Cave Painting Australian Aboriginal Art

Australians: did you hear this speech about the Federal Gov’s intervention in the NT?

It’s by Marion Scrymgour, the Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts in the NT government, who is the first Aboriginal woman cabinet minister in Australia’s history.

No I didn’t so I followed your link and, it told me nothing me less than I already know.

That’s the rotten problem with this issue. Those who know and care about indigenous problems knew Howard’s actions for what they are – a land grab by stealth, and an appeal to the latent prejudice of some Australians who want to deploy the same paternalist “help” to aboriginals as they succeeded in giving when they stole generations of them from their parents.

Alcohol abuse has been a huge issue, as we all know, but what is not widely known is that over 80% of aboriginal communities are dry by the choice of their elders. Social intervention in alcohol raddled communities might seem like a good idea, but why restrict it to aboriginal communities? Why not start in Parramatta? Simple answer – it’s a racist attention grab not an attempted solution.

As for the sexual abuse stuff – almost none of the interventions have actually found any, though yes I’m sure it exists in aboriginal communities much as it does in every other community on the planet. So the same arguments as above apply once again.

Howard as ever plays on the fears and prejudices of the already bigoted, trying to poach votes from Pauline Hanson and stir up the base.

So no – I didn’t hear the speech. I didn’t need to. But I hope some of the goodly minded well wishers with paternalistic attitudes hear it. Maybe it will win some hearts and minds.

*Edit – now read the transcript in full and stand by this answer with a heavier heart *

Aboriginal Art

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