I recall the words as " Let me abos go loose , Bruce " [ not " Lew "]but apart from that , I understood , when the song was first released , the reference to the aboriginal people being " of no further use " simply meant that they would no longer be needed in employment by the dying stockman . I can recall employers of mine [ I am not aboriginal ] saying that they would " use " me to do a particular job and no offence was meant . The word " abo " [ but not the word " aboriginal " ] was generally considered to be mildly offensive at the time when the song was written . As to Harris ' other comments , the same could have been said regarding many white Australians .It would have been better to leave them unsaid , given the context in which he spoke .

Thanks for an interesting discussion examinator.

Your comments 'the reality that Aboriginals ARE "a special case", a 3rd world situation in a 1st world country.' reflect the point I am trying to make.

It is inappropriate, and I do find it condescending, to group all Australian Aboriginal people together, on the basis of race, and refer to them as 'a special case'. I want my neice and nephews who are mixed race (Aboriginal Australian and white Australian) to be perceived and appreciated as individuals and taken on their merit. If they have to journey through life labelled as 'special case' and by insinuation 'charity case' because of their Aboriginal heritage they will find it difficult to overcome such oppression. They deserve to be treated as equals and appreciated individually. Some do-gooders (by that I mean people who claim to do good, and probably think they are doing good) fail to appreciate the insiduous tyranny of 'kindness'.

I agree with examinator.

I think that Rolf Harris's comments are
not ones to be taken seriously.

Harris is a man who's made a career out of
being an "Australain" entertainer. He's spent
most of his life overseas exploiting the icons
of Australia, the Aborigines, didgeridoos, kangaroos,
et cetera.

He's a man who's difficult to pin down (no pun
intended). I just don't get his current remarks.
After all he has apologised for what he admitted
were 'racist' remarks in his song, "Tie my
kangaroo down sport." And, he also signed the "Sorry
Book, at a launch in London which contained the
following apology:

"By signing my name in this book, I record my deep
regret for the injustices suffered by Indigenous
Australians...I offer my personal apology for the
hurt and harm caused by the forced removal of children
from their families and for the effect of government
policy on the human dignity and spirit of Indigenous
Australians.

I would also like to record my desire for Reconciliation
and for a better future for all our peoples. I make a
commitment to a united Australia which respects this
land of ours, values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
heritage and provides justice and equity for all."

I wouldn't take his current comments too
seriously. Harris seems to vary, depending which way
the wind's blowing.

I think that all who are interested in contributing to raising the welfare of the really disadvantaged aboriginal community ( and they are not the only disadvantaged people in this nation!) should put their hand in their pockets and their other hand to the plough to contribute to the education of aboriginal children. In our local group we have rasied $500 pa to assist the school costs of an aboriginal student at primary school on the basis of merit in effort in learning. It's fine to examine issues in abstract but look around folks and try and help those aboriginal parents who are looking to have their kids off the sit-down money turntable, $500 covers those extras for education and it's only about $1.50 a day. So go down to your local primary school and talk about a scholarship based on merit for aboriginal children and stop looking at your navel for inspiration. Stop talking and do something.

I think the threads author has it right.
I found nothing racist or offensive in the posts he/she has contributed to this thread, but some real truth.
I again expose myself to being called racist.
I have been in this forum for complaining about an Aboriginal mother watching her child steal from a busker in a wheel chair.
Yet it is very true that as a result of a host of issues, shyness, education, just plain laziness, lack of opportunity's, some sit back and do bugger all.
We can not truly talk about the subject without some calling it white mans fault.
Some times it is, no defense.
But like it or not I have mentored many Aboriginal youths in the workplace.
For all the reasons above, every one of them, failures number over 80%
Rolf Harris is no racist, his crime was 50 years ago, at a time we bought a shoe polish named in such a way none of us would buy it today.
Do not judge yesterdays actions by todays rules without understanding how far we have come.
And we should understand some, far too many Aboriginals got little or no education, some learned only to drink.
We surely understand we must understand education is the first step to a better life for these people.

Well said, Belly.

As for your comment: ‘I again expose myself to being called racist.’ This is a serious problem in Australia and the very reason why I applaud Rolf Harris’s straight talk. In my experience many people are quick to label others racist simply because they wish to comment on a negative aspect. This quick slap of the racist tag is a form of bullying intended to stop free speech. In some cases I wonder if the ‘slapper’ is trying to deflect their own latent (perhaps unconscious) racist tendencies.

Those who treat a group of people with kid gloves on the basis of race are not treating them with respect. They are treating them with condescending superiority which, ironically, borders on racism. More importantly however, such treatment oppresses and isolates the group they claim to be helping. Treating the Aboriginal people as a ‘special’ group protected from accountability through the social prohibition of free speech will inhibit their ability to achieve pride, self responsibility and self respect.