Originally Posted by augigi (Post 5929577)

The problem is, as you've admitted yourself, you don't think what the government is doing or has done are the things the Aborigines need. But you don't know what they DO need to do.

Until someone offers a better solution, I can't fault people with good intentions.

Originally Posted by haggis supper (Post 5929683)

Not entirely true. I saw no evidence of the government understanding some of the issues. E.g. "you must create a 15 year plan if you want funding". Frankly I'd struggle to come up with a 15 year plan. But asking a body of people who readily admit that they don't think this way and do not possess the skills to do it is not a viable solution. In the end the plan is ill conceived and helps perpetuate the problems.

I don't believe this is well intended, simply a case of "this is our policy, you must adhere to it".

Originally Posted by esperanza (Post 5929742)

Sounds like death by committee to me.

Originally Posted by haggis supper (Post 5929786)

Working for the NAB has perfectly positioned me to assist with this.

Originally Posted by haggis supper (Post 5929683)

I don't believe this is well intended, simply a case of "this is our policy, you must adhere to it".

Originally Posted by ozzieeagle (Post 5929999)

Fantastic post HS... the more people look into the facts, the more sympathy and empathy comes to the fore.

It's so easy for people to go tsk tsk tsk, when they dont know the cause of what they see.

Originally Posted by augigi (Post 5930012)

You missed my point entirely. I don't think people can have no suggestions for how to create a solution, and yet criticise those who do try.

What's your solution?

Originally Posted by augigi (Post 5930012)

You missed my point entirely. I don't think people can have no suggestions for how to create a solution, and yet criticise those who do try.

Originally Posted by TheCrone (Post 5929601)

My experiences with Aboriginal people come from living and working in the Kimberley between 1969 and 1972, when I was manageress of a hostel for Aboriginal school children in Halls Creek. I have watched with horror the recent media portrayal of a society given over to child and substance abuse; it wasn't like that in my day!
Time and distance have, I think, given me a certain amount of perspective and allowed me to reach certain conclusions. Please understand that I speak of the indiginous population in rural and remote areas, not city dwellers.
In retrospect, I date the start of the slide into the current degredation to the granting of full citizenship in July, 1971. Not that this was a bad step in itself - indeed, it was granted (belatedly) with the best possible motives by the Government of the day. Unfortunately, white politicians and bureaucrats in Canberra were unable to foresee the long-term effects this would have on people who were still living in a predominantly pre-literate and tribal society.
In Halls Creek at that time, the majority of Aboriginal people lived and worked on huge cattle stations. Most of these were owned by international companies and were run by managers; few were in private hands or run by local people. The local Aboriginals were given a small wage if they were workers and all were given basic rations but supplemented this by foods gained or gathered in te traditional ways, by hunting and gathering.
It was customary for all the station people, white as well as black, to come into Halls Creek for Race Week which was then held in the first week in September. In 1971, they were advised of their rights under the new legislation, which included the right to vote and the right to purchase and consume alcohol, neither of which they had previously been allowed to do. They were also given cheques for backdated allowances and pensions - more money than most of them were able to comprehend. They were also advised that cheques would be forthcoming on a fortnightly basis. Sadly, the majority didn't understand the importance of being given the right to vote; they did see and understand the immediate impact of having the right to drink alcohol and the money to do so. They did not call the legislation Citizenship Rights, but rather Drinking Rights; some even thought that they HAD to consume alcohol.
These two factors - the right to drink and the money to do so - meant that the majority of indiginous people didn't return to their station homes at the end of Race Week. One station that had brought 59 Aboriginal people returned with just three. And the township of Halls Creek was not prepared for such an influx. There were no sanitary or cooking facilities, no housing. Furthermore, the children who had lived in the hostel during term time, with two showers a day, three meals and and clean clothing on a daily basis, now had to live with their parents (usually their mother) if she was resident within two kilometers of the school. Yet these parents, for the most part, had no idea how to purchase or prepare commercially available foods; they were not only pre-literate, but pre-numerate. They didn't understand that a portion of their Welfare money was to provide for their children in an acceptably "European" way. And the downward cycle began.
I think that only when Aboriginal people are able to build commercially-viable industries, which they control, will the situation really change - and heaven alone knows what those industries could be in places which have few or no resources.

Originally Posted by augigi (Post 5930012)

You missed my point entirely. I don't think people can have no suggestions for how to create a solution, and yet criticise those who do try.

What's your solution?

Originally Posted by esperanza (Post 5930068)

I don't think someone has to have a perfect solution in order to be able to identify flaws in an existing plan. The identification of problems is the first step in improvement.

Originally Posted by markallwood (Post 5930142)

Why do you think that way?
"If you don't have anything positive to say, then don't speak" is nothing more than a defensive retort. It doesn't add value to any discussions.

Originally Posted by haggis supper (Post 5930228)

I spend 3 days on an "experience" and you expect me to propose a solution ?!

My point is that there are departments of people in government who are paid to understand the issues and make sensible decisions. I've given one example of a ludicrous requirement which appears to be a "tick the box" exercise rather than tackling the problem.