With another successful Garma festival wrapping up for this year, it was great to see both indigenous and non-indigenous people coming together on the lands of the Yolnu people in a sprite of cooperation . With so many in society seeking to divide us racially, such cooperation is most welcome, then real progress can be made in Aboriginal affairs. This years Garma theme was "Buknuk", meaning everyone, and beside the cultural aspects being celebrated, there was a strong message of cooperation delivered by the various speakers. Penny Wong Foreign Minister, delivered a speech defending multiculturalism.. Lia Finocchiaro, Northern Territory Chief Minister announced a major land tenure agreement for Nhulunbuy during her speech. Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians addressed delegates on key federal policies. Sue-Anne Hunter, National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People spoke of the importance of education. Julian Leeser, Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister spoke of mental health and education being top priorities for Indigenous Australians.

what don't the grifters understand about no. Still trying to divide the nation by race. What grubs!

" then real progress can be made in Aboriginal affairs."

Let's come back next year and see how much 'progress' has been made as a result of these extended virtue signalling jamborees. Any advance on none?

I saw a women on SBS who wouldn't have looked out of place in an ABBA cover band, demanding that the government do 'sumfing' to protect 'OUR' (ie Aboriginal) art from AI plagiarism. It just gets funnier every year.

If I thought for a second that these 'events' would advance the plight of Arnhem aboriginals living in decrepit circumstances, I'd support it wholeheartedly. But that's not what these things are about. Its about boosting the self-esteem of the grifters

Hi Trumpster,

With your racists mentality, judging an Aboriginal person against the Dulux colour chart, as YOU do, and then saying they belong in an ABBA impersonator band, how droll. I'll let YOU in on a little secret, just as YOU the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic warrior don't look like Cassivellaunus or Boudica, not all Aboriginal people look like Pemulwuy or Truganini. Sorry for the disappointment, all I can say in your language is "Mór an trua sin", YOU don't understand, you're not of Anglo-Saxon Celtic race, what are YOU?

YOU disparagingly quip that; "Let's come back next year and see how much 'progress' has been made as a result of these extended virtue signalling jamborees. Any advance on none?" I expect there will be incremental progressive advancement in Aboriginal affairs in the next twelve months. Despite people like YOU, who oppose any such advancement, believing Aboriginal people should be camped in a humpy down at the river bank, outside of town, and out of mind, getting pissed on cheap booze you white mob profit from. Are YOU related to Dan Murphy, How sad if YOU are.

Aboriginals are not separate.
They are part of our society.
They should not parade around with a separate flag.
They should not claim separate ownership.
They have no control in Australia other than that given by government.
My impression is that, at present, there is a concerted effort by government to encourage aboriginals to live by Australian standards.
Aboriginals have tried to live apart for far too long.
The truth is that they cannot go back to living as their ancestors did.
And NO ONE should try to divide Australia along racial lines.

"not all Aboriginal people look like Pemulwuy or Truganini."

You're right. I well remember reading how Cook commented on how Scandinavian many of the aboriginals he met looked!! </sarc>

When people obviously have a big majority of their genetic heritage being European but choose to claim their small aboriginal genetic makeup as being paramount, one questions their motives. People used to deny their aboriginal genes, but now its very lucrative for urbanites to find an aboriginal in their ancestry.

"YOU don't understand, you're not of Anglo-Saxon Celtic race, what are YOU?"

Australian.

"believing Aboriginal people should be camped in a humpy down at the river bank,"

Which part of my post saying "If I thought for a second that these 'events' would advance the plight of Arnhem aboriginals living in decrepit circumstances, I'd support it wholeheartedly", went over your head?

Hi Ipso Fatso,

I can agree with some of what you say, other stuff not so.

"Aboriginals are not separate." Although they do have a unique heritage and culture, but at the end of the day we are all Australians, and no one should lose their identity. Making us multicultural. BTW for 200 years white Australia did separate themselves from the original Australians.

"They are part of our society." Yes, that is true today, but has not always been the case. For 200 years Aboriginals were treated as non citizens.

"They should not parade around with a separate flag." Why shouldn't a people use a flag as a unique identity symbol.

"They should not claim separate ownership." Well the European, without any justification claimed great tracts of Aboriginal land as his own personal property. I think its called dispossession.

"They have no control in Australia other than that given by government." The European arrived set up his governance, totally excluding the native population, and yes Aboriginals have no control of that situation. I agree.

"live by Australian standards" When in Rome do as the Romans do, not much choice there. Also long as that doesn't include ditching ones heritage and culture.

"Aboriginals have tried to live apart for far too long." Didn't have much choice in that regard. Time to man up ah, ditch that Abo nonsense, and conform to the white mans ways. Any subservient culture will always be drawn into the sphere of the dominant culture. The European tried to segregate the Aboriginal, economically, socially, even attempted to breed him out of existence. Despite all of that, Aboriginal culture is making a come back.

"The truth is that they cannot go back to living as their ancestors did." True the world moves on, no Aboriginal or no European can live like his ancestors did. Not when you've got mobile phones and the internet.

"And NO ONE should try to divide Australia along racial lines." Exactly what the right wing populists from One Nation want for Australia, ethic division.

Hi Trumpster,

Glad that like myself and millions of others you are Australian, despite some difficulty in establishing your pedigree.

I have no problem with people who claim Aboriginal heritage, based on their ancestry. My 1st cousin is such a person, but I asked her about those "benefits" you claim exist, simply based on their Aboriginality. No such special benefits exist. That's another Gobbelism from YOU.

Aboriginal people access the same mainstream income support system (such as JobSeeker or the Age Pension) under the exact same rules and means-testing as any other citizen. However, the government does provide targeted, equity-based programs to address severe health, educational, and economic disadvantages.

Well I'm not quite as white as Pauline Hanson,
but the very minute percentage of indigenous in me
wants ALL OF YOU to know that I am deeply offended.
- By what I'm not exactly sure.

"However, the government does provide targeted, equity-based programs to address severe health, educational, and economic disadvantages."

I had a friend who knew that his grandfather was part aboriginal but hadn't thought much about it. When his daughter became a public school teacher she was put in school she didn't like. So, on advice, she claimed her aboriginal 'heritage' and, heh presto, she was placed in the school of her choice.

Aboriginals, or more exactly, people who claim to be aboriginal, get preferential entry into university overcoming problems with their entrance scores. I know two people who leapt over non-aboriginal friends despite lower scores, to get into the course they wanted.

Not all benefits have to be money. You're just too much concerned with cash to see the world around you

" I am deeply offended.- By what I'm not exactly sure."

Doesn't matter. In some circles, primarily of the left, merely being offended, or claiming to be offended, means you're right....or so they believe.

Tassie Tiger might still be alive in New Guinea

I Bought a Plane to Find the Tasmanian Tiger in New Guinea
http://youtu.be/VpNKDCo23iM

A very expensive talk fest.

What!?

Meh.

You don't mean Gramma Festival? Eats, Shoots and leaves? I'd be interested in that