<img src="http://larvatusprodeo.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/rudd-sorry-apology.jpg" align=left When Mick Dodson was announced as Australian of the Year, I made this observation:
[It] might also be a good idea to take some sort of stock on how the whole “Bridging the Gap” thing is going – almost a year after the Apology. Debate on Indigenous issues appears to have gone into cold storage recently. Although it’s a good thing if Indigenous people are no longer being used as partisan footballs, conversely if we’ve all decided to sit on our bums in a permanent warm glow after the Apology, that’s not a good thing at all.
While it’s probably understandable that the combination of bushfires and the economic crisis and stimulus package kerfuffle have pushed Indigenous matters out of the media spotlight this week, that’s nevertheless deeply disappointing. Props, though, to organisations like SBS which have taken the trouble to highlight the anniversary of the Apology and to interview a range of Indigenous people each night on the news. But, bushfires, Senate shenanigans and the media cycle aside, I think the comments I was making back in January do suggest that “Closing the Gap” has largely fallen off the political agenda, at least in terms of what’s highlighted publicly. So I’m pleased to see Professor Jon Altman reporting in Crikey today on how much progress is or isn’t being made. Go read!
a while ago there was a thread where people were whinging about their various experiences with Centrelink.
well if you think Clink treats you badly just be thankful that you’re not at the mercy of Howard’s Racial Discrimination Act-violating “Basics Card” system. The stories I’ve heard from NT are outrageous.
I’m looking forward to finishing this book.
The first chapter, on some of the historical backgroundof the beginnings of “self-determination” in the 1970s, is interesting and provocative, if not entirely convincing that the preferred solutions of many of the people interviewed would actually have worked either.
Speaking of a Sorry Record: The Sorry Speech, Kev’s honoring of his election “committment to the Australian people that … we would in parliament say sorry to the stolen generations”, recorded in original hand-written draught form, complete with the crossings out and insertions, can be found as a 17 page pdf here .
It’s an interesting view of The Mind In Chief at work.
Yes Robert, Sarah Maddison’s Black Politics is a good read, and very timely given the Rudd Government’s static – dare we say paranoid response – to things such as Mick Dodson’s call for a ‘conversation’ about Australia Day.
The UNSW academic has done a good job with contemporary interviews of indigenous leaders across the spectrum. As a postscript to former Labor leader Mark Latham siding with Howard on getting rid of ATSIC it is intriguing to read that former elected commissioners are still acting in that de facto capacity because there is nobody else to go and knock on the door as one interviewee put it.
Bennelong @ 5,
Surely you’re not trying to satart a stoush? Perhaps you should read up on the concept of Aboriginality. Then you wouldn’t be so ignorant.
Re: Bridging the Gap. Whenever I see a bridge being built, the work commences from both sides. Did any aboriginal leader stand up and accept the apology on behalf of all those that claim aboriginality? Sadly, Kevin’s “Sorry Speech” was just one more political stunt to help put this “little” man into our history books
#7
“Did any aboriginal leader stand up and accept the apology on behalf of all those that claim aboriginality?”
Yes.
Several.
‘Message Stick’ shows several of them.
Including one person with a T-shirt with “Thanks” written on it taken with Kev.
But don’t let that stop you.
The offensive comment made by “Bennelong” has been deleted.
Good.
Oh great!
Now I’m #7, refuting my own non existent comment which I quote!
No problem, it just looks funny.
An apology should have been given to all those that were abused including those children sent from UK during the WW11 to Australia. Some horific stories have emerged regarding their treatment. We are not responsible for what happened out of our lifetime and in those days things were done differently.
Yeti mentions the suspension of the Racial Descrimination Act in the N.T. What a bloody disgrace that was, from Howard and co.
What is keeping Rudd now, though, from dumping the shameful legislation? I just cannot understand how Labor could drag their feet on this one. It is cruel.
Powerful arguments camille – unanswerable I would have said. It’s past time we stopped the whole guilt trip thing and told the darkies to show some gumption, buy a laptop and get a proper job.
How’s that WA bloke’s project to create 50,000 indigenous jobs in the mining industry going BTW, anyone know? Marvellous initiative … proof of what happens when government gets out of the way of the private sector.
Good points Ken. And while we are on the subject of ‘promises’, does anyone know anything about Clive Palmer’s progress re:
“Mr Palmer says the company is setting up a charitable foundation that will use royalties from an iron ore deal with a Chinese company to assist Aboriginal communities and fund medical research.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/30/2149738.htm
“How’s that WA bloke’s project to create 50,000 indigenous jobs in the mining industry going BTW, anyone know?”
That poor bastard Andrew Forrest, like Gerry Harvey, is down to his last billion or two but still wants to help. ‘Mazing some peoples generosity, really.
Last I heard Forrest had created 7 – 8,000 jobs; well he had promises of them from mates, which is close enough innit? And despite his corporate problems he expected a perfect storm of promises in the new year … wonder how that’s turning out.
I imagine he’ll get an AM at least.
…pushed Indigenous matters out of the media spotlight this week, that’s nevertheless deeply disappointing.
.
Thing is that Indigenous matters have to be pushed in to the media. The latest flurry of interest was precipitated by Tony Jones’ interview with Nannette Rogers where she highlighted the Sadean lawlessness of Aboriginal communities. This was used by such as Andrew Bolt to beat the Left over the head and wax lyrical about the evils of multiculturalism thence leading to the continuation of the Left/Right differing versions of ethnic essentialism and paternalism.
.
For five minutes inner city sophisticates, many of whom have never been near the Northern Territory, became expert at solving the problem. And the issue was used as yet another opportunity to fight Culture War battles. In the end we, Left or Right, continued in our traditional modes of knowing best and not listening. Not to mention the old CRM-114 habit of ignoring all facts inconvenient to one’s ideological disposition.
.
Rudd issued the Apology which, tho’ probably necessary, was ultimately an empty bit of feel-good symbolism. In the end the long and deep thinking necessary to untangle the range of issues that contribute to this ongoing disaster will not occur simply because on the national scale it simply doesn’t matter enough. Sometime in the future enough this will again be shoved under our noses like a dose of smelling salts and the old ideological ping-pong will obtain once again.
.
For five minutes.
Fascinating quote in different but comparable context.
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2009/02/10/1234028036787.html