So…When all is said and done, let’s hope and lobby for the homeless at Alice: so that they don’t have their blankets destroyed, and they don’t end up fined or even jailed for begging. (And I accept that we should be careful how we use the word racist). And let’s contribute to the much harder discussion of how to lift up the lives of the most desparately poor in our wealthy nation.

Jim: I think we have to be very careful about what we “owe” anyone. How would you like it if you thought other people believed your success in life depended on how they treated you? Wouldn’t that make you feel rather powerless? I would strongly argue that over-emphasising racism has encouraged a sense of both powerlessness and entitlement among some Aboriginal people.

And then we come to definitions of racism. Was Olive Pink racist? She is considered a champion of land rights who devoted her life to defending the rights of Aboriginal people, and all the while advocated removing part Aboriginal children from their families because she believed they endangered the purity of the race and the culture. Peter Severin from Curtin Springs Roadhouse was called a racist because he wouldn’t serve Aboriginal people alcohol after the the law changed. After he was forced to, he was called racist and callous because he did serve them. So in co-operation with the Pitjantjajra people he reached a solution, and was almost taken to court again recently for discriminating against Aboriginal people.

I don’t claim that I am free of racism, but I endeavour to be. I have a simple definition of racism which I tried to teach my boys as they grew up in our small ex-government house (about as comfortable as the houses many Aboriginal people in the Territory have or at one stage had). To me racism means judging people on the basis on the color of their skin or racial origins. Nothing more, nothing less. It does not mean subscribing to the value of particular political solutions or ideologies or philosophies. If I believe for example that people should not be funded to live in remote outstations which they rarely occupy, or that all forms of social security should be delivered only on the basis of need, that does not make me a racist. I may be wrong or right in those views, and in most cases history will deliver the judgement.

Beyond racism is the more important question of how we treat other human beings in general. You may not be a racist but if you treat everyone like shit, or habitually dismiss people who don’t agree with your opinions as a lower form of life, it hardly matters.

As we can see, these are big issues, which require genuine thought, not political platitudes. I am not saying you are not thinking, Jim. But consider for a moment the possibility that enslaving Aboriginal people to welfare may be a very large reason for their bad health, low standard of living and poor educational outcomes.

Collective responsibility is tricky but not to be dodged. I have heard some say with great indignation: “I did not “steal” any indigenous babies, why do I have to say sorry?” or “I was not poisoning anyone water holes back in the early days of settlement. Why do I have to feel any concern for the descendants of those people?”

Sadly this kind of throw away line fails to note that even though you and I did not personally poison any water holes, or steal any children…. nevertheless You and I are both beneficiaries of those actions. We are in our nice homes and better lifestyles, partly because the injustices of the past took place. (Perhaps an analogy would be the grandchildren of Nazi war criminals living well off the sale of art stolen from others by their grandparents while in power.)

Do we accept that our high standard of living (compared to most of the world) is partly due to the injustices that were done to indigenous Australians all those years ago? Or do we pretend it does not matter?

Or course more is at work in causing today’s indigenous to be generally poor and more often in jail than whites. Of couse poor white Aussies can be homeless too. I would not deny those other realities. But it still does not escape the fact that racism is alive and well in our country. We owe the indigenous of this land more than an apology. The apology was a start, but sadly the follow up has not happened.

And if you can point a single occasion where I “blamed all the problems in Alice Spring son racism” fire away…. Fan of the straw man technique are we Dave?

If you were to get a copy of today’s Centralian Advocate, you would find the CEO of the traditional owners group Lhere Artepe supporting the broad thrust of the bylaws, and in particular the bylaw against begging. This is despite Chris Graham’s earlier claim, complete with capital letters: “The Lhere Artepe don’t like the anti-social behaviour in town - no-one does. But they DO NOT support the by-laws introduced by the Council. ”

This not only reveals sloppy research, but an apparent need to propogate simplistic solutions to complex problems, and create scapegoats to boost his own position. As does his refusal to respond to the argument that the Aboriginal organisation Centrecorp owns a shopping centre that charges 50 cents for people to use the toilet.

If we are to look at this intelligently, using thought instead of slogans, we may have to consider other possibilities. For example that the bias involved in all these issues may not primarily be against Aboriginal people, but against poor, homeless and intoxicated people, regardless of their colour, a bias which is evident in many populations. That means something else may be involved here besides racism. That bias may be unacceptable or in some cases, it may be understandable. Or it may be something else as well.

Indulging in notions of collective guilt is possibly even less constructive than calling everyone else a racist. . Shouldn’t Sudanese refugees or second generation migrants of any nationalility also have to “call a spade a spade”? When does responsibility for other people’s living conditions actually kick in? At birth? At arrival? At the age of 18? Or as you suggest does it arrive automatically with being born white? Sounds like a subtle variation of the White Australia policy to me.

Why do you automatically respond with derision? Because it suits your own prejudice! Now who is the one villifying and hating his own countrymen?

Open your eyes! There’s a whole lot of people around you who care deeply about these issues who also happen to think you are wrong. Grow the hell up!

As to claims like ‘racism isn’t the cause of these problems’, please enlighten us all Jason - we’re not racists, and racism is not the cause of the problem… we just jail our blacks at rates five times greater than the most racist administration on earth because… ummmm… what, they’re genetically pre-disposed to crime? I look forward to you explaining how decades of massive government neglect and underfunding of Aboriginal communities - irrefutably the major causes of the problems today - had nothing to do with racism.

I understand Australians don’t like being called racist. But sorry lads, if the cap fits….

I’m going to try to contact you direct through NIT because it’s clear that within this forum, you can’t listen to people who want to see things improve for aboriginal people but who also happen to disagree with your attitudes and your approach.

I object to the use of this derogatory and insulting word. Anyone who uses the word “abo” is automatically classified as a racist by me, and a pretty grotty one at that. It says a lot!
I must be losing the plot, but I’m not sure what books you think may appeal to Georgina & I. Perhaps you could explain. I’ve read several by Henry Reynolds, one by Peter Carey called, “A Rape of the sould so Profound”. These books about aboriginal history and the ingrained and cruel racism of the colonisers increased my awareness. The last book that I read was about the Massacre at Myall Creek. The book is called “Demons at Dusk” by Peter Stewart. Peter spent 20 yrs researching for this book, and I understand he’s investigating making it into a film. It’s about the horrific massacre of 28 mainly women and children by white pastoralists and others. At least 4 men were hanged for these murders - which was rare. In fact, as the excepts from the newspapers of the day showed, killing blacks was ‘understandable’ or ‘accepted’ or sadly, even promoted?

What is happening or what’s going to worsen due to the proposals of the Alice Springs Town Council is racist, appalling, denigrating, unjust and reprehensible. I can’t understand how anyone can even try to condone these actions. How long will it take for the penny to drop? Use injustice as a ‘tool’ for problem solving and you just create more problems - anger, resentment and ‘anti-social’ behaviour. The original problem is only made worse, and frequently protests end in tragedy!
The fact that the authorities won’t release any details about the young man who died speaks volumes? How did he die? If he was a white man, I’m sure the situation would be different. The media would be informed, and the outcry would have resounded around the country. God knows, there’s too many occasions in the recent past, when the death of aboriginal people has at best been caused by neglect, and too often at the hands of white thugs - police or otherwise! Young TJ from Redfern, Doomadje from Palm Island and Mr West from WA - just 3 that spring to mind.

Strange how those who rubbish the stand Chris Graham is taking, thought the death of this young man was not worth a mention. Is it because you don’t give a damn; think he deserved it, or it’s so common that you didn’t even have any reaction to it? What does it say about you and your principles? Your collective responses are just more examples of ‘shoot the messenger’. I didn’t get the impression that you were outraged by the actions of the councilors - what if the majority of the citizens were white and were being thrown in jail for non-payment of fines because they were poor?
Families in Hyde Park in Sydney; Kings Park in Brisbane?

I agree.

But I’m intersted in what you think about the fact that the Yeperenye Shopping Centre is owned by Centrecorp, an Aboriginal organisation ?

It is very hard work for anyone to live in an outback community dominated by grog. The drunks thrive on racism talk, encouraged by people like you, and use it to excuse their own outrageous behaviour and give themselves reasons to stay drunk.

Dave has made some valid points and you have simply turned your guns around to fire at him personally. You fire at anyone who disagrees with your opinion - and thats what this story is - just a biased opinionated editorial.

Less bile and more journalism please.

Dave, At least on the ignorant racist front, I am without sin. And admittedly, I do cast a lot of stones - at least one of which, I suspect, has struck you square between the eyes. Sorry it hurt so much. You might also consider a tilt at Council, because the Mayor has been dishing up the same tripe as you. The Lhere Artepe don’t like the anti-social behaviour in town - no-one does. But they DO NOT support the by-laws introduced by the Council. There’s a vast difference between ‘I don’t like humbugging’ and ‘Let’s pinch the homeless man’s blankets’. That you can’t see that is, while unsurprising, also quite sad (for you). And that you would seek to defend these actions… well, that speaks volumes.

I know which story Georgina and Liz want to read.

It’s unbelievable that the elected officials of the Alice council would try to maintain some standards in their community. Why shouldn’t those blackfellas in the Todd have the run of the town. It’s not their fault it’s the whitefellas grog. Bloody racists!

Chris ,this yarn writes itself.

Don’t ever expect the abo’s to improve their own behaviour Chris, it will just muddle the theme of your next 100 stories.

I’m not suggesting it solves homelessness, cold nights or any problem other than forestalling the one you are headlining, the council and rangers you say are intent on depriving aborigines of blankets when they leave them lying around.

However, I suspect that you are so locked into your own view of this, and all the other much greater problems, that it’s no longer possible for you to imagine any strategy beyond blaming the white guys. It’s not me who’s the racist Chris - it’s you.

Alice Springs isn’t that bad a town and most people there are not racist at all.

This is a town, like many in outback Australia, that is trying (pretty unsuccessfully) to deal with a myriad of social problems. But that doesn’t mean the council, the shopping centres ( one of them is owned by an Aboriginal corporation) and the people there are racist.