To be honest Sonnetc, I doubt that the Indig' had the gestalt to understand any such concepts, they were simple stone-age hunter-gatherers with little awareness beyond their immediate clan and mythology.
I also agree, importing divisive and potentially violent religious types is the height of insanity for Australia, one we're bound to regret in the long run, if not already.
AS for the situation with the Indig' today, it seems that it's expected that they be allowed to live in remote areas and follow their own laws but WE are expected to supply ALL the benefits of civilised urban life to their chosen homes, unlike all the non-indig' who must accept that remoteness means a lack of such things.
Unlike many here I HAVE been out to their camps and out-stations, I HAVE sat down with them and discussed it all, listened to them and explored ideas, and I suspect that many of those who claim to support them might get a nasty shock if they did the same, the city-based trendy lefties are a source of much humour and abuse out there, they are seen as a JOKE, but one that keeps interfering where they're not wanted, causing confusion and conflict and costing money that would be better spent elsewhere.
Since our various governments have been throwing literally BILLIONS at them for decades you'd expect that we would see some sort of improvement, wouldn't you? But there is none, so throwing even MORE money at it is hardly going to change that, "good money after bad" ring any bells?
I'm not arrogant enough to think I know the answer, I don't, but I do know that what is being done now is a total failure, we need another way, and urgently, we are allowing children to be treated in ways that would shame any other nation, and we're denying them education, health and a good life thereby, that has to change if we are to have any self-respect as a people, and the sooner the better IMO.

G'day Bruce,
Spot on !

Oh no, please no...

"Wenn ich Bill of Rights höre, entsichere ich meinen Browning!"

The problem is that a Bill of Rights a) cannot enshrine all rights, b) must by definition choose between the rights of one part of the community over another, or even the rights of one individual over another, and c) will always be open to "interpretation".

This gives rise to that most parasitic of professions, the Human Rights Lawyer. Lower even than the accident-chasing, no-win-no-fee "compensation" lawyers, these folk live by sucking the blood of the gullible taxpayer, their fees turning on the niceties of one obscure phrase trumping another obscure phrase, while all the while claiming to defend the downtrodden.

I'm only sad that I don't have a daughter, so that I can forbid her from marrying one.

Pericles - Against the Bill of Rights? Paranoid such would favour the rights of one group over another? Have you read the American Bill of Rights?

I cannot fathom how anyone could be against having a bill of rights based loosely on the USA example.

In a nut shell: "The Bill of Rights enumerates freedoms not explicitly indicated in the main body of the Constitution, such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech, a free press, and free assembly; the right to keep and bear arms; freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, security in personal effects, and freedom from warrants issued without probable cause; indictment by a grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime"; guarantee of a speedy, public trial with an impartial jury; and prohibition of double jeopardy. In addition, the Bill of Rights reserves for the people any rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution and reserves all powers not specifically granted to the federal government to the people or the States."

SOG,

They didn't feel doomed at all because they had no comprehension of European technology, nor any concept of invasion, nation or of society as it was understood by Europeans.
The concepts that they now have were introduced by Europeans and any Australian Aboriginals that don't like the European lifestyle are perfectly free to live a pre 1788 lifestyle but most Aboriginal hunters prefer the rifle or shotgun to the spear or the nulla-nulla.

Dear Bruce,

The following link may be of interest:

http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/constitutional-reform-fact-sheet-recognising-aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-people