If you look at the the horrific situation of aboriginal people, you’d know that most of the responsibility belongs to the Federal Govt and has for some time - 1967? The Conservatives have been in power for most of the time since Federation. I’m not supporting the role Labor is playing re aboriginal issues, but it’s unfair to blame the Greens as they’ve not been in a position to make policy in any sphere of govt. It sometimes amuses me, but usually annoys me, that every time a Labor govt is elected, everyone(including the Opposition -remember the pensioner increases? and in almost 12 yrs Howard did what? zilch!)expects radical changes, eveything fixed in the first 6-12 months, otherwise it’s a failure.

The other point to make about Howard, is that his govt organized several? many?7 I think? inquiries, and he did nothing. I recall his many talk fests with some wonderful women who were/still are caring for the victims of DV etc without many resources, let alone acknowlegement. Howard used these as an opportunity for a ‘photo shoot’? “The Little Children Are Sacred” inquiry was instigated by the NT govt. Howard usurped the publication of that report for his own ends. He hoped he’d get re-elected on another ‘shock & awe/racist’ agenda, and it back fired. The assertions made by Howard and Brough were baseless, and the lack of evidence has been proven to be disgrace. Hardly a handful of so-called pedophiles have been charged, let alone convicted of offences. In fact, there’s been more non-aboriginal priests, brothers, teachers, public servants etc who’ve been arrested since 2007 of pedophile offences. I don’t recall the media carrying on about the ‘pedophile rings’ etc. There’s been no call to quarantine these peoples’ incomes, let alone restrict the sale of alchohol or pornography for that matter? The Adult shops are still functioning I believe. The result in the NT, is that many decent caring men have had their reputations tarnished, by just living there, when there’s not a shred of evidence against them. If this happened in non-aboriginal areas, there’d be grounds for defamation; the shock jocks would go off the planet, and there’d be apologies all round. But, when you destroy the heart and soul of aboriginal men, it doesn’t really count does it? After all, it’s not like they’re ‘real people’ with feelings is it????Not the same thing at all is it?

I recall commenting to a woman friend some time ago, that I was the only one who didn’t laugh when my brother told a sexist/racist joke at a family gathering? She said, ‘everyone knows that feminists don’t have a sense of humour’? (she was also a feminist).Is this too complicated for you to get, Geoffrey? If you’d spent all of your life being the butt of abuse, jokes, unequal pay, humiliation and denigration, being patronized, I don’t think you’d find it very funny either. As a non-aboriginal woman, I can only imagine how much worse it is for aboriginal women. It’s to do with ‘walking a mile in someone else’s shoes’ Geoffrey - it’s called empathy! Incidently, saying you live with an aboriginal woman, and therefore you can’t be racist, is a bit like saying you can’t be sexist because your mother is a woman!

It’s a pretty stupid argument, one you should probably have quietly abandoned… but then, conservatives have always had a little trouble with ‘change’.

But by way of conciliation, I fully endorse most of your final paragraph: “For the record i vote for real minor parties and independents, then direct my preference against the sitting member in all electorates…. Then none of these criminals, who claim to represent us, would last more than 3 years and never get their grubby hands on a super payout.

PS. There’s no ‘U’ in Labor… get it!?! Arf arf.

Making all the right noises, in all the right places, but doing nothing. Other than waste more money on capital city bureaucrats, doing more nothing.

Two wrongs, don’t make it right, no matter how many times, “the hollow men” run the numbers through the spreadsheet, or do, yet another power point presentation.

For the record, it was, the only party in Australia’s history, never, to have broken an election promise, “the Australian Democrats”.

I WAS NOT TALKING ABOUT BLACK FELLAS FROM THE NORTHERN TERRITORY ONLY, BUT ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE ONES, WHO LIVE IN OTHER PARTS OF AUSTRALIA, AS WELL!!!

This may come as a surprise to you but aboriginal people also live in QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA, as well, and they have all, been hearing platitudes from labour/green coalition governments over & over & over & over again for decades.

For the record i vote for real minor parties and independents, then direct my preference against the sitting member in all electorates. If some of you loony, left sheeple did the same, there would be no safe electorates. Then none of these criminals, who claim to represent us, would last more than 3 years and never get their grubby hands on a super payout.

The Northern Territory Government was formed in 1978. Since then, it’s been under conservative rule for 23 years. It’s been under Labor rule (that’s Labor without a U Geoffrey) for 8 years.

Surprising though this may seem (and I’ll write slowly for you Geoffrey, I know it’s tough to keep up) the apology was not actually meant to build any houses in the Northern Territory.

As to your last comment about women and the Chifley govenrment, I think you might need to go and have a little bit of a lie down….

Who needs an apology when there is nothing practical being done on the ground. The Howard govt’s interventions may have also been equally as ham fisted as Jame’s comments but at least somebody attempted to do something.

The labour/green coalition are long, on more capital city bureaucrats, surveys, stats, inquiries, social talkers dispensing tea and sympathy, and then actually, doing nothing, about everything, as usual.

The post war labour Chifley govt contained less women, and more, “practical men” “who do things” like “the snowy mountains scheme”

Would it be an unreasonable suggestion if we weren’t talking about NT aboriginals ?

When was the last time you pumped a septic tank? Any idea how to do it - any idea how to maintain major civil infrastructure like sewage systems and electricity, not to mention the costs involved…?

Of course you don’t James, beacuse you’re just plain stupid.

Please back your good old practical self out of a issue you’ve clearly demonstrated, you know nothing about. There’s a good boy.

I’ve also heard good reports about those toilets. Now, that sounds like a common sense solution - that’s why it won’t even be entertained. No wonder people have walked off. I wish I lived closer, and could protest with them or at least show some support and solidarity with these long suffering people.

What happened to the mining magnate who’s going to find employment for 50,000 aboriginal people? He could start with those toilets. Employ indigenous people where they’re required?

$20,000 to paint a house? Some ‘houses’ in the Kimberley area only have 3 rooms? How big are these? Even a McMansion wouldn’t cost that much? The paint got gold flecks in it or something? I feel like elbowing my way in(to Jenny Macklin’s office) telling others to get out of the way, and then do SOMETHING! I’d start by saying, that anyone who didn’t want to roll up their sleeves and work, to go home. NOW!Then I’d be on the next plane up north!

No-one is stopping them having some pride in where they live now.

If it was in a white community they would be able to and would clean up their own shit.

I know these fellas are backward ( read traditional if you like ) but can they do anything for themselves?

Surely some basic maintenance and cleaning is not beyond them.

Buy them some tools Chris !
Get them off their lazy arses.
Quit whinging about stuff they can fix themselves.