It’s been a difficult few days for our country. The tragic attack in Bondi and the shocking terrorist stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel have deeply affected many of us. My prayers and sympathies are especially with those who lost loved ones and I hope that the inevitable investigations and inquiries will help us understand what happened as best we can. What these incidents have already shown, though, is how fragile our peace and prosperity is.It shows that keeping our community safe and stable so we can go about our lives is something we cannot take for granted. Whether it’s addressing serious complex mental health issues or dealing with extremist ideology – we have to be vigilant and deliberate in maintaining our social cohesion. The freedom we enjoy is not an accident. -- w31 bold And if we treat it as a given, it can be snatched away in an instant. Defending our freedom means we have to look each of these incidents and their causes squarely in the eye and only pursue REAL solutions to the problems we uncover. But the elites just want to keep on pushing their pet political projects. This is, of course, what I encounter again and again in Indigenous policy. The political landscape is filled with ideologues who would leave Aboriginal children in utter dysfunction, exposed to violence and sexual abuse, all for the sake of maintaining a romantic notion of culture. And we have a Prime Minister whowould rather wave a magic wand that says “Voice to Parliament” thanget serious about the deep seated cultural issues that have led toviolence against women, substance abuse, and incarceration. I hope that we don’t see that pattern repeated afterthis weekend. Complex problems cannot be solvedwith referendums. They need honest, hard analysis andreal solutions. Because without a willingness to dothe hard work to preserve our freedoms, they will not last. Yours for REALsolutions,
