The Greens have lost the plot on so many levels. Here we have one of their 48 year old MPs taking estacy for the last 20 years lecturing us on drugs. Seriously, when your in your 40s you should have well and truly moved on from pill popping. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/mdma-using-nsw-mp-wants-no-sniffer-dogs
As to the thread itself, I am getting fed up with this debate per se which we have each year. It will do nothing for resolving aboriginal issues because you have to help yourself first to resolve issues around poor education, joblessness, crime etc etc. After two hundred years people move on, not make excuses as to why they continue to have enormous social issues and it is the fault of Captain Cook etc etc. I'll say this if Australians fold on this, then the Greens will simply move on to some other thing as to what we need to say 'sorry' etc etc to get aboriginal persons more integrated into Australian culture so that they can feel welcome and finally their social issues can be addressed.
A brief history:
1. The 1967 referendum was meant to give hope, integration and wealth to Aboriginals. The subsequent apology in the 2000s was also meant to do a similar things as well the resulting Sorry Day held on 26 May was also meant to do similar things.
2. Certainly Mabo and all the money flowing from native title claims were meant to bridge that gap but certainly haven't. Certainly lawyers and the key personnel within the Aboriginal claimants themselves got very rich but the majority of aboriginal people did not, and certainly some companies may not have paid a lot either getting proposals up through the Tribunal. To tell the truth the amount of money that changed hands from companies to the claimants was quite huge in some cases. I personally believe a royal commission or some commission of inquiry must be held and bring those to account as to why Mabo monies did not improve aboriginal welfare, because at the time everyone was saying they would.
3. Changing Australia Day to another day won't change anything. Aboriginal welfare issues and what is needed to get aboriginal people to move out of welfare through the 'hurt of past practice' will just move to another issue IMO. If we are to change the date, which I do not support, then let it be 3 March as that is teh day we broke our colonial ties in full from the UK under the Australia Act 1986.
4. For the amount of money pumped into Aboriginal welfare by Governments (and by companies in their native title negotiations) the situation just seems to get worse. I mean a lot of money has been pumped in last 30 years plus. Ultimately you must want to help yourself rather than dither in the past IMO. I know that will upset some here, but certain countries in Europe have been invaded and taken over so often that if you stayed in the past screaming hurt many of those countries would never have developed.
Ultimately you must help yourself and move on. In my 20s I was idealistic finding excuses why education levels in aboriginals was poor and why socially we needed to provide extra help etc etc but now past 50, and after witnessing drunkeness and crime and been a victim of burgarlary I am over it. Aboriginals need to help themselves and no more excuses after 200 years.
