Howard’s discoveries
Posted by Campbell on | June 26, 2007
For decades John Howard and his government have denied climate change.
Then, belatedly, we get what is at best a half-hearted, crowd-pleasing response.
Now, again after decades of advice, reports and calls for assistance, Howard has ‘discovered’ that there is a crisis in Aboriginal communities.
And once again we get a knee-jerk, back to the ’50s, media attention grabbing response. As critics have noted in the media today
- Some of the measures will weaken communities and families by taking from them the ability to make basic decisions about their lives.
- There are no measures in the Prime Minister’s statement to set up services for children who are abused.
- The problems of child abuse will only be addressed when Aboriginal communities and professional services are empowered, engaged and driving the process.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough has said that the focus in the first six months would be on stabilising the communities, before establishing a “comprehensive, ongoing health plan” for indigenous children.
How conveniently that coincides with the electoral cycle.
What’s next?
Maybe he will discover the drug problem and propose that to cope with overcrowding in our prisons we should transport undesirables to distant outposts of the empire. (Oh wait we’re already doing that).
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4 Responses to “Howard’s discoveries”
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June 26th, 2007 @ 10:58 am
Yes, Howard has said some darn stupid things in the past week. But Rudd has agreed. While I agree with Rudd that this should be a bipartisan issue, Labour needs to create their own policy in consultation with Indigenous communities rather than fall in behind Liberal’s ill-thought-through plan.
Have you seen this on Crikey? http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20070622-30-years-of-reports-into-Aboriginal-Australia.html
Now THAT will make you angry!
June 26th, 2007 @ 11:00 am
>Now THAT will make you angry!
And really, really sad.
June 26th, 2007 @ 1:14 pm
I heard on the news this morning that John Howard has likend the current crisis in Aboriginal communities to Hurricane Katrina. He might as well compare apples with oranges.
I am not even going to point out that one is caused my nature and the other caused by politics. Oh I just did! Or was the PM accidently referring to the lack of support the Katrina victims got from the govt. Maybe he was? In that case he is making a good point.
It angers that our PM (as well as most politicians) can make such ridiculous statements and get away with it.
June 26th, 2007 @ 3:15 pm
I hope no one was in the way when that knee was jerked into action.
“The state of aboriginal communities with regards to alcohol and child abuse needs to be addressed for the good of the people” translation “we’re going to lose the election, no one falls for US like scare tactics quick find a large problem we’ve ignored for years and charge the issue with lots of funding to mis-direct public focus from our bad poll results”