Foxy,

You rightly say,

"The First Nations of Australia have a right to take responsibility. "

I would respectfully suggest that they have the obligation to take responsibility, like any other citizens and communities and families and individuals have for their affairs. I'm very uneasy about the impression, perhaps inaccurate, that governments should bring back more sophisticated forms of paternalism and take - or keep taking - those responsibilities from Indigenous people, as if they are incapable of handling them.

So far, it seems, the multitude of channels for voices don't seem to be adequate, if I read this extra demand for a 'Voice' correctly. I just don't understand that. Indigenous people are as capable and intelligent as anybody else, so I can't, for the life of me, understand why they can't use all of those current channels to express their desires and aspirations - and primarily amongst themselves. So many issues affecting Indigenous people and communities and families are, frankly, internal issues, for which they themselves - in the spirit of genuine self-determination - must find solutions, not governments, not any outsiders.

I anticipate being corrected, but I hope not by Dr Google :)

Joe

ALTRAV,

Your comment about 'white men' rings true. The very people who signal their virtue by rabbiting on about self determination for people who are mostly already 'self determining' are up to their armpits in the racket,trying to do the determining for them. For those people, it's nothing to do with doing good for people they condescendingly deem as incapable of making it in modern Australia: it's all about divide and rule. Communism.

Foxy, NO!
We should not empower the blacks, unless we empower everyone else.
Oh wait a minute we do, it's called parliament.
You can flap on all you like about being dispossessed, but tell me which of these wannabee blacks of today have been dispossessed, or better still want to go and live in the 'bush' like their ancestors did?
NONE!
Stop pushing this arrogant virtue signalling mantra of yours.
We, the rest of Australia, including the migrants, don't agree with you or the idea of giving any one particular group of people, special privileges or treatment over the rest of us.
We already have to suffer through these annoying and erroneous attacks promoting a moot point and mythical society as though they have some reverence or right of ownership to a land simply because they happen to be standing on it when the real owners come to claim it.
Remember, the original people were passing through from up North?.
All that you write is a fantasy and most of Australia would tell you to your face, but for not wanting to waste the time and; IF THEY COULD BE BOTHERED.

ttbn,

This is a discussion forum. Therefore you have
to be prepared for opinions that don't agree
with yours. However you are not obliged to
read any opinions that seem to distress you,
But you certainly are not entitled to stop
people from airing their views. Freedom of
speech and all that... But of course this does
not seem to apply to you judging from you comments.
You only approve of posts that agree with your
viewpoint - other wise how can you explain such
a strong feeling towards someone you don't even
know. And you wonder why the term "toxic" is
an apt description of your postings. If you want
my opinion to change about you. You can always
improve your behaviour.

BTW: Who really reads ALTRAV's posts?
Anyone of any intelligence? No. forget I aksed.

Foxy wrotte..."They [aboriginals ]ask only to be heard in decisions made about them. A practical reform. Not a veto, but merely a voice."

Oh I get it. They just want to be able to vote. Well I say its about time they got the vote.....oh wait!

" Here's the harsh reality: Our forebears took this country from the original inhabitants. We are not about to give it back."

Well I for one think we should give it back to the original inhabitants. Does anyone know where we can find a 200 year old native? Because they're gunna be rich.

"And the highest form of ignorance is when someone rejects something they don't know anything about."

That's OK Foxy, we'll agree to overlook your faults

Foxy,

This is a discussion forum. Therefore you have to be prepared for opinions that don't agree with yours. However you are not obliged to read any opinions that seem to distress you. But you certainly are not entitled to stop people from airing their views. None of us are.

Do you have any actual opinions of your own, not just those regurgitated from Google ?

Joe