keel

Ok Mike what do you think the answer is ?( and I'm not stupid enough to think there is only one answer).

I'm only putting foward a viewpoint as I see it, we can't move forward if we follow paths that have failed.

And there you go falling into the trap that they are special "caretakers" (harmony with nature brigade).

And as for life expectancy view the figures in the UK between affluent and poorer areas eg inner cities. They are not 20 years different but they are significant.

Genercide isn't that when a group only has to step outside their front door before being arrested and starved/shot. I only have to travell 4 miles to Freeo to see quite a few drunken specimins who have slipped through the facist dragnet.

For every quota introduced adds fresh fuel for racism , for every new government initiative brings further disbelief for those taxpayers paying for it.

Why not forget past ( it's too late in the day) and start afresh with everyone being equal from the abbo's, newly arrived bigots from the mother country and ozzy's with lineage back 200 years.

Keel

MikeStanton

What to do? Read some of the postings: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...&pagenumber=10


That is not a definitive answer. But it's a start.

Your post has a 'oh well, we're doing what we can. We probably could do better...maybe' feel to it. And I'm sure this is felt by many non-indigenous Aussies.

The indigenous are mainly seen as drunken bludgers who get too much state aid etc

So nothing changes.

But the indigenous people are the most disadvantaged people in Oz. Don't take my word, go and read up about it.

If us Aussie whities had a life expectancy 20 years lower than the average westerner, who the f*** would want to come to Oz to live?

And that ignores the third-world levels of blindness experienced by aborigines, the sky-high suicide rates etc

By trotting out the usual head-shaking, "Mmmm. We're trying really hard, but this is a very difficult issue to resolve" we are really saying "Look, this is not our fault. Don't blame us"

Except that it is the non-indigenous Aussies responsibility - we have the power; indigenous Aussies do not.

Other countries have managed to make great strides in improving the lot of their indigenous peoples. But not 'fair go' Oz.

It's impossible to turn back time. But working out a fair way forward for both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples and implementing it must take into account what happened in the past.

Only those non-indigenous Aussies with their own interests at heart choose to ignore what has happened over the past 216 years.

MeganEkno

Check out your 'facts'.

The US, Canada, NZ have all made considerable progress towards their indigenous peoples' problems. Oz stands alone. [/QUOTE]

I believe Australia has made real progress too. I am happy to admit there is still a long way to go. I guess what makes me uncomfortable is when people see these documentaries and then turn to me and make me feel as though that is how I personally act towards the Aboriginal people, when in fact, it couldn't be further from the truth.

Ansy

WBB, You seem to have written off Abos into a negative picture....
I have actually met some good Abos at my place of work. I have Abo. colleagues who have gone to UNiversity and are positively contributing to the economy of the country. You may not be convinced, but, I would recommend that you judge people individually based on theie qualities rather than a stereotypical generalization.

WBB

i tend to speak as i find, my personal experiences of the aboriginal people is what i described earlier.

BTW abo is a derogatory term.

MikeStanton

The progress is not happening fast enough. The problem is we - I include myself as I'm an Oz citizen, albeit back in the UK - do carry the collective responsibility for fixing the problem. If not, who does? We elect the government. Of course that doesn't mean at an individual level we endorse aborigines disadvantaged status. But we still carry the responsibility for fixing it.

dotty

I wanted to read this thread when I have more time, but thats not happened yet. However this stood out as amazing ignorance of the situation in OZ.

Australias sun and surf, I dont think so, as yet I have not seen too many of our native people shacked up in some mega rich beach suburb. Try a nice compound in the outback, with appaling poverty, sun yes I supposed so, 45 degree desert heat in summer or freezing desert in winter. Dont really think too many cameramen need to bring their speedos for that gig!!

Megalania

If surf is your fetish and desert your perdition, there are Aboriginal lands and settlements in many costal locations around Australia.

One such is:
Umbarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Tours, Wallagah Lake, Bermagui, south coast NSW.

Their lands are verdantly forested and adjoining the sea.

From Mt Dromedary:



Another view:

wombat42

We should give the country back to the Aboriginies and 18 million
white Australians will return to the home of their ansestors the
Uk. There will be so many Australians over there that it will become a colder version of Australia. How would you like that
Mike Stanton and Dotty?

renth

It would solve Indonesia's population crisis overnight as they would step in the next day.

They'd probably massacre all the aboriginals too.

Fuzzyness

what do you mean there will be so many australians over here. there already are!

and besides if we did get an unflux of 18 million aussies jsut think how quick we could all get served at the pub.

MikeStanton

Even reducing yr figure by the number of people that didn't emigrate from UK to Oz in the first place, it is still a scary concept :scared:

Still, I guess we could place them on reservations, organise tours to see them and sell their works of art...

Vegemite Kids

mmmmmm, just trying to imagine what would be said if UK, US, Germany, France etc, announced they were deporting all "immigrants" back to their Country of Ancestry.

Me thinks there might be quite a few accusations of racism flying about !!!!

Megalania

I think New Australia might get a bit of stick internationally if we did not create a few reservations for the Poms remaining after the Australian invasion.

Could be a Good Idea to keep Her Right Royal Hindness as a tourist attraction - "Gild And They Will Come".

Not too sure that the Old Pom art would sell though - those Constables and so on looks a bit too flashy-modern.

And must get rid of those dumb deciduous trees.