clean and not have to be exposed to this behaviour.
I have lived in the Northern Territory most of my life, and yes I have experienced the hot dusty centre of Australia (without airconditioning).

Dr John. Another expert who overlooks the obvious.

Has solutions, reasons, theories but can't see the bleeding obvious.

What jobs? Where? These communities are usually 100 - 300 people, one shop/store, a petrol seller and that's it. He's always white by the way. No hospital, schools that have mainly empty class rooms and all teachers are generally white. Not indigenous as they aren't educated. Get it yet? Most jobs are already taken by whites.

Those teachers by the way are those that usually couldn't get a teacher's job anywhere else. Some exceptions but how would I know this?

That rejects get these teacher's jobs and are all white? I worked in Education in Darwin for years and saw it. The list of applicants was taken from the bottom up for remote jobs except for those few who actually wanted to help. But I also know most of them left real quick when reality struck them.

So. Again. Dr? What jobs? Where? Are you going to build these places up? Where is the rehab clinic for the drunks and petrol addicts?

There aren't any and won't be.

If these people keep living in these places there is only one possible outcome. The exact same as there is now.

Except for one thing. In 6 months time they will be shell shocked by the invasion of people who don't give a steming pile of waste what the locals need, think or want.

My solutions? Burn these places to the ground and move the people to where they have a chance. If they then choose to return to a desert then it's their choice. They have that choice don't they? Stay or leave?

We have big rural towns that are dying because government's remove essential services. So do banks. Roads bypass them And the town dies. So why would we put all this money into trying to create something no one wants and is not feasible on any level.

It's an election stunt. Disgusting and nasty, rodent droppings. And Rudd smiles and says yes.

pegasus,

I don't think Professor Tomlinson would disagree with you at all about the lack of jobs.

However I don't think your solutions are realistically thought through.

You suggested;

• "Burn these places to the ground and move the people to where they have a chance"

There are many suburbs with as low unemployment as these communities.
Should we burn these down too?

• AND- If they then choose to return to a desert then it's their choice.

Many of these communities are not in the ‘desert’. get your Australian atlas/ map out and have a look. You might want to look at those communities that reside next to mines with high employment of white people..(for example).

• AND - They have that choice don't they? Stay or leave?

For many these are their homelands.
Perhaps all Anglo Australians should return to England if they don't have a job or house? Is this what you are saying? Put them is chains and ship them off to the motherland?

There's an interesting article by Peter Botsman
http://www.workingpapers.com.au/publishedpapers/2505.html

>>Title: Putting Indigenous Child Abuse in the Northern Territory into Perspective.

There were 319 substantiated instances of Indigenous child abuse in the Northern Territory in 2004/5. This compared to Qld 1,186, NSW 1,642 and Victoria 770. Perhaps the Commonwealth and other states should be sending an army of bureaucrats to study why the Northern Territory has a comparatively good record for looking after Indigenous children. But let us not doubt the motives of John Howard and Mal Brough in seizing control of NT Indigenous communities! Download the key statistics below.

Perhaps John Howard and Mal Brough should send in the troops to Victoria, the ACT, Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales. Victoria has the highest number of Indigenous child abuse substantiations per 1000 children (63), followed by the ACT (56), then South Australia (43.2), then NSW (27.1). Qld has the highest number of child abuse substantiations in number (17,307) and has a rate of 14.1 per 1000 children.

In 2004/2005 there were a total of 473 child abuse substantiations in the Northern Territory – the second lowest of all of the States and Territories. Of these 319 were cases of substantiated child abuse in Indigenous communities. NT’s relatively low rate of child abuse substantiations of 13.7 Indigenous child abuse substantiations per 1000 children. Only Western Australia (12.2) and Tasmania (5.8) had lower rates of child abuse substantiations per 1000 children.

The worrying trend however is that in all States and Territories Indigenous child abuse substantiations have increased and in a number of States and the Northern Territory the rate per 1000 children has doubled over the past five years.<<

......but then NSW and Victoria don't have huge reserves of Uranium and the Northern Territory does.

The author effectively, in his rather one-sided and simplistic piece, blames Howard for everything that's wrong in Aboriginal affairs. While I tend to suspect that the intervention is a distraction and an election stunt (however serious he may be about it now), how can the plight of Aboriginal people be his fault? If Aboriginals are happy to live in substandard conditions in the red dirt, then where exactly is the motivation to improve their lot going to come from? No one can make somebody do what they don't want to do.

Just look at history. If Howard were to take Aboriginal people out of their communities, and put them in boarding schools etc, he'll be charged with paternalism. If he builds houses for them which then get trashed, he'll be condemned by whites for throwing taxpayers' money away and if he tries to coerce Aboriginals to improve their lot in line with Western standards (the only thing that can realistically work at this point in time), he'll be charged with trying to destroy Aboriginal culture.

So, there's not much he can do that will have any real effect. The fact is that most Aboriginals are guilty of the situation they find themselves in now. It's not up to Howard or anyone else to go out of their way too much to help them. From now on, if Aboriginals want help, they have to help themselves whenever the opportunity presents itself. I know it sounds harsh, but it's the only way it can be.

RobP, i don't think the author is saying that at all. But if you the man behind the steering wheel for the last ten years and you fail to stop at every red traffic light signal there must be some accountability the driver has.

The red lights have been numerous reports, meetings with both Indigenous leaders and others about the need to intervene over the last 10 years.

Are you suggesting Howard was just a passenger on this trip?

g'day,
I agree with all the comments accusing the 'Lying Rodent' and his henchmen of attempting a wedge in an election year, however, I think that he has seriously misjudged the electorate this time.
Labor could not have initiated the debate and action which the government has, but JH and his cronies cannot and will not complete it. All the cynical comments about the potential land grab, use of the military and haste in the current response are right on the money.
However, this time as a people we cannot let the chance to make a lasting impact on the conditions faced by so many of our indigenous citizens slide.
It's time for a JFK style 'Ask not what my country can do for me ....' speech by an Australian political leader.
We all need to grasp the nettle here and do the right thing by the most disadvantaged group in our national community.
So I say to all my fellow Australians, "Think Australia. What can we do?"
Don't just leave it to government because they are supposed to solve these things. They can't. It's up to all of us to make this work.
If we do not, then who are we?
regards Col Gradolf.
TULLY FNQ.

Excellent article! You tell it as it is, how indigenous people have been treated since colonization. Whereas there was improvement in the 80's in the Territory, the situation has become progressively worse since Howard, and has deteriorated year by year as Howard slashed funding and services and attempted to return to the 1897 legislation, assimilation and cultural genocide.

Having lived in Alice and working in Community Development for close to 25 years, I liaised regularly with the Centre for Aboriginal Development and saw the improvements, in education, health, substance abuse treatment, employment and employment training, and the subsequent rise in self-respect, self-confidence and self-esteem. Although I moved to Queensland in 1982, I kept in touch with friends who worked with aboriginals in Alice. Once Howard took over the country, all the services and conditions deteriorated drastically as he cut services and funding. And throughout the years he has worked toward cultural and actual genocide with his 10 point plan. The current 'shock and awe' military invasion and occupation is a)another step in his planned cultural genocide and b)the pre-election 'black children overboard' ploy to draw in the racists and the naïve, gullible fools, c) resumption of aboriginal land so the mineral resources, mainly uranium, can be transferred to the mines.

Celivia, and there are the same and more cases of white child abuse in all states and the NT. As you say, the reason the SS troops are invading the NT is because of the uranium. I had a chuckle about those who were concerned about the dirt, obviously not in to camping. Central Australian aboriginal culture is that water is used for drinking, not washing, unless at a waterhole. Kids were being trained to wash teeth and bodies when they went to school...until Howard cut education funding. Aboriginal health was improving until Howard cut health funding, etc, ad infinitum

The authoritative Bobbiecee speaks A-grade piffle.

Things have been bad for a lot longer than Howard has been in power. (I would be interested to hear about what the alleged improvements to substance abuse treatment in Alice before 1982 were. I was in Alice working in this field at that time, and I can't imagine what you are talking about).

Your assertion that "Once Howard took over the country, all the services and conditions deteriorated drastically as he cut services and funding" is wrong. If you follow the amounts allocated for Indigenous programs in Commonwealth budgets, the totals have continued to rise during Howard's period. If services deteriorated, it was not for lack of funding.

It is gratuitous nonsense to say that "throughout the years he has worked toward cultural and actual genocide with his 10 point plan" (and what is this 10 point plan of which you speak?).

There is no "military invasion and occupation" of the NT at the moment - you have no idea what you are talking about. The (locally based and recruited) Norforce blokes are providing logistical support for the public servants doing the consultation/evaluation of conditions, and footy practice for the kids. Talk about "shock and awe"!

If Howard ends up "resum[ing] aboriginal land so the mineral resources, mainly uranium, can be transferred to the mines" I will publicly eat a decayed rat, along with my hat.

It is completely outrageous and infantile to make stupid assertions that "the reason the SS troops are invading the NT is because of the uranium." Are you entering a second childhood?

Nor has "Howard cut education funding."

Far from "cut[ting] health funding, etc, ad infinitum", funds for Indigenous health have greatly increased under Howard. The community-controlled Aboriginal Medical Services are much better funded now than they were in 1996. That is not to say that the funds are yet sufficient, or that Howard is truly sincere, or has done enough, but extravagant inaccuracy as evidenced by your posting is offensive, unhelpful and only serves to alienate those whom we may wish to see shifting their political allegiances.

Dear Rainier,

I haven't suggested burning suburbs to the ground at all. Have you seen these communities? They are usually in the middle of nowhere with virtually no facilities. They are Third World dumps where people should not be trying to live.

My point is this idiot, agreeable to the lack of jobs as you say, wants to somehow create jobs in these dumps.

There are no indigenous jobs.

Except as I have highlighted. White jobs. Why? Well you couldn't get an educated indigenous person to work in these "schools" could you. They don't want to work there as they know it has no future. Those that do work in communities are in other States and close to urban areas. Not in the middle of the desert.

Quite a few Aboriginal women are employed by NT Education as what they call "School Assistants". Do you know what they do? Nothing, it's just the female version of CDEP.

The low employment suburbs you allude to have their problems but they have access to education, hospitals, well currently anyway, water (again, currently), electricity, family services, rehab centres, treatment programs and all the rest. They don't need to be built, maintained and staffed. They already are.

If you want a further insight into my solution it is this. It's as useless as any other so called plan really.

1. Burn these disfunctional havens for abuse to the ground. Investigate and charge all abusers.

2. Offer to relocate those left, about half, all women and children, to those communities that are functional. And there are some such. But not many in these ridiculously remote areas.

Note here that there are so many different tribes that they may refuse to live together at all, anywhere.

3. Those that choose to remain survive exactly the same way you and I would if we chose to live in a desert with no facilities. Hunter gatherers.

No amount of police is going to change what these places offer. They may make it safe for a while but will they stay forever? Nope, just till the election is over.

Pegasus ol chap, you are off on a wrong track. Time to take stock and look around with fresh eyes.

Some of the remote communities "are ... in the middle of nowhere with virtually no facilities" but most aren't. Quite a few have quite a lot of facilities, and potential to provide a lot more jobs than is currently the case. There is also a valid social policy debate to be had about the rationale for some intelligent job creation, to help provide bridges for these generations to get over some of the present problems and out into the wider workforce. The big problem is that for 30 years, many of these remote communities have been left to moulder with insufficient policing, poor resources for management and administration, no enforcement of school attendance, and no realistic integrated job and training development processes.

Your remark about "Quite a few Aboriginal women are employed by NT Education as what they call "School Assistants". Do you know what they do? Nothing, it's just the female version of CDEP" is gratuitous and inaccurate. Quite a few assistant teachers are serious and effective assetts in the schools, and teachers often find it difficult to operate without them.

Some of your points have degrees of validity, but such extravagant damnation and lack of regard for some of the facts does not enable you to be taken seriously.
Cheers
Desperate Dan

Hey FIGJAM Dan,

Show me your sources that back up you assertion that funding has not been cut.

From my recollection Health experts (such as the AMA) declared that there was an annual shortfall in Indigenous health of $460 million.

Annual means per year since Howard came to power (just in case you didn't understand what annual means)

This years' Federal Budget coughed up a paltry $30 million of additional funding annually to be spent on indigenous health over the next four years.

Over to you, cough up your primary research or stop misguiding other posters here with what is essentially your right wing and racist rationalisations about the fiscal and fidiciary responsibilkties of your beloved Howard government.

Dan, I don’t understand why else Howard is targeting the Northern Territory aboriginals when there are more urgent needs elsewhere?

Armed forces are armed forces are armed forces - how else does one describe troops in camouflage and weapons?

And funding has not been provided in full –I'm sure I read somewhere that Aboriginal communities are getting only 70% of the funding of what the rest of Australia are getting and that the funding is simply not reaching the communities.

As an immigrant I did not grow up in Australia, but my simple view is that Aboriginals were doing fine before white settlement for about 50,000 years and that their cultures were mainly based on community and respect- something we could have learned from rather than destroy it.

The white arrivals, who disrespected them and ripped their communities apart, have obviously done great damage.
If we genuinely feel sorry for the damage done to aboriginal communities, then we need to correct it.
That’s life- in any relationship, if you have hurt someone or messed up a relationship and feel regret, you do everything you can to make it right.

It’s that simple: you did wrong, you admit it, you say sorry, you correct it by listening and assisting in developing plans and solutions WITH indigenous people, not FOR them. You have no vested interest in any solutions, you are AT THEIR SERVICE.
It’s disrespectful to take action without their consent.

Anyway, I’m going to email Minister Brough mal.brough.mp@aph.gov.au to tell him that it’s admirable that the govt finally decided to protect children, but that Aboriginal people have the right to participate in development of plans. I hope that others will voice their opinion also by writing to him or to other involved MP’s.

Rainier,

You kind of miss a bigger point and that is that there is so much of a cultural and development gap between Aboriginals and white Australians that there is no handy economic or cultural tool that will easily bridge the gap between the two. As I explained before, many things have been tried before (removing potentially at-risk kids from communities, building houses for them out of taxpayers' money etc) which have all had big problems associated with them. This points to the fact that there's something much bigger going on in the background. I would simply suggest to you that most Aboriginals still have a tribal mindset and that is why they are where they are. Given that situation, it wouldn't matter if Abraham Lincoln was our PM instead of John Howard, he wouldn't be able to solve the problem either.

I agree with another contributor who said that the problems Aboriginals have, are linked to the fact that they don't have jobs. But holding down a job requires discipline, education and development. These have to be worked for, something that doesn't come natural to the tribal mindset. So, if any job scheme is going to work, it will have to be done in some sort of sheltered workshop (to start with) within the Aboriginal communities themselves. There's no way any remote Aboriginal has got a hope of hopping on a plane and getting a job in one of the regional cities, for instance.

RobP,

Your Darwinian /anthropological /mentaliism explanation conveniently obsolves any cause to racism, whether historical, political or economic. I suspect you don't seek to make this kind of 'quasi scientific' analysis but it inherently reflects the kind of "mindset" that justified the removal of Aboriginal and the drafting of laws that regulated and control Aboriginal people.

You speak about tribalism, what about the history of removal of whole tribes together in one mission, reserve, gulag.

Indeed what about the white tribalism you can witness here where many purport to know something about Aboriginal people without every really engaging with one. (besides myself)

Yes - attack Howard. Attack - whites. Attack those who want to initiate some change. And above all attacks anyone who dares to ask the one question that no one has asked. What are all these 'so-called' Indigenous leaders actually are up to - what is their real agenda?

The only answer I can see - to keep their people in poverty, addicted and abused. Huh, Why?

Don't tell me Indigenious love andf respect their elders - they don't. Don't tell me they look after the kids - they don't. Kids and elders are manipulated by the real power leaders in Aboriginal communities - for their own ends. I've lived it and seen it. Yet, these so-called leaders cry for still more 'consultations' - a delaying mechanisim that ensures nothing get's done and thereby maintains their power remains uncallenged.

Australia is dealing with Black Terrorism which is just as real as using bombs and guns - kids and elders are their weapons of choice.

I get no joy in saying my ALP has achieved very little in this area.
Not that conservatives have done better.
Any one who thinks Aboriginals have done their best is lieing to themselves.
A fact of life education and accountability are tools we all must use to fix this decades old problem Australia wide.
Not just child molestation but neglect and abuse.
John Howard will not get extra votes here ,he can do only one thing for Conservative Australians leave now.
But he at least is focusing on a problem we Australians have ignored for too long.

Rainier,

I was concentrating on what would be needed to fix the problem from this point on without going back to what has happened in the past. I agree that racism is an ugly human trait. However, it doesn't always lead to a bad outcome. It has actually lead to the isolation of many Aborigines (which is good if that is what they want, but bad if they do want to make a go of it in Western society.) So the effects of racism is a mixed bag.

When it comes to the loss of whole tribes - I don't want to sound too glib here - but maybe their time was up. It happened with proud tribes like the Aztecs and Incas too.

RObP, I'm afraid i can't engage with you as you're not very well read and I'm not about to give you tutlage on world history, colonialism, race theory and evolution here. Sorry.

Rainier

You are dead right. Health experts have declared there is an annual shortfall in Indigenous health of $460 million, based on what they estimate is needed to bring the health of Indigenous people up to around the level of non-Indigenous Australians' health.

However I am also right, because what I was talking about was the total health expenditure and the trend of this expenditure under Howard (rather than the estimated need).

I also agree this years' Federal Budget produced only $30 million of additional funding annually to be spent on indigenous health over the next four years. This may be paltry and far less than what may be needed, but it is nonetheless an increase, which continues the trend already established under Carmen Lawrence and Michael Wooldridge.

Re my "beloved Howard government" - I would probably like to see the end of the Coalition as much as you do. That doesn't mean that I don't value accuracy in debate, and giving recognition where it might be due.

Celivia,

You asked "why is Howard targeting NT Aboriginals when there are more urgent needs?"

I personally find it difficult to imagine what could be more urgent than the NT situation. It seems he has chosen to act here because the Commonwealth still has responsibility for the NT in a way it doesn't for the states. The AndersonWild Report provided him with a strong reason to intervene. It comes on top of Nanette Rogers' report, and it is now clear how irresponsible the NT Governments have been in ignoring this desperately bad situation over decades. Plus his opponents are in power in the NT: he may think there'll be electoral advantage in acting on these issues during an election year, and the mining boom has given his treasury enough funds to do it.

Re the armed forces: these Norforce troops are in camouflage but they don't carry weapons. They are part-timers who drive, play footy with the kids, and have in the past often sorted out sewerage problems and built roads. Most of them are locals, and a fair number are Indigenous.

For the cynics, a primer on Norforce:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/A-very-special-kind-of-force-minds-the-north/2005/03/04/1109700672482.html

Dan,
Thanks for the reply. As discussed before, some of the other States have higher incidences of child abuse; that’s what I meant when I said ‘more urgent needs’.
However, even if I accept that the NT is the best State to start action, the Anderson/Wild report certainly didn't recommend abolishing the permit system and didn’t recommend to act without consulting the aboriginal communities first.

Did you see the OLO new article by Jennifer Clarke? “Doesn’t a ‘national emergency’ require a national response?”
It’s the only clear information I have found on why the NT is targeted and has dissolved some of my confusion.
Anyway, I’m sick of Howard blaming the states all the time. The conditions for aborigines is everyone’s responsibility.

Cornflower,
Thanks for this link, its good to know about, but what is their involvement, if any, with the present situation? The Age didn’t say, just that they patrol the Northern border.

Celivia
Although some states appear to have higher incidences, the NTG usually has no child welfare officers in most remote communities; teachers etc get completely frustrated with doing notifications but finding no effective followup. The NTG child welfare system is very dysfunctional, and is not picking up the big majority of cases.

As for Anderson/Wild - it's not a great blueprint for action. It's mired in worthy cliches about approaches that have been tried endlessly before without producing many results. As Rothwell and Pearson pointed out, it doesn't identify the role of Aboriginal agency and responsibility in all this, and falls into the romantic culturalist trap on far too many occasions. Despite no evidence that culture is adaptable to resolve many problems, it nostalgically yearns for cultural solutions that don't exist, and absolves male cultural traditions with a sentimental posing of idealised roles for men that won't produce beneficial outcomes. AndersonWild documented the problems, but it would be foolish in the extreme to rely on that document for solutions.

The permit system: there's a strong case for allowing media reps to have automatic access as politicians already do, but given existing education levels it shouldn't extend much beyond accredited journalists. Permit abolition gambit is a silly ideological dogma of the conservatives, and would prove counterproductive.

Re consulting the aboriginal communities first: there has been an enormous amount of consultation over 20 years, hardly any action. It's not difficult to see what the problems are, or what responsible Indigenous people want done about them (eg decent policing). These people are sick of being consulted. Many don't agree with the Land Rights changes, but these are not new.

“Doesn’t a ‘national emergency’ require a national response?” -yes it does; that's why Howard challenges the states to act too, and form a partnership to address the issues nationally.

I'm not trying to defend how the HowardBrough plan was developed & is being implemented, but let's all get on with constructive criticism of this very important busines and not default to our own assumptions, political beliefs or comfort zones.

Dan, good post.
I’m only learning about things in the NT and will take your view into account.
But why aren’t there enough child welfare officers in those communities in the first place? Isn’t that asking for trouble?
Don’t forget that at some time, communities that wanted to take initiative have been denied funds even when they wanted to address child abuse, as far as I know.

I admit I simply don’t trust Howard.
Howard lobbied against Indigenous rights in Canada in 2006 http://ipcaucus.net/aust+parl.html
I find it hard to believe that he doesn’t have a ‘secret’ agenda. Time will tell, I suppose.

Anyway, I hope that things will improve for the aboriginal communities and that the government will finally come to realise that they need to make some changes long term.