The animals who raped the 10 year old child should, of course, now be in jail. So should the idiot judge. She is a disgrace to her profession and to her gender. And let's not forget the moronic prosecutor.

As for the future of Aurukun,there isn't one. It, and remote communities like it, are merely degrading 'black's camps' under a more acceptable name.

While aborigines live in these dreadful places, the savagery and abuse will continue.

Leigh white's continue to place them in these camps without adequate resources so they can steal their resources ( bauxite) this is the real disgrace. Anyway in Klu Klux Clan Nth Queensland no Indigenous person is going to be treated fairly under white law.

Stephen once again you have demonstrated your complete lack of understanding of the issues in which northern Indigenous people have to face in communities where law and order is based on the colour of your skin.

Had these mongrels done this to a white child they would have been in prison long ago, because the child was black these mongrels got away with it because white law implied this child had agreed to the rape.

Further to your ignorance you suggest that the Mayor of the community should read some book to gain insight into the problems in the community. Most of the people on the community havn't had the benefit of you education in the south and so english written and spoken is difficult for them and even so they don't have public librarys to get the books from in the first place

I find myself in the position where I agree with Stephen Hagan's article and Yindin's criticisms of it. Fortunately the two are not contradictory, but rather the latter is an effective elaboration of the former. Well done to both of you.

What is really encouraging in Steve's article is the spotlight he puts on Ken Henry's excellent speech and the listed recommendations.

It is a sign that Australia may be on the verge of a significant shift in its ability to respond to Indigenous issues when the Treasury Secretary is motivated to stick his head out in public and not only espouse such a progressive agenda for Indignous justice but also get it so right.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention Steve.

"What is the future for Aurukun and other remote Indigenous communities which seem to be incapable of policing their own citizens?"

This pretty much says it all.

It goes to the heart of the underlying matter... a patronising 'who will tame the hethens' sort of attitude thats widespread in this country and goes all the way back to the fundamental ethos of all colonising nations of the past. ie we know best, you are uncivilised savages, look here's the proof.

The angst ridden self immolation is a direct result of disconnection from their own way, their heritage, foist upon them by those of us who only respect our own ways.

The essence of the problems is in the following grabs from the above quote...

..."What is the(ir) future"... thats right its for us to decide this,

..."seem to be incapable"... see, they've proved they need our steady hand,

..."policing their own citizens"... yep, hit them with the 'you are a possession/citizen" stick, beholden to some nebulous concept weilded by those who know best and of course its 'their' problem. Lets forget that we're all in it together. This reflects on them, not a wider, all inclusive malaise.

Pityfull.

OK Trade215, let us hear some constructive suggestions from you. If you don't want to hear white solutions, then let us hear some black solutions. people like Stephan are in a better position than most to make suggestions as to what should be done. We keep hearing about what should have been done in the past, but we now need to hear what should be done in the future and if black leaders are not going to accept some responsibility for their own future then what hope do you think they have.

I DONT LIKE ANYONES COMMENT.

I think all of us know that to break the cycle we need to integrate these people of the north into the broader Australian Community.

The curse is that we are attached to the land, so therefore these people just cant cut their losses and pack up and go like whites can, which in reality is the best option in terms of economic and social wellbeing.

Abuse happens, but it happens not just in Aboriginal communities but in many other remote communites.

By the invasion/intervention happening to 'save the kids' we have just put the community on a leash, not giving them any long term benefit.

We need to offer pathways out of these communities for the young people, and education is the key to getting these opportunities. Then they can come back to their home and help their community, and break the cycle of despair.

We can and will stand on our own two feet in the next 2 generations, and then we can reclaim our place and enforce our economic clout and entitlements as the custodians of the country.

What a lot of cobblers! Dr Ken Henry with all his arrogant "should" words. White man out to fix things again. Wake up, this fix-it attitude has been around for a century and what has it really achieved? Implicitly more committees, more hand outs, more cudgelling.

What about recognising the indigenous people as simply different - not superior, not inferior, just different. They are not white people and there is nothing to fix. Let them be.

What about stopping trying to fix them from a position of arrogant white supremacy, and give them their way of being back. Yes "being". For millennia they have evolved a way of living with a richness of experience and presence. Unlike the white man, they are not accumulators, not deferrers. They live now!

Naturally they aspire our goods. Aspire what we have, but demonstrably without the 'wiring' to be like us.

What about giving their souls back? Call it connection with the land or whatever, but give them an opportunity to live as they always done. Not to bundle onto a reserve. Not to impose and fix them.

There is no hope of resolving such unacceptable behaviour unless the real facts are exposed without embellishment.

The facts as I understand them are that this child has been the subject of criminal sexual penetration since the tender age of five or six years old when she contracted Syphilis.

From that point she must of necessity been under the care and protection from sexual predators by her family.
Considering that she was fostered away from Aurukun with a white family suggests that her parents and the relevent department of Child protection were aware that further criminal abuse was likely to occur....Why was this considered a likely hood ?

Despite the criminality of sex with a minor and the illegality of this child giving consent, What are the circumstances where nine males were able to engage in sexual acts with this child without her parents knowledge. Was she held against her will or had she become promiscuous and complied ? As horrified as we might be at the very thought that a child of such tender years could be promiscuous,it does occur.

If this is the case, it would suggest that the whole COmmunity has a serious problem of moral degradation which is not being addressed as we all wallow in indignant recriminations against the Judge, The Prosecutor and the Child Welfare agency without recognising the elephant in the room of a whole Community in desperate need of recovery from extreme social & moral degradation.

The Aurukun Community is the underlining cause of this abuse and there is a need to recognise the dysfunction and take appropriate steps to resolve the problem or other children will be at risk.

besides echoes of common wisdom I'm wondering what the upshot of this piece is?

Bit like sitting of grampa's lap listening... heard it all before ..but you've got to be patient and respectful..

Rainier, I think the time for patience and respect has run out. We have been too patient waiting for the Aboriginal communities such as Aurukun to come to grips with their own problems and nothing positive is happening. They don't seem to have any respect for themselves, so how can the white community be expected to have any respect for them.

I am truly sorry, end of story.

David

VK, Are you speaking for all the white community or just the one who think are listening to you via telethapy, osmosis - and agreeing?

To assume that Aurukun developed along the same lines of prosperity or access to goods and services as white Australian towns ignores this recent history.

Read some here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurukun,_Queensland#History

Aboriginal people have been asking for self governance and rights to land for years. Denial of these as fundamental building blocks over generations has its effects.

I am not excusing any criminal behaviour - just pointing out that your 'loss of patience' is not based on any genuine expectation or active participation with Aboriginal people or communities or indeed application of any real memory of the history or contemporary realities.

It’s astounding how many Australians know nothing about this nations history.

I travelled, lived and was incarcerated in Far North Queensland in the early 90's. The majority of Aboriginal prisoners I encountered were charged with sexual and/or violent offences. The fact that material or property type offences were few among them speaks for the inherent poverty and deprivation in these communities. A cycle of alcohol abuse, violence and sexual assault (including within the prison system) was consistent in their lives.
The remarks made by the Judge, Prosecutor and Mayor, however inexcusable as justification for negligence, reflect a resignation to the horrific reality in these communities.
These comments reflect the cynical administrative view that these communities are little more than rum-stores with the objective of regional containment.
Out of sight, out of mind (indifference) has always characterized the mainstream Australian attitude to Aboriginals.
The Cape York Peninsular is a concentration camp.