The Aboriginal parents are nowhere to be seen. Where are the Aboriginal parents ??
In jail. Same as their parents before them. Aboriginal people are massively over-represented in our prisons and have been for generations... the same fate that will very likely meet these kids too and their kids and so on if we don't change something.
So, given that fact, what do you propose to actually do about it?
There are lots of glib statements around about how everyone should take responsibility for their actions but little in the way of actual solutions that provide these kids with any actual hope for the future. They have absolutely nothing to lose by their behaviour - other than their liberty perhaps but they are likely resigned to that and surrounded by plenty of role models in their peer group to emulate on that front. As Karl said, the police and legal system can only ever play around the edges of this - the problem is a social one and belongs to all of us.
To me, a few things are abundantly clear:
- The current system isn't working.
- Relying on parents who have grown up within this mindset and culture to solve the problem won't work.
- By the same token, taking kids from their families doesn't work either.
- The welfare state and "sit down money" has been proven to not work.
- By and large there is very little integration between the bulk of Aboriginal people and wider Australian society.
- Employment and education are the only way out of this loop. To me, the provision of both should be part and parcel of the welfare system. So if you want welfare, you need to attend training for two days a week and employment for three days a week or similar. If this can't be done because there is a lack of meaningful work or education in your remote community then welfare should be stopped for that location and assistance provided to move to a community where there is meaningful work.
By the way, there are 280 Regional and Remote Aboriginal Communities in Western Australia alone without:
- Designated township status
- Effective town planning - such things as land titles and the delineation of housing lots / parks / roads / offices etc etc
- A secure power supply run by the State
- A secure water and sewerage supply run by the State
- Effective municipal rubbish disposal facilities
- Effective police representation
- Effective health care and education services
- you get the idea... it's just a few shacks, some holes in the ground, rainwater tanks and a diesel generator kept going by a "whip the hat around" chuck-in system whereby only a few responsible people end up paying for everyone else's power supply.
Six of these communities (eg Bidyadanga, Kalumburu, Warmun etc) are now only just starting to get some of these basic services. This situation would not be tolerated in non aboriginal communities, nearly all of which are designated towns with at least basic services. To my knowledge and by comparison there are only 2 non aboriginal communities in WA in the same situation - Eucla and Windy Harbour. Coral Bay has just been made a township. But of course we're not racist...
In my opinion, the left / right wing divide has done much to limit progress in this debate. Neither side has all the answers. We are going to have to experiment a little and throw some real resources at the problem in terms of basic infrastructure to make progress. And make some hard decisions about which communities can and should be made towns and serviced as such and which will be shut down due to a lack of sustainability and no more welfare provided so people have to move.
Personally, I'm prepared to sacrifice a bit of my own wealth to achieve a more balanced and equal society without these massive differences between social and community groups. I hope I'm not the only one...
(BTW it's good to see companies like FMG take a bit of a lead in these issues as well - it's an issue for all of us and corporate Australia needs to do their share as well)
