Hi David,

Why do you assume that Aboriginal people are, and have been, sheep, to be moved around at will ? Put this lot in this paddock, put that lot in that paddock ? In most States, people have travelled around, coming and going as they felt like it, no fences, never enough Mission and settlement staff (even if they wanted to) to round people up and keep them cooped up, certainly not in SA, not that there is any evidence (again, at least in SA) of any intention to do so.

As for your inference of a stolen generation, that is entirely debatable too. In the thousands of pages of stuff that I've been typing up, there is no unambiguous evidence whatever that Protectors or missionaries ever had any intention to take children into care, unless they were orphans, foundlings, or destitute. In SA, there is ample evidence of the Protector - the one-man Department - trying to keep families together, and to provide for single mothers or deserted wives and their children.

As for your airy declaration that people couldn't use the land, those rights were written into pastoral leases, and I'm told that (in SA) those rights still continue. But one unintended consequence of the ration system was that able-bodied people often didn't have to go out and hunt or gather or fish. In SA, the Protector provided boats, fishing gear and guns for people to make use of their land. So people had the choice of using their land, with vastly improved technology, or sitting around on rations. Guess what many chose to do.

Perhaps the colonials were incredibly and deviously clever, knowing just what might occur in decades and generations later. But I don't think so. They saw a need from the outset, and satisfied it. The people didn't always respond as they were expected to, i.e. by not using their land as they had the right to do, and that buggered up policy: people had options, and they made choices. As they always did. As they still do.

Joe

Bob Irwin- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk4xQWt77wo

Thankfully viewers are spared the live storage of speared, captured turtles.

Just one example of indigenous policy in action.

The political correctness of Australia's extreme multiculturalism holds that by definition, indigenous hunting is not cruel.

Dear Loudmouth,

I note your comments.

I find it quite extraordinary that some of you people infer you've specific knowledge of aboriginal behaviour. The two greatest barriers to reconciliation as I said in a earlier thread, are prejudice, false belief and bigotry ?

Most negative/criminal behaviour of blacks, is down to three basic problems;

Being; (a) Alcohol (b) Drugs & (c) Unemployment. Because of this bad behaviour, white people harbour these manifestly 'false beliefs' that most aboriginal people are all the same ? Moreover the average white person, has no fundamental idea, 'the why' they misbehave, nor do they much care why ?

Therefore I would say *MOST* bad behaviour attributed to blacks, is caused by us, meaning white people ?

It's us who freely supply them with grog;
It's us who give them the drugs; and
It's us, who are reluctant to employ them in any capacity, other than for the most menial of tasks ?

I have this long time friend who happens to be a psychiatrist. He travels for two lots of 3 weeks yearly, to settlements in the far western regions of Western Australia. He does locum work for the normal WA Govt. Psychiatrist, who normally consults in these outback regions, exclusively with indigenous people facing mental illness. It was he (my friend), who clearly simplified the problems facing todays indigenous people, for me. As well as what I've witnessed personally when I was relieving other police sergeants (on annual leave) in western areas of NSW.

I agree with you O Sung Wu, that alcohol, drugs and unemployment are the main problems facing Aborinals today, with the addition of poor education for various reasons.

At least you are coming at the problems with some experience.
OTB states airily that there are some Aboriginal communities 'doing well'. Do you know of many (any?) doing well, because he still hasn't given us the names of these places?

The main issue here however is what can be done about all this so there is reconciliation? Even towns in WA and the NT where grog is forbidden are still plagued with the usual problems of domestic violence and crime, because the people go out and drink in other towns or communities and then come back drunk to their hometowns.

I certainly don't know what the answer is.

o sung wu,

You refer to *we*. Who is "we"?

It's only a select group of people and it's not the whole population.

Last year SBS showed a documentary titled "First Contact" and it related to a group of six non Aboriginal people (all Anglo Saxon/with cultural backgrounds) and these people visited parts of Aboriginal communities and met them for the first time.

The documentary was very selective, and a discussion show after the documentary concluded was very basic.

Personally, I just wish the producers had contacted me (I honestly felt like ringing them up) as I have had a lot of contact with Aboriginal people - having about 8 Aboriginal relatives myself - and I'm not Aboriginal.

I could tell them about all of the great things my relatives (including those who are Aboriginal) and family have done in the past and right now. For example, I was involved with an Aboriginal art project last year.

Any problems are with the people contributing to the problem initially, (like what you said), those not taking any personal action (including individuals) and government policy need to be addressed, but these elements can apply to any person. This does not apply to every Aboriginal person - I know as I have also met a lot of other Aboriginal people - and they are frustrated about constant stereotyping by elements like the media for example.

Change won't occur, without a changed attitude. So those who want to constantly harp back to the Oprah Winfrey period when I remember her blaming all problems on "white" people in the audience won't help. I don't agree with everything done by government worldwide - but that's why I volunteer to make a difference - rather than involving myself in violent protests about racism in Federation Square or take on extremist left/right hateful views on issues.