“Indigenous people voted in large numbers for the Labor Party because they believed Kevin Rudd when he said he would create a national representative body before the last election.”

And, like others who put their faith in Rudd the Dud, what fools they were! Anyone who thought that Rudd was going to do anymore than say ‘sorry’ is a real dunce. And, anybody who talks about the 2020 Summit, previous Summits or any Summits to come, is head of the dunces.

The blather about the Minister’s qualifications – supposedly indicating that they make her far too smart ignore what Stephen Hagan wants – brings up the question of Mr. Hagan’s own qualifications and why they don’t help him to realise that Summits, Government promises and what he wants all count for nothing.

Stephan Hagan wastes a lot of words and includes a lot of irrelevances in his harangue to ask what we all know about ATSIC and why it should never be repeated.

Lazy Leigh lies lethargic longing for lost legacy. Lightweight Leigh left lamenting.

Good article Stephen.

Another thing Hagan seems not to realise - in a democracy it's just not on for any groups to 'govern' themselves separately from everybody else.

As for his comment on Macklin not believing (rightly) that aborigines can govern themselves, we only need to think about the infamous ATSIC and and the state of the remote camps to know that she is right.

Definition:

New ATSIC, New trough for dark snouts.

A woman under male supervision, explaining to a community with an tradition of women's and men's business, that a Parliament, convened under a Constitution which prohibits women's legislatures, prohibits indigenous legislatures, is truly bizarre.

Negotiations should resume when Australia's Constitution is reformed to provide a rational basis from which to proceed

I would of thought that any organisation that limited membership by ethnicity would be a racist organisation.
Every adult Australian has an obligation to attend a polling place and have their name crossed off every time there is a Federal ,State or LGA election so the argument that Aboriginals are denied their democratic right is false.
I think the proposition of a separate indigenous council should be put to all Australians before we start dividing up the country to different pressure groups.
In fact there is an argument that the various land councils should now be self sufficient and self funding with all the land resources that they are now responsible for.
Every other Australian is expected to pull their own weight in this society.
I dont often agree with Minister Macklin but in this she is on the right track to avoid division in this country by having a seperate "native" council.
After all, we are all native to Earth and not just native to a particular geographical area.