Dear Big Nana,

Perhaps it is more of an issue in the NT.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-17/remote-aboriginal-residents-police-governments-tussle-funding/9334278

There was certainly a lot of police put in during the intervention but in many places they have been withdrawn.

Also I didn't realise that pearling camps and cattle stations run to populations of over 200 people. If they do then perhaps there is a case for policing in them too.

SR,

Only in your fevered imagination have you made any case. The concept of evidence seems to completely elude you. Neither the interrogation of Mair or the search of his property could link in any way his actions to UKIP.

The 1000 odd sex attacks by migrants in Cologne was major news especially after authorities tried desperately to cover it up. This news plus the savage attacks in Europe were probably the nail in the coffin for the remain campaign, and stripped Merkel of her comfortable majority, and given this background claiming that Farage's commentary was the issue that triggered the murder of Cox is laughable.

SR,

The reason that the services in these remote communities are so bad is not because there is no money spent on them, but that no one with skills wants to go there.

An acquaintance of mine did a stint as a school principle some years ago and had a contract for 2 years at a much higher salary than he would have got in Sydney. He left after 6 months after discovering that there was little to nothing to do, and that he had to endure weekly attempts to break into his house. Getting bashed one night for the $50 in his wallet was the final straw.

In the news some time ago was a nurse that had served a small community for several years that was beaten to death for her Ute.

Steeleredux, I wasnt talking about police on cattlestations, I was talking about those people having to provide their own housing, electricity, water, airstrip and housing for any teacher they qualify for.
Unlike aboriginal people in remote areas who have been provided all those services for groups of people that sometimes number in single figures.
I haven't heard of any police stations in the wider community for a town of two hundred residents, but then I haven't lived down south for nearly 50 years, so perhaps these places do exist.
Nor do I know of any mainstream towns with very small populations who have visiting specialists, in all disciplines, from Paediatricians to surgeons, who visit on a regular basis, to save remote residents having to travel to a major town.
And, as has been mentioned already, finding staff for these tiny communities is very difficult. There is little to do for anyone not interested in camping or fishing, it is very dangerous at times and staff often have to be evacuated for their own safety.
And despite the fact that we now have over 50,000 aboriginal people with university degrees, none of them seem to want to go and work where they would actually be helping their own people.

I live in a community of over 3600 residents.

We have no school, no police & no ambulance. There is a small school 20 kilometres away, but our kids aren't in it's catchment. They have to go to another 23 kilometres away, catching a bus at 7.45 to get there.

There is a day police station 22 kilometres away, but the only 24 hour manned station responsible for over 10,000 square kilometres is 27 kilometres. It has 3 officers, but only one patrol car at night.

Just this week in a similar sized nearby community a man lay injured for 3 hours waiting for an ambulance. I waited 2.5 hours for one when I had my last heart attack. Perhaps I am becoming more mellow. With my first I drove myself to hospital, knowing how long it often took to get an ambulance.

Just how I knew my first one was a heart attack I have no idea, but I knew the last one was fairly mild, so did not bother getting the car out. In retrospect I should have, as I now have lung damage, which could have been avoided.

Hi Big Nana,

In defence of the " ..... over 50,000 aboriginal people with university degrees, none of them seem to want to go and work where they would actually be helping their own people...." if one looks at the Census data for small 'communities', even one as big as Wadeye, from one Census period to the next and so on, one can see that yes, Indigenous graduates are indeed out in remote 'communities' at one time, but have tossed it in by the next Census.

Perhaps, as in the case of Shadow Minister's school principal friend, they get pissed on, roughed up and spat out. Perhaps they represent threats to the big-frogs-in-little-ponds of the clans and families that rule the 'communities'. And most likely, they are not from those 'communities', and are more likely 'southerners' and from the cities, to which they have every right to return and pick up the pieces of lifelong careers. 'Southerners' owe 'northerners' nothing. 'Northerners' are no more 'their people' than they are to any other Australians, except that, in a formal sense they are fellow-Indigenous - under the same Flag, so to speak.

Joe