"A report by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2008.... "

Yes...competing statistics. But the information in the "Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle" report is rather compelling. Compelling enough that both sides of politics found it necessary to act. But, of course, we do have people who later wanted to re-write the information in the name of politics as opposed to the aims of helping the children themselves. As I said, for some, the welfare of the aboriginal women and kids runs a distant second to the politics.

"Like many dispossessed and colonised people around the
world Aboriginal communities around Australia face
enormous social problems including poverty,
homelessness, high rates of incarceration and poor
health."

"In communities where the social fabric has unravelled,
issues like violence and substance abuse are rife."

"Of course the domiant narrative echoing the ethnocentrism
of colonial thinking is that Aboriginal culture is violent
and uncivilized."

"The current social problems that are the result of
dispossession and marginalisation and inter-generational
trauma deflects any attention away from taking pride in
Aboriginal heritage and culture - which makes it hard
to achieve success in other ways - if you're consistently
told you are primitive, violent, and no good."

"Governments in the past have always been quick to use rhetoric that
Indigenous culture is part of the problem not part of
the solution."

"However what is not advertised is that when Indigenous culture
is strong, more positive outcomes do come out for
Indigenous communities."

"This has been shown particularly in the area of education where
progress such as - "Stronger, Smarter "approach developed
by Indigenous educator Chris Sarra and programs for young
Indigenous men - such as Shane Phillips "Tribal Warrior" -
have succeeded.
A connection with culture and a pride in heritage works in
many ways."

"What is necessary is for a Western lens to put a new lens
on Australian Aboriginal culture and and perhaps this can
assist the rest of the country to see what Aboriginal
people have seen all along."

This was taken from:

http://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/22/indigenous-australians-know-were-the-oldest-living-culture-its-our-dreamtime

cont'd ...

Sorry - excuse my typo again:

http://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/22/indigenous-australians-know-were-the-oldest-living-culture-its-in-our-dreamtime

Hi Foxy,

Hear, hear, absolutely spot on. I have seen it first hand with my wife's extended family in Aotearoa, in the Maori (90%) towns up north, the social and economic problems that beset some, not all. What I see as the saving grace for people there is not welfare and its associated agencies, although in the here and now that's important, I see the community/whanau (family) working through what is still their strong culture to protect many in need.

Dear Nathan, You asked "Do you need to be sophisticated?"
The Dark Emu debate continues."

The link I just gave from The Guardian explains quite well:

"The problem has always been, Europeans often did not know
what they were looking at when observing Indigenous people
in their culture."

"Often blinded by their confident belief in their own racial
superiority and their arrogant perception of the inferiority
of other races - it seemed impossible that other cultures could
have any insights to offer."

"In his book - "The Biggest Estate on Earth" Bill Gammage
deconstructs the sketches and paintings that the first
colonists made of the landscape of the Sydney basin
and what is revealed is not wild bushland but
carefully farmed landscapes
including tracts of land cleared specifically for luring
grazing animals."

"Pascoe identifies other aspects of Aboriginal cultural practices -
sophisticated fishing practices, to the establishment of permanent
structures."

But that's not all. They are not all lost. There continues to be:

"A heavy interest in the traditional practices of fire burning,
which ig gaining a broader consideration for pastoralists,
conservationists, and other interested parties who are starting
to understand that perhaps a culture that has lived on a land
for around 60,000 years just might know a thing or two about
how to maintain its delicate ecosystems."

Dear Paul,

Bravo to your wife and her family, and the Maori culture.

If only Australia was as advanced.

I'm praying and hoping that the Australian people will finally
see what needs to be done to correct things because so far
nothing else has worked.

Voting YES for the Voice to Parliament is so important.
And anyone who votes no - as a former PM once said -
"Is a bum!""