The social and sexual abuse within the Aboriginal community has always been there.It has just been a matter of degree.

I think that he,John Howard is genuinely been affronted by the extent of abuse,however to have a George Bush mentality of assuming that the Aboriginal community will welcome white intrusions whom they consider to be their enemy,will only bring hate and destruction to the Coalition.

What the Coalition needs is a long term plan that does not compromise Aboriginal dignity,otherwise the Aboriginal community will close ranks,hide their shame and tolerate the abuse since they feel trapped by their own inadaquacies.

The public shame to them,could be worse than the abuse.

My question is how much did the federal government know about the situation over the past several years/decade? These kinds of problems have been documented and known for years. We've all seen television programs on the plight of the aboriginal community. I'm sure with reports the government knew even more. The other question is, how much is the local government responsible with it being a territory and not a state.

Howard has always been cold on the aboriginal issue. It is plain that the alarmism is designed to capture public debate, like the overboard and Iraq wmd scandals and lies that many Australians were gullible enough to believe.

The big white elephant is, how it got so bad in the first place, with the oversight of a territory and a federal government for so many years. And why is Howard beating his chest about the issue after ignoring the aboriginal people for so long and giving them the cold shoulder? It's election time and he is desperate. Same old tricks. I might observe the events and debate a little to see if there is any veracity of my concerns.

If I were to suggest a solution, it would probably be to consult with the aboriginal people down there directly, the abusers and abused alike. Government invasion of their lives is going to be potentially and needlessly very expensive. The aboriginal people themselves would prefer to deal with this activity as they see fit, perhaps even tribally. The last thing they want is people/ church volunteers going down there and stealing another generation of children.

Of course interviewing the abusers would also include non-indigenous white Australians. Probably includes the same types as who stole the last generation (clergy, religious people with their 'Values' etc...)

Non-indigenous prey on young
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/nonindigenous-prey-on-young/2007/06/22/1182019377399.html

"NON-INDIGENOUS pedophiles, including school principals and builders, screen pornography to young Aboriginal males and give them alcohol on condition they bring young children to viewings, a prominent indigenous academic says."

Steel ,my point is that the Coalition regardless of their political motivation may actually achieve positive outcomes where the PC brigade has failed dismally.Just going in with a insensitive authoritarian approach may be destructive to both sides.

Not all Aborigines are drunken paedophiles,however welfare has destroyed their culture and a more disciplined approach is long over due.It was the harsh environment that disciplined them in the past and gave their life purpose and dignity.Sit down money,has destroyed them.

John Howard is going out on a limb here,and is risking a lot where the left are just willing to let them rot.Money alone is not the solution.Discipline,love,respect and a purpose to live is the key.

This business of aborignes in bush camps is not a Howard folly.

John Howard is Im sure an honourable man and his intentions
are of merit.
The people of mention here are people of the scrub, very simple and of good character when sober but not so when affected by the white mans poison, makes them do strange things. We are not discussing half castes from regional towns, this mob are in the scrub and bored to buggery, thier needs are of an instant gratification mindset much the way a small childs mind works.
Add to this petrol sniffing, dope and alcohol and you city types reading this may get an understanding of why things are the way they are. The alcoholic parents are a waste of time, they cant be helped outside of a substance abuse clinic and 24 hr round the clock guards to keep them off the grog.
Kids are golden they are not born into this world with the demons of thier parents, they only know what is taught to them and that is where this initiative should focus, take the kids away from the poison and help them to help themselves. The dogooders may scream and rant but perhaps they may be productive as were the previous so called stolen generation, whom were mostly educated and led productive lives.
We now live in the nuclear age, the world is going faster and faster, if we dont get some of them up to speed they will be left behind for good.
Poor old John your damned if you do and damned if you dont

Scotty Ray Martin said that John Howard wanted to act on this 7 yrs ago and told the Aboriginal hierarchy that he would back them with what ever was necessary.He also said that if he, the Priminister,got involved,he would be branded a racist.Nothing has changed in those 7 yrs,in fact it has got worse.

Those in charge of Aboriginal Affairs need to do some soul searching and stop hiding behind banners of white racism.

While there are some major differences between this tawdry pre-election effort at 'wedge' politics and the Tampa issue from the last Federal election, what they have in common is that they both appeal to the pervasive and implicit racism of the majority of the Australian electorate.

The Rodent knows this, as does Harry Potter. Anybody who's taken in by the Rodent's newfound concern for Aboriginal people is either a racist or a fool, or both.

I'd suggest everyone read the "little children are sacred" report before judging the Howard reaction...also, it should be considered that Howard hasn't formally tabled his legislation yet...

I notice that the people who are calling this a "jack boot" reaction, are the very people who are being overlooked by the IMMEDIATE proposals. Something needs to be done NOW for the sake of the women and children...then the community.

AT LEAST the issue is finally getting the attention it deserves. NOWHERE in the report does it refer to the absolute depravity being experience by women and children coming from within the Indigenous communities only...read the report, start at about chapter 4.

@CJ Morgan...What's racist is saying these communities shouldn't be an issue.

CJMorgan, do you have a vested interest in keeping these communities as they are?
People should also remember all the terrible things that have happened in Aboriginal communities have happened in Labor States.
Why do the Civil Libertarians, the refugee advocates,the whole lot of of bleeding hearts who screamed blue murder over the likes of Hicks or Habib shut their hearts down when it comes to Aboriginal children and women?Do they consider them less than human?Not worth the bother?
It would seem so. The only complaint appears to be against Howard for stirring the dust under the carpet.Good on you Mal Brough and John Howard, may the force be with you. We real Australians are.

From our experience YES most Civil Libertarians, refugee advocates, and other bleeding hearts who screamed blue murder over refugees or Hicks or Habib DO shut their hearts, mouths and actions down most of the time when it comes to Aboriginal children and women.

Possibly many of them do consider people less than animal and not worth the bother.

More likely keen to keep down trodden easy to drag out for wave around on another advertising plea for funding and support for all the wonderful advertising...


Why are greenies so quiet ? Guess after some communities muttered $upport for lea$ing their land$ to be used to store radioactive waste... must be a worry, all this talk of leases will upset arguments from them and fellow travellers that Aboriginals should not get leases to their homes on these lands

Of course the welfare of people in Aboriginal communities should be an issue. As it should should have been for the past 11 years, during which time the Howard government has, if anything, only acted negatively towards Indigenous people in Australia.

Howard's refusal to offer an apology on behalf of the nation for the historical injustices that are the cause of the current pathological state of many Aboriginal communities, his dismantling of ATSIC without providing any effective representative replacement, the current obvious attempts to undermine Native Title, and the current cynical deployment of the race card as a pre-election wedge and sop to Howard's Hansonites, are all reasons why you'd have to be a racist or a fool to credit the Rodent with any sincerity on this issue.

I hear he's sending in the troops and cops tomorrow. I wonder if Chris Hurley will volunteer?

Alchoholism / child abuse is a national disgrace, not just an aboriginal problem. Our various child support agencies are overwhelmed by children of all races. This problem needs a national remedy.

aspro,
Agreed, and I would include FGM as child sexual abuse.

The thought occured to me that this latest report adds much credence to the ignored evidence given to earlier inquiries. That the 'stolen generation' were taken into foster care for the kids safety and well being. These part aboriginal kids were rejected by the tribes and were at risk.

At least then they were safe, got some education, taught how to use a knife and fork and had clean sheets to sleep on.

In light of recent rvelations we should change the term from 'stolen' to 'saved generation'

The argument used by ALP = Apartheid Loving Party, was do nothing leave it to Aboriginal Industry to resolve.

Ignoring the rights people have as Australians.

The welfare of people in Aboriginal communities was not an issue for the ALP, indeed ALP worked hard to sweep every single issue under the table, to promote their apartheid enterpise of ATSIC.

Welfare of and for people in ANY and ALL Australian communities is an issue we all as Australians should be concerned about.

To many ALPs and lefts prefer to keep the racial tag as more important than being Australian.

Go ahead wave Pauline Hanson around, she still deserves congratulations for taking the opportunity to call spades spades.

To many ALPs and Lefts are more concerned about sorting people into racial groups, telling people they need, should, must belong to these smaller easier to manage groups than to the human race.

Go read George Orwells Animal Farm, or get Joys cartoon version which always enjoyed, all to well understood; Yes in the communities is very clear how all animals are equal only some are more equal than others.

Aboriginal childen Overboard =TAMPA # 2.

Desperate to halt the downward spiral of polls, Howard reinvents TAMPA to fit a domestic scene.

Howard plays the race card once again, it was the only card left in his hands.

One only read through the hysteria in posts here to know that Australian dogs are easy to whistle.

"It is hard to imagine the Prime Minister beating down the walls of the Catholic Church because it has been known to harbour paedophiles. Aborigines are a much easier and more vulnerable target. There is no “state of emergency” in Aboriginal communities warranting such an over the top government reaction."

What an interesting way for the liberal / national coalition parties to deal with sexual assault

It follows then that this action will ripple through other 'sectors' with documented sexual assault

the churches temples mosques etc will have their lands removed with compensation of course
-and their claim to private property will be abolished
-and parishioner's children will be forcibly subjected by doctors to vaginal and rectal examinations
-and communion wine will be confiscated
-and the spending of donations and wages or welfare of parishioners will be controlled by government
-and the suburbs that worshipers live in will be taken over by government
-and police will surveillance worshipers
-there is already a ban on xrated pornography in these communities so the federal government is saved this intervention

Same goes for footballers and their clubs and grounds
-all other welfare recipients are already in this coalition's sights

Unless of course there is no uranium on religious property or military land or under football clubs and fields

Are the "constitutional niceties" being ignored actually known as human rights and property rights

Does anyone actually think that this will stop sexual assault

CJ, Apparently Howard has appointed Hurley to a special assignment of looking after watch houses and especially ensuring the CCTV are up to scratch.

And a blunt reminder to all, these so called communities are not the result of black economic development, they are in many cases the sites that impounded and 'kept' Aboriginal people.

This underlying assumption that their history is just like every other white township is completely wrong and I'm tied of reading the subtext of posters who don't know this history - assuming this to be the case.

Yes, these are the Gulags your forefathers created so you could enjoy the economic wealth than mining and the cattle industry create for 'your benefit'.(directly or indirectly)

Banjo, FGM is as bad/equally abhorrent as MGM. You either oppose both, or are not a credible voice. There was a thread overrun by feminists about this issue a while ago and the sexism, misiformation and ignorance displayed by some of them was notorious.

mickijo and polpak, both show so much contempt for rationalism, that they are not worth mentioning other than to flag them as fools. I couldn't make sense of either of what you were saying.

Steel,
If, by MGM, you are refering to penis splitting and other radical genitial multilations, I would agree that is abhorrent as FGM. However if you are referring to simple male circumcission I would disagree entirely. Firstly, there is argument that circumcission in males assists with hygene and if correct that is a plus and it only involves the removal of skin. FGM can involve the removal of flesh and organs. This may result in no pleasurable sexual feelings for the female and many complications later in childbirth.

I will not debate this matter further here (different subject) except to say that I do consider FGM as child sexual abuse and the guardians should be held responsible. Send me a link to the thread you referred to, it could be interesting.

In relation to my comments regarding part aboriginal kids taken into foster care. You should read the post again. Perhaps slower, as it is perfectly clear.

Every time someone wants to implement a solution to the abusing of aboriginal children the left bring out the racist card. The miserable failure of the lefts policies which has resulted in a lot of sexual abuse of children is denied. It is time we listened to the likes of men like Noel Pearson whose only political motive is to see his people free. It is amazing that the left fails to mention the rights of children to grow up without sexual abuse but they are quick to champion the ACT porn industry.

Runner, if by the left you mean people like me who work in my community to prevent these incidents happening, or doctors and nurses, social workers, even government bureaucrats, then I'd rather have them around than people like you who sit on the side lines and give stupid commentary.

If by the left you mean people who actually walk their talk and give stuff then so be it, call us lefties, happy to wear the tag.

But where does this place you on the spectrum of politics and action?

A Mr Nobody who criticises everyone and everything that you don't have the guts or the heart to get engaged with?

As for the race card, what else can you call isolating one section of the Australian community for police, army and medical inspection?

And why hasn't your wonderful Prime Minister seen fit to act after the many reports published about this over the last decade?

Race card you say? By any defintion you are one the most racist posters here on OLO.

No run along and grow a brain runner.

Runner, if by the left you mean people like me who work in my community to prevent these incidents happening, or doctors and nurses, social workers, even government bureaucrats, then I'd rather have them around than people like you who sit on the side lines and give stupid commentary.

If by the left you mean people who actually walk their talk and give a stuff then so be it, call us lefties, happy to wear the tag.

But where does this place you on the spectrum of politics and action?

A Mr Nobody who criticises everyone and everything that you don't have the guts or the heart to get engaged with?

As for the race card, what else can you call isolating one section of the Australian community for police, army and medical inspection?

And why hasn't your wonderful Prime Minister seen fit to act after the many reports published about this over the last decade?

Race card you say? By any defintion you are one the most racist posters here on OLO.

Now do everyone a favour and 'run along' and come back when you've got something worthwhile to contribute.

"However if you are referring to simple male circumcission I would disagree entirely." Simple huh? You are demonstrating some of the prejudices already. Is it surprising? No. Feminism is a very powerful and persuasive form of sexism. In fact it's been a part of our 'education' for way too long.

"Firstly, there is argument that circumcission in males assists with hygene.....it only involves the removal of skin."
Ever heard of a shower? It is far more damaging than "only" on multiple levels.

"FGM can involve the removal of flesh and organs. This may result in no pleasurable sexual feelings for the female and many complications later in childbirth."
So does MGM. That first remark is a deceptive claim to make in Australia but I cover this in the thread. You are grossly undereducated about MGM. Genital mutilation is wrong. Gender is irrelevent to the issue.

"Send me a link to the thread you referred to, it could be interesting." http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=443#8854

runner: "It is amazing that the left fails to mention the rights of children to grow up without sexual abuse but they are quick to champion the ACT porn industry."
It is amazing how incredibly stupid you are. Deadly serious.

Rainer

With all due respects if people like you are trying to prevent child abuse in the aboriginal communities then you have failed. It is time to face up to what is not working and allow people like Noel Pearson who is not on either side of politics (as far as I know) to be heard

I just saw Howard on Lateline talking about this. The man's such a consummate liar that I can almost understand why those people who are predisposed to believe him do so. What I don't understand is how otherwise intelligent people suddenly become credulously glassy-eyed when he blows his dog-whistle? Is our latent Australian racism that pervasive?

As WA Premier Alan Carpenter said, does anybody seriously believe that this rabbit-out-of-the-hat "national emergency" is anything more than a pre-election stunt?

Just how stupid is the Australian electorate?

CJ morgan,all pollies by definition have to be consumate liars,since the public will never have perfect knowledge of the forces that determine their destiny.Our humanity mostly reacts to immediate stimulus of self gratification and the pollies play to our lowest common denominator.

Kevin Rudd is the student who is apeing John Howard's style.Kevin knows that honesty alienates 50% of your voters,and the yearning for power makes liars of them all.

It is not only the Aboriginal community who are in decay,our western culture needs to do some soul searching.

Our Govts lie to us on a daily basis,and we just accept this poor behaviour as the norm.

To me, the interesting thing about this whole debate is that it isn't likely to be a vote-changer.

If Howard wants to come across as a decisive and compassionate leader he has probably picked a bad subject.

Decades of neglect and abuse have hardened the hearts of many non-indigeonous Australians toward aborigines and it's a bit late for everyone to start shedding crocodile tears about their "newly-discovered" plight.

Are those who refused to say "sorry" (when it mattered) the same voters Howard is trying to win over now?

FrankGol and C J MOrgan,
Your comments show that both of you do not care one iota about the welfare of the kids. Your sole purpose is to get political gain from the issue. I point out that this situation was brought about by the socialist and passive welfare policies of Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke and Keating. This new report shows the abuse to be far more widespread than previously thought and action must be taken now. Would you condone Howard and Rudd agreeing to set it aside until after the election?

Rainier. Your criticisms may be political as well, but also because it does not agee with your agenda of self determination. Unless far more aboriginals get better educated they are not capable of running their own affairs. ATSIC showed that. Someone, claiming to be aboriginal, commented that aboriginals do not have any inherrit sense about what is best, more so than any other persons. Fair comment.

Rainier, you critisize everyones ideas but put forward none of your own thoughts. Hey, Noel Pearson is not afraid to put forward his opinions, how about you?

By the way, my suggestion is, knowing that there are some aboriginal communities that do function well, look to these and take a leaf from their book. Try to emulate what they do.

Banjo, (Runner and the usual OLO luddites)

How is invasive examination of children not political? If this isn’t political you shouldn’t have any problem with Howard’s government ordering the same for your children if they suspect you were a paedophile.

Why has Howard also embedded clauses about removing permits to lands and other land ownership conditions not political and related to the welfare of our children?

Read the bloody report Banjo: despite the fact that the findings specifically state that non- Aboriginal men, that is, white men, are a significant proportion of the offenders, who are black-marketeering in petrol and alcohol to gain access to Aboriginal children, Howard insists on demonising 60 communities. (It’s about the land stupid!)

For the record - Noel Pearson got paid half a million dollars to write policy for Howard, what else can we expect from him but the usual emotive and pathologising of his own people – he’s a one man confessional show telling everyone (whitefellas) what they want to hear, i.e., providing big dollops of absolution.
Addicted to power and elected by powerful white Australians to be our ‘leader’ – he aint no such thing. He’s been peddling his crap for years now – to the detriment of the voices of grassroots community leaders doing it hard on the ground, imploring governments to fund important programs to help them.

They spent money listening to Noel theorise his bad sociology instead. (lawyers think they know everything)

Finally, if you are feeling so virtuous about the abuse of children why you don’t write to John Howard and ask him to do a police /army raid of the Catholic Church because it has been known to harbour paedophiles. Make sure you invite all the others here who have (overnight) suddenly found themselves falling in love with the whole idea of being experts on the ‘welfare’ of Aboriginal people. If they are Catholic they might not want to join in, but you could give them a try!

Politicians almost by definition are liars, is not a new idea.

Usually politicians try NOT to lie about facts, because facts are easier to prove or disprove.

Politicians regularly lie about what motivates them to do something.

Lies from politcians about what motivates them are not important, for who cares why they are doing something, whether they provide results both sort and agreed to by community is what counts.

Really who cares whether John Howard lies his motivates to act on these issues, that he is acting is what counts.

Who is our community ?

Some certainly want us all divided by racial identification, wh

Polpak, are you the full quid?

Rainier, you might be surprised to find that there would be a large number of people who would support such a move against the Catholic Church!

In addition, if the govt came to me and said that it suspected my children had been abused, and that they wanted to examine them, I wouldnt hesitate to agree (with the condition that it was by a female doctor for the girls, and that I was present to calm the children and make sure that no further abuses were made). The protection of my children is paramount, and if there was the slightest suggestion of a problem I would want it cleared up straight away.

I think that there has been reasonable attention brought to bear on the white miners (etc) that have been responsible for some of the abuse. It has certainly hit the media (and therefore would be in the minds of the pollies). Any of these individuals should be dealt with the harshest way possible. But the same punishment should be meted out to the black men who are found to be guilty of the same crimes. No difference.

The problem is that SOMETHING needs to be done. The status quo has not been working. What Howard is doing might not be the 100% best way to go, but it is a start that is better than none. The problems can be ironed out along the way (there is likely to be a high degree of public scrutiny given the coming election, so voters will be paying attention)

Rainer

The one thing that we can agree on is that if their is any organisation harbouring paedophiles they should be dealt with. This includes the catholic or any other church. Your scathing attack on Mr Pearson seems very unreasonable.

Mr Pearson is not entirely in favour of what's going on here either. For somebody so awfully clever he wasn't clever enough to anticipate how Howard would make use of his brilliant ideas.

Mr Pearson has been supporting a law and order crackdown in indigenous communities for years, but it doesn't seem to have occurred to him that his crackdown might cost those communities their hard won land rights. There's uranium in them thar remote communities and, happily for Howard and his mining mates, there are abused black kids walking all over it.

Mr Pearson made a mistake when he chose to cosy up to Mr Howard, and deep down in his well-intentioned little Aboriginal soul he knows it. He's been clobbering on about the unintended consequences of lefty ideology, but it looks very much as though he's run full tilt into some unintended consequences of his own.

Mr Pearson has pointed out, quite rightly, the damage that white guilt has caused - that whites who feel responsible for black misery have caused even more black misery. It's true that endless charity has only served to make Aborigines more dependent and more helpless.

Mr Pearson, unfortunately, did not adequately understand the nature of that white guilt. He failed to see that white guilt was all that stood between the helplessness of charity and the helplessness of the brutality he's about to witness.

Mr Pearson is an intelligent and articulate man, and here's hoping he's intelligent and articulate enough to back flip when the occasion warrants. His ongoing concern has been the preservation of indigenous peoples and indigenous cultures, and more power to him for that.

Unfortunately for Mr Pearson, Mr Howard may be interested in rescuing the kiddies, but he has no interest in their future as indigenous people with indigenous culture living on indigenous land.

Mr Pearson's idea of Aboriginality is a living, breathing thing which should continue that way. Mr Howard's idea of Aboriginality is a nice exhibition in a museum somewhere, sponsored by BHP.

Meanwhile back at Mutijulu....
A man known as Ginger was named by the women of Mutijulu as a perpetrator of child abuse in the Lateline expose some months ago. Shortly after this, these same women were forced by the men, Ginger amongst them, to pay reparation to the men. Ginger still lives in the community.

Good post there Smoker, NP's evangelical welfare reform movement was faulty from the outset because he simply did not take the people with him. Instead he stood behind lecturns lecturing fire and brimstone lectures and wrote columns 'about us' for white edification and virtue. He is not my elected leader, nor anyone else's and yet he continues to accept the the tag of leader. He is not.

John Altman (Professor at ANU) wrote this last Friday:

Compared with the period 1991-96, the early Howard years of 1996-2001
indicated that, in relative terms, indigenous socioeconomic status, as
measured by health, housing, education and employment indicators, was
declining. Later this year, we will have 2006 census data that will
provide evidence about how the Howard Government has fared in its later,
perhaps last, years.

The 'national emergency' declared yesterday suggests that the Howard
Government itself is not confident that it has delivered to indigenous
Australians in the period since 2001. In the meantime, ATSIC, the national
indigenous representative organisation, has been abolished and, according
to Minister Brough, it is to blame for not fixing the Aboriginal
'problem', even though its functional mandate did not include education or
health or mainstream employment, three of the Howard Government’s four
practical reconciliation planks.

The demise of ATSIC, a Senate majority, constitutional powers conferred in
1967, and a record run of budget surpluses have all given the Government
an unprecedented three-year opportunity to address indigenous disadvantage
unhampered by its imagined barriers of the previous eight years.

Chainsmoker, I am not sure that there is a future for indigenous people living indigenous culture on indigenous land. Particularly when that land is hideously remote. I think that most of us have recognised that we should be providing a reasonable level of services and the ability to find a job. This simply cant be done in remote desert communities. However simply uprooting people and moving them to a large population centre is no solution either.

Maybe providing members of remote communities with free transport to major centres, and free accommodation, for medical treatment. Maybe sponsoring the kids to boarding schools, perhaps targetting one or two schools in particular so that groups from the same community stay together for support. Then providing transport for the parents to visit them regularly. Requiring that men of working age hold a job. If there are no jobs available nearby start a fly in fly out arrangement. All costly, but of long-term benefit. I dont have a problem with throwing money at this, so long as there is a connection to long term results (and I do expect that many results wont be apparent for at least 10 years). There also needs to be consequences for non-cooperation, which is where the land penalties in particular come in. A combination of carrot and stick needs to be used.

More from Prof Altman =

It has chosen not to make significant investments in addressing indigenous backlogs and historical legacy in practical ways, in part because it has focused on the more ‘symbolic’ issues of mutual obligation, arguing repeatedly that more state intervention would just result in greater problematic dependence.

It has sought moral solace from Noel Pearson's concerns about passive
welfare 'poison' on Cape York. Howard’s ‘neoliberalism' recognises no
tension between equality and equity: it is all about assimilation,
mainstreaming, integration and normalisation, there is little room for
cultural diversity and difference or for engagement with democratically elected indigenous voices.

Indeed, 'culture' is demonised as the source from which so much
dysfunction springs forth. Again, symbolically it is Sue Gordon, the
appointed head of the appointed, not elected, National Indigenous Council,
that will head the Government’s latest taskforce with membership still to
be announced.

For a government that regularly bleats the mantra of practicality, there
is something very knee-jerk, opportunistic and impractical about the suite
of measures, and little that appears sustainable. For example, will
alcohol prohibition for six months on Aboriginal communities merely result
in problem drinkers moving to urban centres?

If there is concern about expenditure of welfare dollars on non-food
items, why choose to channel only 50% of social security income to food?
And what about privately earned income; will the state also determine how
this is spent? Will two types of dollars be issued as a regulatory
measure?

If more police are to be placed in Aboriginal communities, from where will
they be recruited and will they have requisite cross-cultural capacities
to work in communities where English is often spoken as a fourth or fifth
language? Where will police be accommodated? And if they are effective,
and the outcome is greater indigenous incarceration for whatever felony, where will indigenous prisoners that already make up 75% of the NT’s crowded prisons be locked up?

"I am not sure that there is a future for indigenous people living indigenous culture on indigenous land."

Country Gal, I'm not sure either, but for different reasons. I'm not sure because I'm a whitey from the city. I have no idea what it feels like to be black, to be Aboriginal or to live in a remote area. Anything I think I know about Aboriginal culture is probably wrong, or at least not quite right. And I share this lack of understanding with the vast majority of my fellow white Australians. Myabe all. How can any of us know what it's like to be black?

Given my ignorance I don't believe I'm in a position to decide what's best for black Australians, wherever or however they live. There may well be solutions to many of the problems you raise that we whites don't think of purely because we can't possibly understand. There may well be solutions people in black communities don't raise because they're so remote they don't know the possibilities.

A lot of the problems are associated with the remoteness I agree, but separating that land and the people to solve the problems must be one of the worst solutions we could come up with. Apart from its value as real estate and as home, that land symbolises the most significant victory Aborigines have had since 1788. Lord knows they deserve it.

Two points: we keep hearing about massive budget surpluses - apparently the federal government is rolling in dough and that's a good thing. Now we're hearing about black disadvantage and we're all in a lather about it. Everybody and his dog wants the problems fixed.

How about we put the two together and spend some of that surplus on providing the services? Run that fabulous broadband plan out to remote communities, spend the money on the hardware and infrastructure, health, education and so on for the longer term. All I see in this plan is to spend money kicking black butt for six months.

Chainsmoker, I appreciate your position. I am probably slightly up on you as though I am a "whitey", I am from the bush, and have spent time living in towns with 70%+ black population. From that point at least I do know what it is like to be in the minority.

I've seen the hopelessness and despair face to face. I've heard the whispered rumours (nothing would ever get officially reported) that once the little girls were 5 they were considered fair game by the elders. I've seen the violence and abuse that comes with addictions (to drugs, alcohol and gambling). I've seen little kids in the supermarket crying because they couldnt scrape together enough to buy a loaf of bread or a roll of homebrand toilet paper. I've seen pension day - the pokies flooded and drunks roaming the streets starting fights. I've had my home invaded by a man high and looking for more drugs.

I have also seen great senses of humour, lives well lived and children raised well. For much of my experience though, these attributes are sadly in the minority, and usually exhibited by those that were raised away from the general aboriginal community. Please note though that my experience has been with communities and individuals in country NSW. In more urban areas, this case might be significantly different.

At the end of the day, simply throwing money at this "problem" hasnt worked in the past. A new approach needs to be taken, and while I am not a fan of any politically motivated plan, the fact that we are heading towards an election will go a long way to ensure that there is at least good media scrutiny of the activities and results. This will help to stay heavy-handedness and drive results.

• WA calls on Federal Govt to reinstate Indigenous funding

http://www.abc.net.au/message/news/stories/ms_news_1963513.htm

Indigenous programs in Geraldton could struggle to provide services once the Federal Government's Community Development Employment Projects scheme ends this week.

The Government said earlier this year it would withdraw its support for the programs which provide funding to Aboriginal youth service providers to employ staff.

Initiatives such as the Yamatji Patrol and the Geraldton Streetwork Program will have to drastically cut their staff.

Premier Alan Carpenter is calling on the Prime Minister to reinstate the funding for Western Australia.

The coordinator of the Geraldton Family Advocacy Service, Cathy Maxwell, says she is not confident the Yamatji Patrol can continue to operate.

"The patrol would only run with three people which as a duty of care you cannot have because that's, you know, especially at night time or there would be nobody staffing the base," Ms Maxwell said.

The Member for Geraldton, Shane Hill, says he has been discussing the effects of the changes with the Premier and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Michelle Roberts.

"[We have been] also talking to [Kimberley MP] Carol Martin to see what we can do as a joint effort to try and convince the Federal Government to look at other funding sources," he said.

"But let's give these very well structured groups an opportunity to apply for funding somewhere else."

"[We have been] also talking to [Kimberley MP] Carol Martin to see what we can do as a joint effort to try and convince the Federal Government to look at other funding sources," he said.

"But let's give these very well structured groups an opportunity to apply for funding somewhere else."

"At the end of the day, simply throwing money at this "problem" hasnt worked in the past."

That in itself is true Country Gal, but Rainier's point might explain why it hasn't worked. There's a typical pattern.

Somebody comes up with a strategy and gets funding.
After a short period the funding runs out.
The strategy gets dumped in favour of a different strategy.
Funding for that strategy runs out.
And on and on.

Nothing is supported for long enough to make any difference. Same goes for Howard's strategy. What happens when the alcohol ban runs out? What happens when the doctors leave? The only long term part of this plan is the 5 year suspension of land rights and the (I think) permanent quarantine of welfare payments.

How will either of those long term elements make any difference to child abuse?

I hear you on the terrible things you've seen. We whiteys in the suburbs hear about this stuff and see it on TV all the time. But I think my two main points still stand.

Knowing what it looks like isn't the same as living it, and Howard's shock and awe surge isn't going to fix it. If it was ever intended to.

Yep,Chainsmoker,when huge bureaucracies evolve to address injustice,the continued status quo becomes essential to the survival of the bureaucracy.Without the continued suffering of the Aboriginal people,there would be no jobs for the boys.This is why Govts become impotent and our society decays.

Arjay, Chain-smoker and Country Gal,

Yes, this was one complaint that community people had of ATSIC when it was still operational. However some of this criticism was misdirected as the primary portfolio's of Education, Health, and mainstream Employment, three of the Howard Government’s four practical reconciliation planks. Howard of course ensured that the myth about these planks being in our hands to manage continued and rationalised the culling of ATSIC.

While ATSIC clearly had its problems, it did have a capacity to hold those other larger bureaucracies accountable.

I believe these same bureaucracies’ were happy to see ATSIC fall.

Top down or ground up? Service delivery must be guided by evidence based research specific to each community. The broad brush approach has failed.

Howard’s interventionist approach will not deliver longer term outcomes. But I suspect he is not interested in this beyond the next election.

A few good news stories from the NT - pumped out through the Murdoch press and Packer Media - will deliver the kind of moral and ideological victory Howard desires at a cheaper rate than what he spent of those IR ads.

This isn't really about my people, its about forcing Rudd into a me too-ism. And he’s clearly succeeded without a whimper for Kevin the Crudd.

Rainer,in all seriousness,how would you solve the problem of our dyfunctional society that is not just an Aboriginal malaise?

ARjay, you won't undo 217 years of colonial rule to my mob in a few years. de-colonising is both a structural and institution reform as well as a mindset that both the colonisers and the colonised must adopt. One key element of promoting this process is for reparations to be undertaken. Pearson is asking for this mindset without reparation. We only represent 2% of the population. Unlike South Africa we can achieve this quicker than most and set an example.

Does this answer your question? Or are you setting me up?

I dont mean to be pedantic Rainier, but its actually more like 219 years. The date 26/1/88 is etched into my memory as its the day my mother died. I can actually rattle off how many year since then faster than I could tell you my own age.

Not my intent to try to catch you out though!

With regards to reparations, I am assuming you are referring to monetary compensation. Not sure this is a good idea. Ok maybe for those that are westernised and are used to handling mony. The creator of great problems for those who already have substance abuse problems are are used to a welfare mentality. I agree that there is room for "something" just not sure what would be most effective, as well as being fair and equitable (to the various indigenous people). If reparations were made one would hope that they would be of lasting value to those that received them

Country Gal, reparations can mean lots of other things other than money, be it practical, symbolic or whatever.

For instance, for people who had their wages stolen and misused by all state may want other benefits that they would have accrued if they had received their entitlements.
No unions protected workers rights! Intergeneration poverty was and is historically born in how the state controlled our lives. Some things never change!

As for the date, no worries. Actually colonisation and land theft happened for many within the last 100 years-especially for those in more remote areas. 1788 was just the beginning of the carnage.

Point taken Rainier!

I guess I wanted to clarify what you meant by reparations. I dont see money as a solution to anything, unless it is applied in a careful and considered way (and that doesnt just apply to indigenous affairs).

Whilst only 2% of the population, the circumstances of this 2% are more widely varied than any other group in modern Aust I would think. Certainly some are quite well-off, whereas others live in the most abject poverty. How do we come up with something that means something to every receipient, and still be fair to every receipient? Given the diversity it is a very difficult point. Governments by nature are broad-brushed in approach (again, this is applicable not just to indigenous affairs).

Another point about being kept in poverty, is that there are a number of examples of people that have been raised in that pverty, but have broken out of it. What lessons can be learnt from the approach of these people? Was it due simply to an ultra-tough personal spirit, or was there a mentor (be it parent or someone else) that provided encouragement along the way? If external support was a contributing factor, how can we foster this and develop more of it?

CG, you asked:

Was it due simply to an ultra-tough personal spirit, or was there a mentor (be it parent or someone else) that provided encouragement along the way?

YES, many i know of (perhaps i could include myself?) did the boot straps approach to everything but it was not done without support from family. Many forgo their own ambitions and dreams to help someone else. Its a tough decision to make for supporters rather than those they are supporting. At the end of the day the extended family is either a hindrance (often without wanting to be) or a strength.

If external support was a contributing factor, how can we foster this and develop more of it?

External support is often NOT there at all because the wider perception by whitefellas is that we already get everything on a platter. ATSIC was seen as the one stop shop by whitefellas for Aboriginal needs. It was never that at all.
I was recently heartened to hear about how many Grey Nomads were willing to help. I'm sure there are others. Quite often its not about money but rather the social capital and network of knowledge applied to how -to access goods and services- develop a strategy- being confident to ask without fear of refusal-that is desparately required.

Hope this answers some...

28-06-2007

PRESS RELEASE

(PART 1)

Leaders of the Mutitjulu community today questioned the need for a military occupation of their small community.

They ask you to hear their views of the Government's current actions and past inactions.

There is far more to be learned than the news can tell us, and no end to crisis without listening to communities and working to meet their human needs for health and social services.

"We welcome any real support for indigenous health and welfare and even two police will assist, but the Howard Government declared an emergency at our community over two years ago - when they appointed an administrator to our health clinic - and since then we have been without a doctor, we have less health workers, our council has been sacked all our youth and health programmes have been cut.

We have no CEO and limited social and health services. The government has known about our overcrowding problem for at least 10 years and they've done nothing about it.

How do they propose keeping alcohol out of our community when we are 20 minutes away from 5 star hotel? Will they ban blacks from Yulara? We have been begging for an alcohol counsellor and a rehabilitation worker so that we can help alcoholics and substance abusers but those pleas have been ignored. What will happen to alcoholics when this ban is introduced? How will the government keep the grog runners out of our community without a permit system?

We have tried to put forward projects to make our community economically sustainable - like a simple coffee cart at the sunrise locations but the government refuses to even consider them.

There is money set aside from the Jimmy Little foundation for a kidney dialysis machine at Mutitjulu, but National Parks won't let us have it. That would create jobs and improve indigenous health but they just keep stonewalling us. If there is an emergency, why won't Mal Brough fast track our kidney dialysis machine?

PART 2.

Some commentators have made much of the cluster of sexually transmitted diseases identified at our health clinic. People need to understand that Mutitjulu Health Clinic (now effectively closed) is a regional clinic and patients come from as far away as WA and SA; so to identify a cluster here is meaningless without seeing the confidential patient data.

The fact that we hold this community together with no money, no help, no doctor and no government support is a miracle. Any community, black or white would struggle if they were denied the most basic resources. Police and the Military are fine for logistics and coordination but healthcare, youth services, education and basic housing are more essential. Any programme must involve the people on the ground or it won't work. For example who will interpret for the military?

Our women and children are scared about being forcibly examined; surely there is a need to build trust. Even the doctors say they are reluctant to examine a young child without a parent's permission. Of course any child that is vulnerable or at risk should be immediately protected but a wholesale intrusion into our women and children's privacy is a violation of our human and sacred rights.

Where is the money for all the essential services? We need long term financial and political commitment to provide the infrastructure and planning for our community. There is an urgent need for 10's of millions of dollars to do what needs to be done. Will Mr Brough give us a commitment beyond the police and military?

The commonwealth needs to work with us to put health and social services, housing and education in place rather than treating Mutitjulu as a political football.

PART 3;

But we need to set the record straight:

- There is no evidence of any fraud or mismanagement at Mutitjulu - we have had an administration for 12 months that found nothing

- Mal Brough and his predecessor have been in control of our community for at least 12 months and we have gone backwards in services

- We have successfully eradicated petrol sniffing from our community in conjunction with government authorities and oil companies

- We have thrown suspected paedophiles out of our community using the permit system which our government now seeks take away from us.

- We will work constructively with any government, State, Territory or Federal that wants to help aboriginal people.

END

WE CAN CLOSE THE GAP

All around Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations are taking action to improve the health of their people. For example, in Townsville the Mums & Bubs program has reduced perinatal deaths by more than half. Their experiences, and research in Australia, New
Zealand, the US and Canada shows that indigenous health crises CAN be overcome when Governments demonstrate leadership and make solving the health crisis a national priority.

Call for Federal, State & Territory Governments to commit to:

... Increasing annual Indigenous Health funding by $450 million to enable equal access to health services (equivalent to only 1% of the current Health Budget)

... Increasing Indigenous control & participation in the delivery of health services

... Addressing critical social issues such as housing, education and self-determination which contribute to the Indigenous health crisis.

CloseTheGap is an awareness and advocacy campaign organised by a coalition of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, health, human rights and development organisations, including Oxfam Australia, ANTaR, the Australian Medical Association, and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.