JBoyer,
Thanks for enlightening us because I'sure most people didn't know that Okkers are a race.

//Just to mark reconciliation week.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-26/rio-tinto-blast-destroys-area-with-ancient-aboriginal-heritage/12286652//

Bloody disgusting. I remember a certain amount of outrage and accusations of barbarism some years back when the Taliban blew up a statue of the Buddha... maybe if they were in the business of mining, nobody would have cared.

Taliban blew up a statue of the Buddha..
Toni Lavis,
That very same thought came to my mind the moment I first heard of the Rio Tinto act !

Program after program has been established to improve Aborigines’ lot, costing many billions of dollars over the years. Some were partly or wholly run by Aboriginals for Aboriginals. Some achieved some benefits, but most failed completely. The result to date? Apart from assimilated Aborigines who live their lives much the same as most non-Aboriginals, the lot of the rest has steadfastly failed to improve.

It is not our responsibility to atone for British settlement. Nobody can turn back the clock. People identify with an aboriginal background have no rights to special privileges because their ancestors were here before white Australians.

We all need to get over it. We need to stop the nonsense of smoking ceremonies and welcome-to-country paid performances that mean nothing to 97% of the population in the 21st Century.

Enough of the victimhood!

If this minority of Australians wishes to keep aspects of their culture alive, let them do it at their own expense, just as other minorities do

I doubt these issues will be ever resolved.

I spoke to an aboriginal lady once, and all i heard was hatred and the feeling that the government could never do enough. Fair enough.

I feel sorry for Aboriginal people, especially the many who don't get on within the maintstream, but i cant see things ever getting much better besides making sure that Aborignals are treated fairly and given resources to help overcome disadvantage.

"I'm not convinced that some of the sentiments expressed on this forum could be described by any reasonable person as 'friendly'"

Oh, so we're going for universal submission to the one true faith?

Well that's one way to ensure the whole thing can continue into the generations.

I loved the bit in SR's link where they talked about having lost examples of "bone technology". Basically they took a kangaroo leg bone, sharpened it and, hey presto....technology!! Seriously?

My grandson t'other day sharpened the end of his crayon....crayon technology. Unfortunately his mother forced him to flatten it again. Oh the humanity...future generations will be devastated at the destruction.