John Pilger who is Australian has made two formidable documentaries on the Aborigines.

One which he made in 1985 is called The Secret Country
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j_r0Wgg0T0

His latest made in 2013 is called Utopia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht8_5UlcgSQ
they make fascinating if sad viewing

We are not on 'other forums'
We are on this forum
As you have clearly come from 'other forums' in order to buzz about this thread it must be interesting
if you find it so yawn inducing why not just buzz off ?

I really admire this wonderful woman, Bess Price.

Bess Nungarrayi Price was born and raised in a humpy and is now a member of NT Parliament. In 2012, two US State Department officials came to Alice Springs to see her. They wanted to nominate her to become the first Australian woman to receive the US International Women's Courage Award. It's given to women around the world who show leadership, courage, resourcefulness, and willingness to sacrifice for others, especially for the promotion of women's rights.

John Pilger who is Australian has made two formidable documentaries on the Aborigines.

One which he made in 1985 is called The Secret Country
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j_r0Wgg0T0

His latest made in 2013 is called Utopia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht8_5UlcgSQ
they make fascinating if sad viewing

Thank you for these Muddy, I always had huge respect for John Pilger's work and these are two more of his wonderful documentaries.
The Australian Law may say that Aboringines are equal but unless the residents treat them as equal, it means nothing. Over my adult life of around 50 years I have seen black people in England move from being people, that nobody wanted to deal with, to respected members in our communities. Integration can take a little while but it doesn't need to be as slow as it has been for the Aborigines in Australia

This is a huge and heart-breaking issue for which there is no simplistic solution.

Thinking people of the world - prepared to do just a little genuine research -
will realize that Australian governments (left and right) have been doing their best for many decades to address the problems.
Billions upon billions of dollars have failed to resolve the lower life expectancy, unemployment levels, imprisonment rates, housing, educational and medical matters.

Many of our indigenous people choose to live in very small communities in remote areas - their traditional lands - and rightly so.
Although, that does create enormous problems in the provision of jobs and services which is reflected in the other statistics.



But I honestly believe we are getting there.
Look at some of the positives.

Thousands are now graduating from our universities.
There have been many world champions in sport - and others achieving international fame and fortune in art and music and theatre.

We have had aboriginal judges and magistrates, a state Governor, a cabinet minister, thirty-three members of state, territory or federal parliaments and a president of the Australian Labor Party.

Yep, there have been horrible mistakes and injustices and all will not be resolved in one generation.
But vast resources and sincere efforts and dedication are being devoted to the cause.

..... there are also many Indigenous, teachers, psychologists, doctors, lawyers etc etc.

In remote areas of OZ we have communities with their own health clinics run by both whitefellas and blackfellas harmoniously.
Indigenous persons can be trained as Aboriginal Health Workers anywhere in OZ and provide that cultural support and comfort to sick Indigenous persons.

The young Indigenous persons are getting better educated - are in the main healthier than their grandparents -
so we are seeing change but you have to be here on the ground to see it.
It is not dramatic overnight change but exponential........

Gumbud and pumicestone are both correct.
It's a much more complex problem than saying - oh gosh all aborigines are treated badly why don't you do something about it.
It can be about racism but racism is everywhere and I've certainly seen plenty of that in the UK but it's also about it being an almost unsurmountable problem to provide them with what they want/need, when it's not always in their own best interests.

English settlers treated them as inferior human beings in the same way they treated black slaves in America.
You can't change that entrenched attitude quickly, especially among the more ignorant white population, just as in America.

When the English arrived here aborigines were living in the same stone age, nomadic culture they had lived in for 40,000 years. You can't change that in 200 years.
Often aborigines want what they see of western culture but can't always cope with it.
For instance they can react badly to alcohol but can you ban them from drinking it?
They often don't value education to the same extent and getting full blooded aboriginal children to stay at school is a huge problem in some states.

Aborigines believe that the English invaded and conquered them, and deprived them of their land and rights and way of life which is true.
It's probably only this century that Australians (descended from those original conquerors) fully realise the need to treat them as equals. That's not a long time to make a huge change.

You simply can't put two cultures together - so completely different from each other - and expect it all to work out with no problems.
We are now trying to do it but it takes time. And it seems there will always be people everywhere who think being another colour is inferior.