I hope all the people on this page saw the final part of Sixty Minutes tonight about what has happened in Wilcannia.

If you missed it, go to http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=274740
and read the transcript.

As I and a lot of others have been saying for years, it is up to Aboriginal people themselves to fix their problems. It doesn't just need money, it needs a change of attitude, otherwise it will still be a disgrace for another 100 years.

David

Rainier
You read me wrongly.

I do not believe there is an "obvious and simple proportional relationship between measures of needs and the funds required to achieve outcomes."

I support blacks getting our taxes, provided the money is spent in equitable and efficient ways, to the longterm benefit of those in real need.

The $33 billion figure I suggested as the overall allocation to 'Aboriginal affairs' (Commonwealth budgetted funds over the last ten years) is a crude estimate, but an educated one, provided in response to an enquiry for a crude estimate. I make no judgement about the person who enquired, nor his motives.

You say "Judgement is an essential feature of allocation and Howard et al have simply judged Aboriginal people in remote areas as unworthy." However the fact remains that the overall allocations by Howard's government remain high. However this is not to say that they are sufficient, or being spent wisely, fairly, efficiently or effectively.

But in regard to spending on health, during the first half of Howard's regime his Health Minister was Michael Wooldridge, who was the most liberal and pro-Indigenous person in his Cabinet. Wooldridge ensured that more money than previously was put into Indigenous health, leading to increased budgets for OATSIH and the AMSs. For all his pious sins, Tony Abbott has continued this trend, and has been a relatively good health minister for Indigenous people.

Rainier will point out that the AMA, FHF, Oxfam and NACCHO have campaigned for an extra $460 million to be added to the Health budget to help bring Indigenous health outcomes up to levels comparable with the national average, but Abbott has not complied with their requests, and this is true. But this still does not refute my earlier contentions.

Health spending is higher now than it was, but not as high as the AMA & co think it should be.

As for your accusation that Howard has "quaratined" some of the money allocated for Indigenous health Rainier, I don't know what you are referring to here.

You are right about uranuim mining.
It is not about abuse of children it is all about potential nuclear waste sites and uranium mining exploration in the Northern Territory. If you believe in Uranium Mining, Uranium Exports, Nuclear Power Stations, Nuclear Bombs, Depleted Uranium and Nuclear Waste Dumping then you do not care a damm about people, least of all children.

I have seen/witnessed at first hand, one project after another for the benefit of indigenous communities, every time it was the tax payers money that was eventually, thrown to the four winds.
Citrus orchards well established and become financially viable with good export markets,become self sufficient in time, a very good viable business.
Within a few years of handing over the management of the citrus farm in the Gold Fields to indigenous management, it was left to rot.
Orders were not filled, contracts so hard won, were ignored, fruit rotted on the trees, and machinery and kind were destroyed and left to rust in the fields, by the very same people who were constantly clamouring for assistance and help/employment.
A project in excess of 3 million dollars of taxpayers funds litterley thrown away.
Another such event were a tribe in our northern areas who claimed their traditional hunting was fishing, the Govt bought them THREE trawlers and supplied a canning facility to can the catch, again, white over seers were employed to teach and show them the ropes to become self sufficient, in this case, before the project was even half way, the indigenous people simple disappeared over time, less and less would turn up every day, until eventually none turned up for work and the whites had nothing to do, simply ended up walking away, the boats were washed up on the beach and ended up being vandalised for scrap, the building allowed to fall into disrepair and eventually went the same as the boats, and again, the tribe lives and carries on as before.

So clearly, the issue here IS NOT MONEY, IMHO the issue is the lack of will to integrate, the lack of self survival, our indigenous people simply do not want to change anything, they are quiet happy living as they are, have no intention of ever changing into what we wish them to be, and the sooner we accept that, and allow them to live the life they wish to live, the sooner things will improve.

Itchyvet, things are never going to improve unless you take away all the free money. Just provide people with the necessities for life and anything else they want they have to earn. Attitudes are not going to change unless very considerable pressures are brought to bear. You can add the road house at Yalata on the road to the West to your list of examples.

David

itchyvet, the issue wont be dropped after the election as such, or at least not in the records of the Federal Government!

They will just pass the responsibility back to the States, who were the ones that failed in their duty of care the first time, and they will leave it to them to deal with - AGAIN. Without supervision, question, accountability or challenge - AGAIN. All that will happen is that it will cost us more to fund the bureaucracy as it blows out – AGAIN.

What is happening now will probably manage to help a handful of people. The Government will no doubt present it as though it was a lot…taking into regard the circumstances, they will say of course!.

It doesn’t matter who wins or loses the next election, the outcome will be the same. Our Government will be permitted to avoid taking any responsibility for their actions or inaction. It is the set up and way the system functions. It is designed to protect the reputation/position of the Government – at any cost. They are supporting and protecting their lifestyle FIRST!

What I can’t understand is why more parents are not speaking up and lodging formal complaints about a system that is failing so many people so completely?

Or maybe they are and their cries for help are being intercepted and are being thrown against bureaucratic brick walls.

Education - Keeping them honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better