This link http://johntracey.blogspot.com/2006/09/open-letter-to-queensland-and.html is an open letter to the Queensland and Australian Greens.
It is too long for this forum but in short it criticises them for not campaigning on Aboriginal issues during the state election campaign. It seems to me that the lack of any opposition or even critique to the ALP's failing indigenous strategy, in particular the silence of the Greens, has created the opportunity for Peter Beattie to announce the mainstreaming of indigenous services and the abolition of the indigenous portfolio from cabinet. John Howard continues to fight to be able to do exactly the same thing but Beattie is able to to it with out a whimper from the Greens or anyone else.

The Greens have some strong Aboriginal links, including their only elected representative in Queenslland - the Mayor of Palm Island who campaigned for eleection as a Green. Yet the current leadership has betrayed its Aboriginal connections as well as its community support base who see indigenous issues as a Green priority.

It is indeed sad to see the Greens ignore indigenous issues, especially since they have been so much in the publics consciousness recently with media reports on community violence. In Qld the Palm Island watch house death is still unresolved and their is a severe and well publicised housing crisis in Aboriginal communities. Yet the Greens seem to have decided these things are not important

I know the Greens did very well in South Brisbane. Got nearly as many votes as the Liberals. But even the Greens and Libs votes added together would have only beaten Anna Bligh by about 100 votes. definitely a very safe labour seat. I was handing out how to vote cards for the Libs at West End High School and the Greens office was directly across the road. Met a few politicians that day.

I ran as a candidate for the Queensland Greens in 2006, as I did in 2004, and 2001 (three times) and would have written perhaps hundreds of press releases in my time. Aboriginal affairs was among the many issues I wrote about, even though my seats were conservative and had very small aboriginal populations. Ask the media editors what they did with our press releases on aboriginal affairs? While you're their, ask them what they did with all the Greens press releases. Go through the Queensland Greens websites (including branches) and see how many press releases you find. There will be at least two hundred from the last 2006 Qld election (and the campaign lasted less than a month). How many did you see in the media? How can there be a fair political war when even the battleground is actively working against you? As the late Canadian media baron Lord Beaverbrook once said 'I buy newspapers for the purpose of propaganda and with no other motive'.

Green Realist - my criticism is based on the media releases on your website. Of the "at least 200" media releases issued during the election by campaign spokespeople, not a single one dealt with Aboriginal issues.

2 local candidates put out 1 local release each which bore no relation to the stated Greens indigenous policy

When the indigenous spokesperson was asked about this the reply was that the central campaign was dams and there was no room for other issues. Yet the "at least 200" media releases covered a range of other issues - but not Aboriginal issues.

Keep in mind the background - the Palm Island watch house death, the stolen wages campaign, and the media saturation about Aboriginal community violence all of which were peaking during the election campaign

I believe you can go back as many elections as you like and the same avoidance of Aboriginal issues is the case too. National or Qld.