Still waiting

We go to our Australian Christmas still unsure whether the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders will be recognised in the Australian Constitution.

We know that the Uluru recommendation for a top Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander body to advise the federal parliament is not accepted at this stage.  The federal government is making a grave error in not accepting this recommendation.  Such a body could comprise leaders from the various indigenous nations within Australia and feed grassroots concerns direct to the federal government.  Thus we would have the potential for informed change from the ground up, not the top down with politicians far removed from the real local issues calling the shots.  Will we ever learn?

In outlining his broad goals for 2018 I didn't hear any mention by Prime Minister Turnbull about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.  Shame!

May the Force be with us as we try to right the wrongs of 1788!


GD

How long do we have to wait

With the Australian Federal government in disarray and having just rejected a major Uluru announcement, indigenous Australians must be tearing their hair out.  Our government says it wants to listen and take advice from indigenous communities, but when that advice is super serious yet doesn't suit, it is rejected.

I am not indigenous but very sympathetic to the cause of indigenous Australians and I am appalled at what the Federal Government isn't doing for the First Australians.

May the Force be with our country as it tries to get it right!


GD

Shame on the Australian Federal Government

We are in the hands of a Federal Government that can't seem to get things right.  With almost every bit of legislation that they hail as a wonderful way forward there is almost inevitably a glitch.

Now they have rejected outright one of the best ideas for advancing the way for indigenous Australians.  From the recent Uluru gathering came the recommendation that as part of constitutional recognition of indigenous Aussies the practical way forward was to create an indigenous advisory body that the federal parliament calls upon when making legislation about indigenous affairs.  They would be like honorary members of the parliament with a very special role.  Some might even be members of parliament.

I am not one for self praise but I was thrilled when this recommendation was made as about two years ago I wrote a long letter to the relevant politicians suggesting that representatives from the various Aboriginal nations be elected to create such a body.  The indigenous communities across Australia are not one body but a set of tribes or nations each needing its own voice close to the legislating politicians.  This way the politicians hear the message from the grass roots and create ways forward that are not 'one size fits all'.  There are some wonderful Aboriginal leaders out there some of whom work in their local communities, some of whom work in wider society as doctors, lawyers and elected politicians.  I regard some of these great leaders as akin to the Philosopher Kings that Plato espoused.

Shame on the Federal Government for rejecting this recommendation.  They know full well that such a body would recommend things that would make the MPs uncomfortable.  Time for some, dare I say, political guts and bullet biting.

I had temporarily deleted this blog but resurrected it because of this latest shameful act.  I just had to get it all out there and would love to be part of one great voice that pressures the government to get its act together. One voice, add another voice, add another voice and so on and the message becomes loud and clear.


May the Force be with you!

GD

Rewriting some of Australia's history

A rather heated conversation pervades the Australian scene on whether we need to recast our history to recognise that 26 January 1788 was to many of our indigenous Aboriginal peoples an invasion by Britain.

The eastern coast of what is now Australia was discovered by Captain Cooke circa 1770 but the truth was that the land he discovered had already been inhabited by the Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years.  On this basis many now want the statue of Cooke to reflect this so that we will no longer think of him as the discoverer of the east coast.

Cooke's information was followed up to bring about the settlement on 26 January 1788 by British convicts and British soldiers under Governor Arthur Phillip.  From this day forward the Aboriginal peoples were gradually dispossessed of their tribal lands.  Their culture(s) were desecrated and the attempt was made to convert them to Christianity.

2017 still finds severe disadvantage amongst many Aboriginal people.  This week the arguments for some rewriting of the history to bring out the real truth of what occurred so long ago was eloquently propounded by the respected Aboriginal journalist Stan Grant.  Well done Stan you are very much on the mark and should not be put off by those who oppose what you have suggested.

I always thought that history was a dynamic text that needed updating in terms of new evidence or recognition of extant evidence that now needed to be taken into consideration.

We will be a more mature nation if we can follow Stan's lead.

May the Force for tolerance and recognition be with us!


GD

The disaster that is Roebourne

The town of Roebourne in Western Australia is under the spotlight with recent stark revelations of child abuse amongst its largely indigenous population.  The implementation of the welfare card system is very much seen as a circuit breaker to allow more lasting reform to take over.

Maybe this circuit breaker is needed but unless the indigenous peoples themselves work hard for the longer term solutions then only more suffering is likely to occur.  The great indigenous leaders, and there are many, both men and women, could step up and get the job done.  I visualise a great leader like Patrick Dodson (and others) walking through the Roebourne community like a colossus, like a Philosopher King at whose feet the residents will sit and listen.

No child, indigenous or non indigenous, should have to daily live in fear of abuse from adults in the grip of substances that take away all powers of human concern and reasoning.  They should be free of this fear tonight, tomorrow and every day for the rest of their lives.  Action must occur tonight, tomorrow and the next day until this flawed culture of abuse is replaced by a humane way of acting that shows concern for the inalienable rights of each human being on this earth.


May the Force be with us!



GD

Alice Springs Australia - March Against Domestic Violence

Large numbers have marched against domestic violence in the central Australian town Alice springs. Most of the marchers were indigenous Australians with women in the majority.

All hail these peaceful protestors.  I hope there was a lot of listening to this cry for safety and security  in the lives of all Australians, especially in their own homes.

I need my fellow males to stand up and be counted in this matter.

I offer this quote from a member of a family which suffered an extreme consequence of family violence:

"Hold your family close.  Never for a second take them for granted as that will be the second you lose them."


May the Force be with the marchers!


GD

A people divided about the Northern Territory intervention in Australia

Last night I viewed on TV the Q & A program with a panel largely comprised of indigenous Australians.  It became apparent that there is division amongst indigenous persons about whether the federal government intervention 10 years ago was effective, or resulted in a weakening of indigenous self determination efforts about where they want to be in this second decade of the 21st century.

I pray that my indigenous brothers and sisters can be self determining again and that they move quickly across their communities to ensure that domestic violence and high rates of youth incarceration are reigned in.  One very poor outcome of the intervention was the denigrating of indigenous men as the perpetrators of domestic violence and child abuse.  The evidence across Australia is that indigenous and non-indigenous males are more likely to carry out domestic violence so the finger cannot just be pointed at indigenous males.  I have met many fine indigenous men and we have plenty of examples of high profile law abiding and socially responsible indigenous men across the Australian population.

Let us all step up together, indigenous and non indigenous persons, to stamp out domestic violence and child abuse.  Let us stand united in shaping Australian society under the umbrella of the UN Charter of Human Rights.  A first step might be to have an Australian version of this Charter.

May the Force be with us!



GD