There seems to be a willingness to discuss this topic on other threads, so lets give it a topic area of its own.

Do we keep pouring money into the problems faced by the various groups of aborigines in this country? What is the solution to their situation? IS there a solution to their situation?

It seems that the general public is in a sticky situation over aboriginal welfare. On one hand if the government does nothing, it is accused of neglect and racism. If programs as well as money are implemented to target specific identified problems, the govt is accused of meddling in affairs that aren’t their own, and being paternalistic. What is the balance?

I firmly believe that most Australians from any background want to see ALL people given opportunity and access. This will necessarily become trickier with those that live in remote areas, as to have that equality of access, children must generally leave home (which is seen as a bad thing in itself by some, but is no different to any other child living in a remote area – eg white children will generally be sent to boarding school).

But in order for any program or assistance to have a true effect, those of aboriginal background who receive assistance need to do so without having a chip on their shoulder. Assistance needs to be given not because of “race”, but because of situation, and it needs to be received the same way. I know a number people of aboriginal descent (having lived in some predominantly black communities), and many have done well for themselves. They are NOT a credit to their “race”. They are a credit to themselves. They often have come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and have seized whatever opportunity that has come their way. This is the way it should be for all people in this country, whether black, white or pink-with-purple-polka-dots. Give people equality of opportunity to the highest degree possible, then leave it to them to make of it what they will.

Victim mentality whether it is held by white or black will always lead to you believing people owe you. I have seen this with Social Security where the dole becomes a right instead of a privilege.

I have lived and worked with aboriginal people and find often those who want to get ahead are critised by their own people. They are called cocunuts (black on outside and white on inside).

In the past the fault was those 'rotten Christians' who took away their culture. The fact is that some things in their culture need to go if they want to live in modern society. If they don't they will continue to remain poor and be entrapped by acholol and all the horrible fruits that come with it (child abuse etc).

For those with a genuine concern for the indigneous it is often heartbreaking to see uncared for children, battered men and women. I think we are more concerned about being politically correct than dealing with issues.

I have known people come from overseas who are astounded that they did not see whites beating up the blacks and treating them like slaves. Just goes to show how strong propaganda can affect peoples views.

I think for perspective on this topic, we need to look at other colonised countries who have been through their own process of reconciliation.

Any tertiary glance will show that this is never a smooth or quick process. Native Americans and African Americans are still at a significant disadvantage (in some parts of the US more than others), because despite great progress, old prejudice remains. In Canada however they have made great steps towards proper reconciliation with the Inuits, and in fact Australia could learn a lot from the steps they took to get where they are today.

Anyway the point is wherever you look, it appears to take a long time to recover from such initial devastation. 200 years is really not that long at all. We're a very, very young country, and have a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do.

The 'how can we help them if they dont help themselves?' line has been used all over the world in different periods of history, you'd think we'd learn by now that it is not a helpful attitude.

It is very true that you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink. This applies in welfare provided to both black and white people, and it applies to people in various other circumstances (in particular I think of those addicted to smoking, who continue despite knowing the damage that they are doing to themselves, and despite various avenues being available to help kick the habit). In this case we (the community in general) can provide cushions to help soften the fall, but we shouldnt be held responsible for the decisions of individuals not to act. We dont live in a State where it is acceptable to force an individual to undertake something (and nor should we). But that then implies that each individual has to take responsibility for their actions (or inactions).

Discussions around assistance and problems with our indiginous community are forced to be far too PC, for effective discourse to take place. As soon as a problem is raised, the call of "racist" arises, and that puts a halt to any progression. I'm not trying to say that there is never any racism, but that the label is used far too often by those simply trying to avoid facing a problem, or trying to cover their own tracks. I just dont know how this can be combated for the good of everyone.

Country Gal "We dont live in a State where it is acceptable to force an individual to undertake something (and nor should we). " - not quite true (talk to some of CSA's payer clients) but I agree with the sentiment.

I'm hoping that this thread works to further discussion without degenerating into a slanging match. I'd like to get a better understanding of what we can do as a nation to help address some of the issues and to see what fits within my own values.

Rainer made a good point about delivering education in a culturally relevant manner on one of the other threads. A topic I'd like to see explored more. I'm also interested in how students from schools like the one Rainer mentioned fare when moving back into mainstream settings (other schools, tertiary education and the workplace) - are their outcomes better or worse than counterparts who have been in the mainstream all along.

I tend to distrust "affirmative action" as in my view it creates an inequity between individuals based on perceived group inequities which may not apply to the individuals concerned. I'm keen to hear from those who like affirmative action about how they see that issue.

Are their ways of moving past some of the issues faced by Australia at the moment without doing yet more harm?

R0bert

R0bert, I get your point! A risk of making sweeping statements, I am afraid!! :)

Yes, I too would like to see some constructive debate, rather than an us vs them slanging match.

One of the problems with identifying disadvantage and seeking to rectify it, is that you run the risk of creating a victim mentality in the very person that you are trying to help. You know, the old "do gooders do more harm than good". I dont think that people tend to take on this victim mentality deliberately, it comes more as an awakening, when someone points out that you have a "problem" or have been discriminated against. I'm not saying that anyone should be left in the dark, but that by putting a situation in a different light, you can provoke a different reaction. This is the case in many different situations, not just one that pertains to disadvantaged people, or people of a minority (or majority) group or race.