Dear Foxy,

No, life's too short to watch Bilger's rubbish and lies.

The people at Utopia are entitled to the full welfare benefits of other Australians, plus mineral royalties, plus a few other benefits besides.

Where Aboriginal groups have leased back some of their land to, say, the Conservation Commission in the Northern Territory, they receive annual royalties. At Mutitjulu, which holds the lease to Uluru, each household got $ 14,000 per year in national park royalties alone. Did Bilger talk about that ?

Don't confuse squalor with poverty, or believe every sob-story you hear.

Love,

Joe

Dear Joe (Loudmouth),

The following two websites may clarify things
for you:

http://theconversation.com/review-pilgers-utopia-shows-us-aboriginal-australia-in-2014-21965

http://utopiajohnpilger.co.uk/about

You can deny the facts all you want and sweep them
under the rug as well as slur an award-winning
filmaker and journalist of Pilger's international
standing. That won't change the facts. They exist.
Much to our shame.

Onthebeach, I don't know much about Aboriginal communities outside of WA and the NT, but only a few of these communities in both the rural and metro locations in WA are doing well at all.
The vast majority suffer from multiple health problems, unemployment, domestic violence and criminality. I know this, because I have worked in many of them and I have friends working in them now.

What is your experience with Aboriginal communities?
Can you name the communities who are doing as well as you say?
Are many(most?) really doing as well as you suggest?

Loudmouth, it is all very well to have all these Aboriginal students supposedly studying at Universities, but are they finishing the courses and graduating? If so, are they then finding employment in their chosen field, or are they merely going on with further studies?
You must know how hard it is for these people to secure employment in jobs other than Aboriginal managed or subsidised businesses or Government jobs?
Racism is very much alive and well in the employment market.

Suse.,

Yes, thank you, thank you, I was going to raise that issue of segregated employment in case someone suggested that there was, after all, no racism in Australia: Yes, indeed, there is that sort of racism which most of the 'leaders' don't have a clue about: afterall, they're doing alright.

Yes, Indigenous people who graduate outside of the standard-Indigenous-oriented fields of study, almost invariably find it very difficult to find work. An aboriginal lawyer, for example, will be assumed to want to work only in some Aboriginal legal rights organisation. Aboriginal teachers, of course, are expected to devote their careers to teaching Aboriginal kids perhaps out in the sticks, even if they want to be Teachers of any kids anywhere. An Aboriginal vet or architect or engineer will have terrible trouble getting work.

Imagine that this happened, say, to women: imagine a female teacher-graduate being told, 'Oh we're so dreadfully sorry, dear, but we don't have any vacancies at any of the public girls' schools'. Or an Italian-Australian teacher-graduate being told, with deep regrets and sucked-in breath, that it's such a shame that we don't have any public all-Italian schools.

I recall a Secondary Science teacher-graduate having exactly this trouble to get into a public high school here in SA. She found a job eventually as (surprise ! surprise !) a social worker, working with Aboriginal people.

That is racism. Limiting people to working with 'their own' group is racism.

But don't expect the hot-shots to even be vaguely aware of it, or support any Indigenous people who want to work outside of Indigenous environments, as is their right. They're part of the problem: many of the 'leaders' in Aboriginal education, for example, don't think any Aboriginal people should study anything but an either an Aboriginal-oriented course or teacher education.

They don't have the wits to realise that people may want to, and have the damn right, to study any damn course they like, and work any damn where they like. In that sense, they are as racist as the worst whites in limiting their own people.

Joe

Yes I agree Loudmouth, but I don't know what the answer is.
Maybe after a couple of generations of education for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, things may change, but no reconciliation in real terms will happen any time soon.

Indigenous people in modern Australia, have the same needs and wants as the rest of society. The need for proper housing, employment, education, health services etc, these things are common to us all in a modern society. I also strongly believe, and I have seen this myself, there is an imperative for indigenous people to maintain their customs, traditions and language, fostered through strong community involvement. Self determination can only come from within, it cannot be imposed from outside. Communities need leadership and assistance to set achievable community goals.
I was privileged only this past weekend to attend the opening in Aotearoa of a million dollar wharekai (eating hall) on a marae in Northland. This wharekai was only made possible by the efforts of so many within the local Maori community. Through their own efforts at fundraising a substantial part of the project was paid for. I could see the pride people had in achieving something through their own hard work and not just having it doled out to them through some sort of government assistance. Like these people our indigenous are no different, they can, and do, achieve much for themselves through their own efforts, combined with a helping hand from the rest of Australia. It is a long row to hoe but I am optimistic that we will get there some day.
P/s The guy who said "I'll see you next year!" might have just as easily said "I'll see you in 10 years time."