Completely agree with you Mike, that the constant retreating into their own, now way out of date, cultural behaviour is stopping people advancing in general society.

Fear of change possibly, I suspect it is, but the real losers are the young of each generation who go through this blinkered lifestyle to realise some time later what they have missed out on.

They missed out on living a life of potential and possibility that everyone deserves a crack at, so little wonder they become angry and discontented with their world.

I don't have any answers beyond the usual obvious one to everyone in my peer group and generation, get them out and stop this backsliding into primitive lifestyles when things get tough.

Learning to stand on their own two feet and not expect everyone else to support them, I am sure they'll be amazed at what they can accomplish when you are not caught on the end of a handout system that requires you to stay primitive to get the benefits of the handouts and charity.

It is sad they cannot see to join us in the real world and grow into their potential.

Succinct, heart-felt and clear. Hopefully you won't be shouted down in this forum but more importantly I hope the message inspires a few younger folks wasting away in outstations to walk away from the old and embrace the new.

I think the outworking of Mike's suggestions is another 'stolen' generation.Hmmm. It is very hard though to disagree with you if the plight of the indigenous is ever to improve for many than a few Government workers on the gravy train.

I would support Mr Pope's analysis. In fact, I have been worried for years that the Indigenous population is, broadly speaking, moving in different directions - the majority in towns and cities getting on with business, making their way, regardless of having lost their land and so much else, while a small minority has been subjected to new forms of apartheid, often Indigenous-controlled, which as Mr Pope writes, leaves people utterly unskilled, powerless and dependent, in the eye of a perfect storm of disaster, which is perhaps irreversible.

Meanwhile, close to twenty four thousand Indigenous people have already graduated from universities, with another ten thousand currently enrolled, the majority of whom will find meaningful employment in the towns and cities. With their families, they alone make up perhaps a quarter of the Indigenous population - in fact there are more Indigenous university graduates than there are adults in NT remote settlements and out-stations.

But the gulf is not just educational - the 'Gap' between the two main Indigenous populations in health, trouble with the law, and all the rest, is huge: in fact, the 'gap' between the working and urban populations and the general Australian population is not all that significant. Which means, statistically, that the 'Gap' that the government talks about is actually far greater for the people in remote settlements than any government report has ever acknowledged. How on earth anybody can sit back and conclude that life in remote areas is somehow idyllic is dreaming. Or worse.

rmg1859@yahoo.com.au

Joe

Excellent article.

While the maintenance of the indigenous "homelands" and culture is politically correct, as far as young aboriginals are concerned they are in a backwater isolated from decent health, education, and employment. The remote location makes delivery of any of the above extremely expensive and difficult.

These areas must be mind numbingly boring for youngsters, and I am not surprised that they go off the rails. Likewise they find themselves trapped by poor education and skills and unable to fend for themselves in the real world.

To be blunt, in bending over to protect their cultural identity we are trapping them in an endless loop of poverty. The sooner they are integrated into Australian culture, the sooner they can begin living real lives.

Joe, I wonder what percentage of your indigenous graduates are taking up positions in remote areas with the aim of improving the lot of their fellows. Are many of them fluent in aboriginal languages? Have they turned their backs on the plight of their fellows in order to pursue more successful careers in the wider community? On that note, what courses have they successfully undertaken?

It appears to me, that these are the people to whom we should be turning to find solutions, because the non-indigenous community has only been successful at ineffectively throwing away large sums of money.

David