Just to correct the impression that CDEP has made Aboriginal people a bunch of layabouts and wife-beaters, we should remember that more than sixty thousand Indigenous people have enrolled in university courses over the past eighteen years, and that more than twenty thousand have graduated, mostly with degrees and about a quarter with post-graduate qualifications. Currently around nine thousand are enrolled, and most of those will graduate. A third will go on to post-graduate study.

The problem may be that there are two populations moving off in different directions: one to disaster, with poor health, addictions, lives of violence and pointlessness, not necessarily in poverty but certainly looking as if they are (squalor more than poverty); while the other population is finding meaningful work, has good health, few addictions, almost no violence, mostly owning or purchasing their own homes, encouraging their kids through school and contributing back to Australian society, of which they are an enthusiastic part.

The question is: how to switch people in remote communities and the outer suburbs on to success, to an education and work ethic which is the foundation of good health and a reasonably happy life ? Or do we wash our hands of them and let them go down the drain ? I'm certainly not saying that their path is easy, but what else ?

Thank you, Sara.

Loudmouth,
Thanks for providing that info about the numbers of aboriginal people getting higher education. Hopefully, that will contiue and many will work in fields associated with aboriginal education, health and become role models for kids.

Just when this news uplifts me, I see a news article today about the NT Government only spending about half of its Federal allocation for aboriginal matters. How can this be? What is going on? I thought they had an aboriginal Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Surely the news report is wrong or it is gross incompetence. It is not as though there is nothing to spend the funds on.

So which one are you individual,
1. Missionary
2. Mercenary
3. Misfit
Rainier,
Call me whatever you like but one thing's for sure, you're not writing from experience rather just from what you read. loudmouth says that 60,000 have made it but why do think they don't go back to their communities ?
Do you have any idea at all what goes on in remote communities ? I really don't see any evidence that you do. From corruption by bureaucrats to blatant misuse of public funding. No movie script is that imaginative.

Ah well, as usual all is quiet on the idealists' front.

Hi Banjo,

Those figures can easily be checked on DEEWR's website, and the ABS Census data. Yes, about sixty thousand have commenced study since 1990, and about 118,000 have turned twenty in that time - so the equivalent of just over half of the 20-yr-old population has started university studies. Since 1990 and ever onwards, half of the Indigenous population will at some time go to university.

Here's another bit of good news: Indigenous women make up about 1.66 % of the Australian-born female population of Australia; they also make up 1.62 % of all Australian-born under-graduate female university students commencing study each year. The men are not doing nearly so well, but that's for them to work out.

There was a massive boost to the Indigenous birth-rate from the mid-eighties, and those age-groups are just reaching tertiary age in big numbers. It is likely that total enrolments could double by 2015, and that there could be fifty thousand graduates by 2020.

So why is there any need for CDEP ? Partly because there are two populations: Indigenous uni students very rarely come direct from communities, and these days they tend to be born and raised in urban, mixed-marriage households. I think the days of hoping for Indigenous graduates to 'go back' to communities (that they didn't come from) are well and truly over. it never happened, and it never will.

Meanwhile, people in isolated communities have latched onto CDEP, rather than look for work, or develop enterprises (even vegetable gardens, for God's sake!) at settlements. This raises the question: can people be expected/allowed to stay on unemployment benefits for life ? If so, what hope for their kids ? what need for education ? Isn't this nothing more than Apartheid, with a kind smile and a fortnightly cheque ? We should be ashamed.

Joe

I know I'm crazy but I believe the way to solve the outback community problem is to build bitumen all weather roads to link them back with civilisation. It would also encourage the the rest of us and the grey nomads etc to move out there possibly creating employment and raising the living standards by example.
The kids could get out in all weathers and not be locked up for long periods like they currently are.
Let's open up the outback.