cont'd ...

Dear Big Nana,

Policies to address family violence, truancy, suicide, and
alcohol abuse in Indigenous communities would be improved
with input from the people they are intended to benefit.
The success of the Native Title Act, as I mentioned earlier,
would be greater if governments could better hear Indigenous
ideas to remove red tape and make their land more
economically productive.

We should remember that the difference between us and the
Indigenous people is that parliament makes specific
laws and policies about Indigenous people. There is no
native title act for Indian Australians, Italian Australians,
Greek Australians et cetera, because their ancestors were
not dispossessed of land in Australia, Nor has there
ever been an Indian-Australian et al, Intervention.

When parliament makes laws and p[olicies about the
First Nations of the NT, as they did with the NT Intervention,
the First Nations of the NT should have a fair say.

Whether you agree or disagree that the Intervention was
necessary, there is consensus that it was poorly
implemented, without proper consultation, and not as
effective as it could have been. The Intervention failed
to achieve its aims.

Had local First Nations been empowered to take responsibility
in its formation. the Intervention would not have been
discriminatory, it would have been better accepted by
communities and more effective.

The First Nations of Australia have a right to take
responsibility. They should be empowered with a constitutional
voice in their affairs, so they can always
participate in decisions made about them.
And as a champion of responsibility -
you of all people should support such a reform.

Indeed we all should.

ttbn,

Keep rolling your eyes - you might find a
brain back there. :-)

Foxy, apart from the intervention, can you name any circumstance in the past few decades, where indigenous Australians have been subjected to different laws and policies than anyone else in this country?
And what constitutional power do non indigenous people have that indigenous people do not have? What power do white people have that gets them sending their kids to school every day, clean and fed? What constitutional power do white people have that gets them clean their houses and yards and providing a healthy Nairobi meant for their kids to grow up in?
What constitutional power do white peoples have that prevents them from neglecting their old frail people whilst still taking all their pension money?
What constitutional power do white people have that allows so much abuse of women and children, a practise that is thousands of years old in indigenous culture?
(Cont)

Foxy (cont)
I can tell you why the current system isnt working.
Not because indigenous people don’t have a voice. As Joe pointed out, they have literally thousands of voices. Millions of dollars worth of executive committees who control medical, housing and land rights issues. And who speak to government.
No, the problem is because aboriginal people are not being held accountable for decisions they make that lead to failures in health, education, employment.
Do you have any idea of the problems encountered by schools in the north and in remote communities? Of trying to teach kids who turn up late, hungry, dirty and too tired to learn anything?
And if teachers were actually brave enough to report these kids to child protection do you know what would get done? Absolutely nothing because parents aren’t held responsible and culture is deemed more important than health and safety of a child.
I recently stood before a magistrate in the Family Court and listened to him tell me that despite the fact that there is evidence one of my granddaughters is severely neglected, it’s more important she not be removed from country!
Animals get more protection than aboriginal al children because not only does the RSPCA remove them when they are neglected, they also charge the owners.
The gap will close when aboriginal people are treated the same as everyone else!

Hi Big Nana,

Foxy's contributions and schoolmarm admonitions to you remind me of a brain surgeon being advised by some bloke who's wandered in off the street. Your fifty years on the very front line trumps Foxy's Google any day. Keep smiling :)

Joe

Dear Big Nana,

Much as I acknowledge you own experiences -

I can not exclude - what people like Noel Pearson,
Megan Davis, Stan Grant, Red Little, Jackie Huggins,
Damien Freeman, Nolan Hunter, Warren Mundine, Shireen
Morris, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, and Marcia Langton, tell us.

They are also sharing with us their learning, experience and
expertise at a time of great importance to the Australian
nation: when the people will decide whether or not
they will deal with the relationship between Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the settlers
who came after 1788.

As I see it, the nation is an an important crossroads -
either a real process of settlement will now take shape, or
the nation will turn its back on these issues.

What we've tried so far has not worked. I don't see the
harm in trying something new. They are not asking for
much. Only a voice to be heard on matters that affect
them.

I won't list here all the ways in which our First Nations
people have been wronged but there are many, and there are
terrible acts that can be found in archival records that are
available at all State Libraries.

The Uluru Statement has given voice to their
grievances and has set out the issues for assessment.
It takes us into a process where we can as
a nation get serious and look to a proper
settlement once and for all. We can
have peace and harmony in our future. But only if we take care
of this unfinished business and allow their voice to be heard.