KGB (more sweet irony!) says:

"And then there's Passy....He can't wait for the compensation to follow.... but not if it comes from his pay packet & lowers his standard of living, thank you very much. The compensation is to come from OTHER groups. Ahhh, what a surprise. I wonder how typical he is of the pro-comp lobby? He's into sweet irony, wonder if he can see it there? And if everyone thought like Passy, no comp would be forthcoming at all. More irony."

Actually KGB, I am going to benefit markedly from the tax cuts and superannuation changes. It is an accident of history I was born into a white middle income family, lived in a poorer middle class suburb, went to poor middle class schools, had a middle class unversity education, found a middle class job and progressed up the ranks. I have had all the sorts of advantages that we as a society systemically deny Aboriginal people.

I want my tax cuts and my massive superannuation benefits to go to people whom we have committed genocide against and arguably continue to commit genocide against (or at least we continue to benefit from the genocide). This group of people use about half the level of govenment services that other Australians do. The men die 17 years on average before the rest of the Australian population.

All of this can be changed. The US, Canada and New Zealand have done it. Unitl now we haven't had the will and I suspect Rudd is happy with the feel good resposne but keen not to go any further.

It's time to push him. It's time for a treaty.

If all of this makes me a do-gooder, then I wear the tag with pride.

Dear Passy
I don't think anyone disputes the differences between white Australians and the indiginous folk. Sure they have a shorter life expectincy than we do, sure they could enjoy a better standard of living than they get, however, THEY CHOOSE THEIR WAY OF LIFE. not us!
We provide ample funding for health!
We provide ample funding for housing!
We provide ample funding for education!
They choose not to work
They choose to burn their houses down rather than live in them
They choose not to send their children to be educated

They were even given an oppotunity to have a large part in the self management of thier own people (ADSIC) and the select few simply linned their pockets while their people remained in poverty and now we face the prospect of compensating them.
With regards to those who call us 'howard lovers' just be advised that big business is booming and is the driving force behind the living standards you all enjoy and expect today.
This boom did not happen by accident. We have very low unemployment which resluts in larger disposable incomes for workers while the howard goverment allowed business to opperate without all the interuptions from union interference.
Anything that may cause big bisiness to loose confidence in the way that our nation is run, and ultimately result in a major slow down of our economy will have dire concequences for the way we live our lives today. Please do not forget this. The life style that we enjoy today has not happened by accident. It has been a bi-product of our booming econnomy and can go by the wayside just as quickly as it arrived some 7 to 8 years ago!
Joe used to say "count the crains and you know how the econnomy is running" Well you rudd lovers, I ask you to count the crains now and then count them again in 2 years. We will see how we fare then hey!

Butcher (or rather their reverse) says in relation to our aboriginal brothers and sisters that:

We provide ample funding for health!
We provide ample funding for housing!
We provide ample funding for education!

Actually the level of Government funding and services to aborigines is about half that provided to non-aborigines. They in their poverty subsidise us.

Those whom butcher stereotypes don't choose genocide and dispossession or alcohol and lack of education. The question is how to overcome this incredible disadvantage and break out of the recurring cycle. Recognising prior ownership and sovereignty through a treaty, coupled with a fund for future generations and to right past wrongs is one step.

In any event most aborigines live in cities, have jobs and so forth.

"We provide ample funding for health!
We provide ample funding for housing!
We provide ample funding for education!
They choose not to work
THEY CHOOSE TO BURN THEIR HOUSE DOWN RATHER THAN LIVE IN THEM.
They choose not to send their children to be educated" (Quote: Rectum).

ABSOLUTE RUBBISH!!

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Tomorrow morning I shall be making formal moves to get that defamatory piece of nonsense on page 4 removed. Many of the figures quoted are fallacious. As such the statement IS defamatory. I just need to make one further legal check. I have accepted that it has not been removed from the forum only because it was a weekend.

Hey guys, rehctub here.
I just wish for once you people would refrain from making personal attacks.
Just remeber one very important fact in all of this fuss. We are dealing with less than 2% of the Australian population, that's less than 2 out of every 100 people. Take out the aboriginies that lead a normal life as a normal every day aussie and this figure becomes even less yet figures released back in late 2007 show that the health spending on aboriginals was $400 million for the year. In considering that there are some great Australians umoung these aboriginaries who work hard and raise thier families as model aussies, it just amplifies the fact that the budget for aboriginal walfare, health and education equates to a staggering amount per head when you take these model citizens out of the equation. Yet for some reason you people stand there and defend these people who quite simply won't help themselves.
WAKE UP TO YOUR SELVES, it's been going on for decades and will be going on for decades to come.
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Dear Nilay – rehctub here.
I have to make an apology myself as I did not read your article in full prior to posting my resonse and for this I am sorry.
However, my concerns are not whether compensation is or is not going to be forth coming, it is more the fact that our courts will most likely be clogged by claim after claim and we as tax payers will be footing the bill yet again.

Look how many land rights claims were unsuccessful yet cost millions of tax payers dollars to defend.

I just fear that the flood gates have been opened as we may have in some way admitted liability for something that we had nothing to do with.
I do not agree with the actions of our forefathers however I do respect the fact that they made a decision on what they considered to be what was best at the time.

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rehctub,

A few points:

1. If 2% of the population receive $400 million, then 100% should receive $200 billion - that's about what the national tax take is each year. So, Aboriginals are nominally receiving the same per head of population as the ordinary white person. So much for a "staggering amount per head".

2. The $400 million is only a nominal book figure. The reality is that a lot of it is paid to Government Departments etc, that create the impression they're doing something with it, but just hang on to it. The bottom line is that much of it is not delivered effectively, or just not at all.

3. A study was recently done showing, after everything was taken into account, that Aboriginals per head of population received only half the money of the average total population.