Of course it is a rort. Take Charles Perkins for example he was taken from his family because he was at risk of not being looked after properly and see the advantages he gained, so also to a degree Evonne Goolagong Cawley. If they had stayed with their parents what a completely different world it would have been for them both.
Having experienced Aboriginal education first hand in both outback WA and the NT during the early 70s, those Aboriginal children who were brought up on missions ended up with a far better education than those children living with their parents. I know that there were problems on many of these missions but not to the extent of living with their dysfunctional parents. Generally one of the major problems with the children living with their parents was the undermining of what the teachers were teaching them, that's of course if and when they attended school!
Had a girl friend at the time who was teacher at one of these isolated schools and she was at her wits end dealing with the daily issues of truancy along with a complete disinterest in any form of education. Quite a steep learning curve for a young teacher!
