BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 06:50 AM

"racism must be so deeply entrenched in Australian society"

In SOME parts.


Jim Lad, in Australia, the Democrats were what was left after the Liberals - led by Johnny and his cohorts - went so far to the Right that those left looked Left... :-) And they said "since there's more of us than you we're taking the name 'Liberal' with us"...

The National (previously called Country) Party (in Coalition Government with The Liberal Party) is the most Right of the 'Conservative' parties... :-)

And then there is Pauline Hanson, who sorta makes the KKK look Left Wing Commo... :-)

I really should mention the Family First Party - who have a member in The Senate - and almost held the balance of power... but I'm not going to...

I really suspect the whole thing is about trying to reverse the Mabo Decision...

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 09:29 AM

check out the cartoon for 26th June

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Jim Lad
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 12:16 PM

Azizi: The victims in this case, are children. I'll allow for a bit of stupidity on the part of those who wish to protect them just as long as they learn from their mistakes and their intent is good. It's a steep learning curve and a little forgiveness along the way, is much more productive than becoming embroiled in a racial argument. Remember the kids.

Foolestroupe: I am aware that Mr Howard is regarded as being a "Conservative/Liberal" by most. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I know about foreign affairs but the "Mabo Decision"? You'll have to help me with that one. Please & Thank you.
Jim

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: Azizi
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 06:48 PM

Jim Lad, your comments have not addressed the statements that I made in my 27 Jun 07 - 01:09 AM post to this thread.

And I'm not sure what you meant by "becoming embroiled in a racial arguments". Who is becoming embroiled in a racial argument? Me? I don't think so. I've stated my views, and haven't raised my voice in argument.

Are you saying that indigenous people are arguing just because they differ with Australian Prime Minister Howard's mandates from which treats them as children by failing to consult with them about what is best for their communities? Are you saying that they have no right to question his motives? If representatives of those communities disagree with Howard and let that be known, because they are of a differnt race than Howard, does that necessarily mean that they are "embroiling "themselves in "racial arguments"?

I don't think so.

As to your comment about Australian Prime Minister John Howard using "remembering the children" electioneering to sway votes,
I stand by the 21 Jun 07 - 06:30 PM comments that I made about this plans as they were reported in this thread and in Internet articles.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: Azizi
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 07:12 PM

Correction.

Jim Lad, you didn't say that Howard was using "remember the children" electioneering to sway votes. I and others who posted to this thread said that.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: Rowan
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 08:14 PM

The Mabo decision; a summary.

Although "Capt. Cook discovered Australia" is still understood by many to be incontrovertable fact there is firm evidence that ancestors of what we now call Aboriginal people got here more than 40,000 years ago; depending on which archaeological evidence you reckon stand up it can be anything up to 80,000 years bp. If you ask Aboriginal people they'll tell you they've always been here and, existentially, their argument carries weight. Cook never claimed that the Aboriginal people were not the possessors of the land they occupied but subsequent colonisers claimed that New Holland and (later) Australia were "Terra nullius" meaning that the land belonged, legally, to nobody (individually or collectively) until it was occupied by the British Crown, which then applied British concepts of land title. These all effectively dispossessed Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (the forgotten group in much of all this). Aborigines were controlled by the Crown (like the wildlife is still, today) and often restricted to Reserves similar to what Americans would know as Reservations.

Eddie Mabo, in 1973, took the Queensland State govt led by Bjelke-Peterson to court claiming that he, as one of his ethnic group (the notion of "tribe" is a European term originally from their understanding of African social organisation and then applied willy nilly to American native groups and leter, even less appropriately, to Australian indigenous peoples) technically "owned" a patch of land on the coast of North Queensland. The patch of land had boundary markers that predated white settlement and there was a continuous history, acknowledged by Eddie's community, of 'maintenance of tenure' of the land.

The case was thrown out in Queesnland but went to the Full Bench of the High Court (equivalent to America's Supreme Court and Britain's Privy Council) and, in 1983, the High Court found in favour of Eddie Mabo. Hence the term "Mabo Decision), that Australia was not and never had been "Terra nullius" and that Aboriginal people had had legitimate tenure and title to their lands. To give modern legal effect to the decision the Labor govt of the Commonwealth introduced the Native Title legislation, which I referred to above as having been effectively gutted (while a Bill) by the Opposition.

I hope this summary is helpful; others with more intimate appreciations should feel free to correct me.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: Rowan
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 08:40 PM

To both Ythanside and Stigweard: Your experiences are all too common unfortunately. Like the US, Oz covers a lot of landscape and there are many in the Top End or elsewhere back o' Bourke who seek to justify their baser behaviour by implying "You're a southerner/visitor/ etc (read "ignorant") so go away and let us do what we've always done!" And some of the things you can be esposed to make you weep with frustration at the complexity of working through it all. The causes and examples of racism are blatant when there is a large and visible ethnic minority and a large group of disaffected whites only one rung further up the ladder and wanting to ensure there is someone below them.

The causes and examples of racism are more covert amongst the genteel and better off, especially if they don't see many people from the ethnic minority in their daily routines. Publicly they'll denounce racism but, among friends, truth will out. Pauline Hanson was originally a Queensland candidate for the Liberal Party but was disowned by John Howard when her (genteel?) racism became too public to ignore. He then thought to disarm her by implementing (perhaps more subtly) the gist of her policies. At one stage an interviewer suggested she was xenophobic (Asians copped almost as much flack from Pauline Hanson as Aborigines) and her ony response was, famously, "Please explain!" She went further to the right and gained a huge following to her "One Notion" Party from the disaffected National Party members. She's now history but her followers are back in the National Party, in Coalition with the Liberal Party.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: Ythanside
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 09:57 PM

Rowan, what did make me weep, literally, were the countless stories of inhumane treatment of Aboriginals and mixed-race Australians by their fellow countrymen. Some incidents that I witnessed were all the more shocking because of their casual, disinterested nature so reminiscent of apartheid South Africa. The most common view I encountered amongst Aboriginals and enlightened European-Australians was that this deplorable situation could not be improved without a sea change in the political will of the government, and none of them judged that to be a likely development in the forseeable future. It is to be hoped that this neccessary change occurs before the inevitable backlash from the disenfranchised, disenchanted and justifiably angry younger generation hits the fan.   

Ythanside

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 10:18 PM

Actually "Our Pauline", as she is affectionately known by her hard (headed!) core followers is running as an Independent for the Senate in thw next ELection...

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: katlaughing
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 10:22 PM

Thanks, Rowan, and everyone else who lives there and/or has visited, for the education. I am following this thread with much interest. I wonder if an "anti apartheid" movement, i.e. boycotting tourism in Australia, etc., would have any effect?

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Jim Lad
Date: 27 Jun 07 - 10:32 PM

Thanks Rowan: I had heard something of this case in the context that, gutted or not, it assisted Aboriginals in land claim issues to a point where they are now light years ahead of Canadians. I'm sure you'll tell me if I'm wrong.

Azizi: You have me completely befuddled. I cannot make sense of your last two submissions. I have addressed the one you mentioned and I have no idea what point it is that you are trying to make. We are both on the same side and you seem to have some difficulty with that.
I would suggest to you that you are in danger of becoming what you so detest in others.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: Azizi
Date: 28 Jun 07 - 05:49 AM

Jim Lad,

Here's a new African proverb:

"Saying so don't make it so."

And that's all I'm gonna say on this thread about that.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Jun 07 - 07:45 AM

Aboriginal Health organisation welcomes news health checks not compulsory

latest cartoon - Little Johnny brings in the army According to news reports this morning, the advance party of troops that arrived were sympathetic & helpful, but why spoil a good idea for a cartoon (cartoonists love showing Little Johnny with tall Defence personnel)

The next stolen generation?
Professor Margaret Alston is director of the Centre for Rural Social Research at Charles Sturt University at Wagga Wagga, see the feedback from readers at the end of her article.

Long-term Indigenous education campaign planned by QLD & NT govt.s

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Jim Lad
Date: 28 Jun 07 - 11:26 AM

Azizi: You have me completely bewildered.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: Rowan
Date: 28 Jun 07 - 07:17 PM

Katlaughing raised the question of "action" by why I inferred "international" action might be contemplated. It's a natural and understandable response but, if foreigners stayed away in droves, there'd be so much less shining of international arclighting on the situation and we all know what happens in the dark out of reach of the spotlights. Personally, I'd advocate that everyone of goodwill came and had a look, chose who they spent their money with to do so, engaged with both the activists and the passive accepters and then spruiked the products of their mature considerations.

I suspect many from the northern hemisphere have a (necessarily) limited understanding of scale (distances, variety etc) that apply in Oz; quite a few Australians do too. Eddie Mabo died after the High Court had retired to consider its judgement but before that judgement was handed down. His community raised a fine headstone on his grave, memorialising his achievement. In less than a month it was savagely desecrated by the yobs of Townsville, resulting in an outcry around the country. In the last month a major memorial to him has been raised in the centre of Townsville, so some things have changed.

After the Mabo Decision the then Prime Minister engaged in discussions about the possibility of a Treaty; because Australia had always been considered to be Terra nullius, there could never have been a Treaty between the colonisers and the colonised in the way they had bee established in NZ, Canada or the US of A, even though these were routinely ignored whenever the colonisers wanted. I think nobody had informed the Prime Minister that there was no such thing as an Aboriginal Nation with whom to treaty. Even now, you'll hear Australians say things like "coolamon" is the Aboriginal word for a bowl carved out of a branch. That's a bit like saying "table" is the European word for the thing you sit at to eat a meal.

There were at least 250 separate Aboriginal language groups in Australia and you could argue that several had many aspects of stature associated with what we might call nations. Even now the variety among Aboriginal groups is enormous, from the very urban Koori groups in SE Oz (Redfern in Sydney is currently having problems with the State govt but the Melbourne Koories seem not to have such problems) through the settled rural SE Oz (the Victorian Koories have some major problems of acceptance but the racism towards the NSW Koories in the Western Division seems more prevasive. And then you've got almost traditional arrangements in the northern half of South Australia and all through the Top End (WA, NT and Qld); even there the variety can boggle the mind.

I've just plucked a trivial example out of the air. Among other things I'm an archaeologist and there is a special (and specially strained, sometimes) relationship between Australia's Indigenous people and archaeologists so I wouldn't wish you to think my view was necessarily "better" than others'. But I'm also an ecologist and the botanists around me have learned to expect a vigourous rebuke if I hear them use "natural" instead of "endemic" or even "native" to describe vegetation that hasn't been modified by those of us with nonIndigenous ancestry. Come and see it all for yourselves and then take the actions you consider appropriate and effective.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: GUEST,John O'L
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 01:54 AM

On the news last night I watched the army trucks rolling into outback villages to begin God-knows-what for the sake of Howard's re-election.

For eleven years it has been impossible for the Howard government to get doctors or teachers into the outback, but for the sake of an "Aboriginal Children Overboard" yarn to be cranked up just before an election, it's a simple matter to get the army out there.

It's times like these I'm ashamed to be Australian.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 03:11 AM

Watched this on TV.

'Johnny's Newbies' wandered in, and spoke many fine flowery words of greeting to 'the locals' in front of the Press.

They then told the Press to bugger off as they wished to 'talk seriously to the locals'.

The locals expressed the opinion that THEY didn't think that 'Johnny's Newbies' COULD say anything to the locals that THEY would not be comfortable with the Press hearing!

After 'Johnny's Newbies' had wandered off to the next camp, the locals expressed great puzzlement - they said that they thought that 'Johnny's Newbies' were coming to speak to them 'with all the answers', but all they did was ask the locals 'what they wanted'....

:-)

I'm not making this up you know!

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: freda underhill
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 03:52 AM

from the ABC (the Oz one)

Federal Labor leader Kevin Rudd has questioned whether the Government has changed its plans for the takeover of Indigenous land in the Northern Territory. The Federal Government originally said it would takeover about 60 townships for five years and pay appropriate compensation for doing so. But earlier today, Prime Minister John Howard would not give a guarantee it would be five years, or that the Indigenous communities would ever get their land back.

The Federal Government has taken control of about 60 Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory in an effort to stem child abuse. Mr Howard says the Government is not taking land from traditional owners, but rather is trying to give something back to the community.

"We are leasing the land for five years, then it goes back," he said.

"If there is any disturbance of title in that, there will be compensation paid.

"There are people trawling around to find a fault."

Mr Rudd says he wants to know what the Government's intentions are.

"Mr Howard has already outlined a proposal and as I recall it, [Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Mal] Brough's briefing to us was for a five-year limit," he said. "It would be interesting in the extreme if the Prime Minister's proposing to go beyond that."
............

This is a land grab.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 09:44 AM

ABC article quoted by freda

Rudd questions Govt's Indigenous land plans

Kalumburu community leader rejects federal approach to child abuse

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 10:15 AM

The Kalumburu community was allegedly the one where mothers were taking their children and heading for the hills before Johnyy's Newbies arrived - no, I'm not making this up, there are real sand hills just outside of town, or going walkabout - but apparently that was just Media Hype - in other words, just BS...

I do believe that is the one where about 2 years ago Little Fascist Johnny sacked the Imdigenous Council allegedly because of corruption and put in an Adminsitrator. Well, there is a report apparently about due to come out which shows that the Adminstrator just locked all the assets up so they couldn't be used, and all the funds were frozen so that the community couldn;t access either, and has done nothing else but write reports.

The local small bus is chained behind a fence so that the kids can't be driven anywhere, the workshop is locked up so that the local vehicles can't be repaired, etc, you name it - the community has been right royally f*cked over - (but the poor black bastards living there haven't died off yet¹) - so now Little Fascist Johnny drags this bit of BS out of the woodwork - why am I not surprised?.... :-P

¹ If you really know the history of the racial interactions, you will knnow that I am not racist, but cynicaly historically factual...

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: katlaughing
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 10:19 AM

Rowan, thanks for answering my question. It is very complex, as you pointed out. I would visit if I had the money to, believe me.

Thanks, also to hilda and Sandra for the continued education and reading. While I'd prefer there not be these atrocities to write and read about, I am most grateful for the insights from folks in the middle of it and NOT just the news agencies.

Last night, I watched the movie, Gandhi. It occurred to me, the world needs another like him.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Jim Lad
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 02:17 PM

Thanks Sandra. Those were excellent links. I am seriously puzzled here though by some of what is going on. The first two reports were about the usual, predictable, Governmental, in fighting "How do I gain political ground on this" kind of nonsense & the third a report on Ms Leonie (Slightly off the wall) Cameron, Community leader. Also on the attack. What I do not see is an honest "Let's put our heads together and see what we can do to protect the kids" kind of approach from anyone. This is far more important than any racial issue.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 07:24 PM

What I do not see is an honest "Let's put our heads together and see what we can do to protect the kids" kind of approach from anyone. This is far more important than any racial issue.
=================

probably too hard - we (= They) are are in the middle of a nasty political fight, & being nice is probably impossible. Apparently the Opposition leader is (was?) a good mate of one of the Govt Ministers but you wouldn't think so after hearing the Minister speaking about the Opposition leader. Apparently there are friendships between individual people on both sides, but I wonder if they will last - I also wonder at times if they choreograph these verbal fights!

In recent times we have had lotsa' stories about what THEY (ie the enemy who wants to stay in power/take power) did/said - she did this, he did that, no I didn't, yes you did, you're all liars, no we're not - it's you who are liars ....

Parliament often reminds me of playground arguments & I usually turn off whenever news programs offer snippets showing what's happening.

sandra

strangely enough it's getting hard to find stories! We have more floods - in Victoria, this time, & the grounded ship in Newcastle is taking many headlines as salvage experts try to shift it (cables breaking ...) & now explosive filled cars are found in London (I assume someone is creating a thread as I type?)

the latest story on ABC News, also check out the video & audio links on the page


front page of Sydney's broadsheet - scroll way down to Opinion for Mike Carlton's
Histrionics up north as moral compass veers south, the only mention of this story. It's an excellent overview of the situation.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Jim Lad
Date: 30 Jun 07 - 02:21 AM

"Histrionics up north as moral compass veers south": That one pretty well lost credibility when the writer spent the first paragraph belittling Mr Howard.
Still not one positive suggestion from anyone. Only the political in fighting.
Interestingly enough. This situation and the Government initial reaction to it, was reported a day or so later in the local news here in BC. Not one comment about the legality of those measures though. Seems no-one here considered it an infringement on peoples' rights.
My guess: Watch for a rise in tourism next year. I kid you not.
Thanks for the links, Sandra.
Regards
Jim

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: GUEST,John O'L
Date: 30 Jun 07 - 03:26 AM

Jim Lad the solution is so obvious it doesn't need to be stated. The expense of education in remote areas is weighed against its benefit and until it is found to be more beneficial than expensive we will continue to have social disintergration in remote areas.

As has been stated above however, this is not about solutions, this is about an upcoming election.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Jun 07 - 05:05 AM

Just one more note from the movie: Gandhi said, "Poverty is the worst form of violence." While I know there can be worse physical violence, it seems to me poverty is the ultimate violence which a society can perpetrate against large portions of its population.

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: freda underhill
Date: 30 Jun 07 - 06:29 AM

Howard has found his next wedge issue - and by taking over Aboriginal lands has basically declared martial law in parts of australia I'm waiting for an election to be called in the next coupla weeks..

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Jun 07 - 09:58 AM

Well, Freda - I feel that he would definitely have won last November. I'm sure that there is something (an inportant stage strutting opportunity!) coming up just before November that Johnny wants to still be the Incumbent in Office (not in Caretaker mode, either!) for - :-) - which is why I think that he will wait till the last minute.... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Australia)
From: Muttley
Date: 16 Jul 07 - 09:51 PM

I was unaware of this thread until directed here by Katlaughing - Hilda, for what it is worth, there is at least one 'WhiteFella' weeping with you.

As I wrote in another thread, I am proud to have known many Aboriginals in my life - and yes SOME of them have come from very decrepit and slum-condition communities. More than a few were the products of the Stolen Generation. I was even honoured to be called by an Aboriginal name by one of them. It was at Teacher's College and (to other white guys disgust) I loved hanging out with the eight Indigenes who were there with us on scholarships. At first it was curiosity about them (I'd never met an Aboriginal before this) and it quickly grew to friendship. Rob Kantilla was a kind of leader among them (the only full-blood and not a 'Stolen Child') and after about three months he began referring to me as 'Djambi' (at least I think that was the word - it sounds right these many years passed) I asked him what it meant because I thought he was 'having a go at me / making fun of me / giving me a comic nick-name, or some such thing. He told me it was a word that meant 'brother/friend' but it didn't quite mean a 'blood' kin while it also meant a LOT more than simply 'friend'. I asked him why he called me that and he said simply "because you are one of us. You don't treat us any different, you don't talk down to us, you don't patronise us, if you think we've said something wrong you tell us and don't care if we like that assessment or not. You act with us as if we were all the same colour and I am proud to call you brother"

It was the first time I ever recall crying due to a compliment.

Hilda has raised some really good points:

I was horrified when Howard made his comments and hoped against hope he was simply "tossing political hay" until the army and police vehicles rolled in and there were reports that elders were hiding children because they feared a return of a 'Stolen Generation' situation: rightly since the Western Australian Govt minister has just sent in Non-Aboriginal Social Workers, Doctors, Psychologists to a community with the threat "Any children found at risk will be taken" - did the WA Govt learn NOTHING from the 'Stolen Generations' lessons - - - obviously not. And they can get away with it because we white fellers are quite content to sit on our collective apathy and say nothing - there IS an intrinsic Racial prejudice there and I am ashamed of it.
Ely Weissel once replied to a fellow Auschwitz internee who asked him why they were in such a position, why had God abandoned His people to suffer like this. "Where, in all this inhumanity, is God?" asked his fellow inmate. Ely's reply was simply: "No! The question is 'Where in all this inhumanity is MAN'?"
His words echo today - where is man in this latest injustice?
Are we as a people preopared to sit back and alow another generation to be taken?

Yes there are those deplorable activities - drunkenness, pornography, child abuse etc; in Aboriginal Communities - but they also exist in suburban, rural, farming, city populations of WHITE AUSTRALIA. Is the government and John Howard going to 'send in the troops' to "protect the children" there???? Of course not.

Hilda raises a relevant point: regards the slovenly appearance of these communities - why? she gives several - money awarded but the communities not made aware, monies available but communities not advised how to access it - and so on and the monies simply rebound into the government coffers unused and unaccessed or accessible!

I went on a trip to Alice Springs in 2002 and travelled the Mereenie Loop to visit Hermannsburg as well as other sites: We had to first obtain a permit to travel the loop and then we were questioned as to WHY we wanted to travel it and then our car was checked to make certain we had no alcohol or other contraband with us - I was too scared to even fill a drum with petrol in case we ran out - and we only JUST made it back to the Alice on fumes.
I was disappointed that a place like Hermannsburg could be so decrepit - until I understand via Hilda's explanations as to WHY - they simply cannot access what is required.

We must also look at another side of things - yes there are "suspect" communities out there - - - BUT there are also a grat many (and an increasing number) of communities out there which have stamped out the drug/petrol sniffing/alcohol/abuses problems entirely. How have they done it - by returning to tribal standards, by reverting to 'Elder Rule' in the traditional manner and by taking back ownership of themselves. If Howard wants to be genuine - have him send advisors from the Aboriginal Communities that HAVE cleaned up their act to those struggling to do so. We cannot fix their problems for them - we are not their culture. We need to facilitate in tandem with their own elders, the chance to address their own issues in ways RELEVANT to them that will work for them. The communities that have done so thus far have done so by using their own culture to achieve that success.

John Howards 'Jack-boots and all" approach is simply an attempt (a pathetic attempt) to win unthinking white folk to his forum - folk who don't want to think or are too lazy to do so. He picks on a problem, offers a red-necked, unthinking "solution" to win votes and then does what - allows the removal of permits to travel into 'Aboriginal Lands'. Thus opening the way for illicit products to find their way back into areas cleansed of them.

I guess I've ranted enough: but I am certain that if I were to rant in front of them in this manner, 'Aunty Dot', Banjo Clarke and Rob Kantilla - along with a lot of other past Aboriginal mates would be standing behind me nodding their agreement.

Keep fighting Hilda - there are a lot of White Australians out there who will stand behind you and nod support - and I think a great many more who will see the 'grandstanding' of the current Prime Minister as just that - political grandstanding at its prejudicial worst!

Muttley

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jul 07 - 10:44 PM

So much has been going on in the past few weeks, tho not so much has been in the news as newer stuff takes over the media attention. front page of today's Sydney Morning Herald

Back to topic -

I just loooove the bit that (indigenous) parents on welfare will have some of their payments quarantined to buy necessities for their children.

The Govt must have realised this policy was a bit suspect, so it is now extending to everyone on welfare, but what about the parent who are NOT on welfare & neglect their children? Parent on welfare = bad parent, parent earning income = good parent?

Latest yuk factor is Howard is on YouTube saying how good the Govt is on green stuff & climate change. Scroll down the Herald page & you can see him (listening to a snippet on the radio news a minute ago was enough for me, I don't want to watch)

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Great White Father knows best...? (Austral
From: sneeble
Date: 16 Jul 07 - 11:09 PM

One thing that always struck me about Aussie racism is culturally based violence. There is this forgone conclusion that aborigines are a lower species and this is constantly reinforced by society. One thing that makes it worse is the amount of kiwis who leave New Zealand looking for a better life, only to discover more kiwis and an opportunity to vent their frustrations and sometimes hatred against the indigenous people because of the race-hate they have endured previously. A theme that people always come back with from Australia to New Zealand is that every Aborigine is given a house and a car, they run the car to the ground, tear the house down to build fires and then walk away usually drunk. Given the level of race bashing, both physical and emotional but the community I can understand why there is such a level of despair. Any culture, persons or person would quickly crumble under the negativity and abuse these people are exposed to every single day of their lives.