all these Christmas drinks, I hope I sound coherent

We would all love that be the solution for the problem, but be realistic and don’t romanticize.

The problem in those communities existed of started for some 30 or 40 years ago. Where were the elders? What impacts have they on the communities?

I don’t discount the value of having guidance of the elders in the communities, but some communities have gone beyond their abilities to fix it. Moreover, I heard that in some communities some of the elders are the problem themselves, and they are resistance to change which weakens their power and makes the women more equal to them and have more say.

Doesn’t seem to add up.

Doesn’t happen in the big city.

Happy boxing day and new year!

I can also see difficulty in consulting the local communities and problem in not imposing ban across the land also. If the ban is targeted at certain communities, it pushes the problems to the adjacent communities where grog is allowed. Furthermore, if consultation occur with self-interest groups it may not produce the best outcome, you can see what happened to the MRRT.

Great idea with the NBN, if they are too far out in the bush they might have to settle for satellite broadband. 90% of population is Indigenous but only 1 business is run by Aboriginal, it will be a great idea if some Indigenous business organisation from the city come to the community to identify business opportunities, and help guiding and inspiring the local people to seize or create the opportunities for themselves.

I’m a bit onfused about your comment. You seem to be saying that there’s more alcohol available in the communities where the alcoholics are pushed off. If that was the case why were they pushed off? What problem did they cause to their family and communities that make the communities push them off? Because from your statement, it appears that there are lesser alcohol availability in the towns that they are pushed out to. Could it be that was because they committed crimes on their family or relatives, but the communities don’t want to report to the police, or don’t want to let the crimes to continue or spread out in their communities like a contagion so they push them off?

I don’t know the situations of these communities which you talk about but I know for sure that there are some communities which have been ravaged by alcohol abuse, women abuse and child molestations, so bad that the social workers who used to work in those communities were traumatised and choked up in tears when they spoke about it and said that ‘change’ can only come from ‘within’, the people have to change themselves.

Yes, we should remember the positives and there are so many positives, many Aboriginal people have achieved great success whether becoming doctors or athletes, or overcome bad experience or circumtances and get their lives in order even if they work minimum wage, they all make us proud. But, people also need to be honest with the situations in some communities and find effective measures to improve them, I don’t like government enforcing a blanket ban without doing proper study and consultations, nor do I like people keep blaming everything else under the sun except looking at themselves to see what defects there are and the power and strength they have to overcome and make a positive difference in life. Like those social workers said ‘change has to come from within’.

You are risking the same mistake that people make when they did a ban across the board without consulting, and see what areas are at risk and the right policy for it, when you speak about non drinking aboriginal per capita. The problem is ‘geographical’. And many communities do need the ban, the problem with some aboriginal advocates is that they complain about a few deaths of irresponsible drinkers on the highway and prefer to have the whole community continued to be screwed up with even more deaths and destruction because I don’t see them offering any solution but only complaints.

Just issue an electronic card, put into a machine, it allows dispensation of 4 drinks per day, 3 days per week, non take way drinks.

In case anyone wonders how we can impose ban of people with violent alcohol history, use ancient method, put a tattoo on their forehead. If you want be be nice, use more expensive method, implant a micro-chip and every liquor outlet needs to install a detector.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbkvoj6SC0w&feature=youtu.be

We now have a Territory government that wants to remove all the dry areas, whether or not they were self organised before or were imposed as a result of the intervention. Again no discussion, little consultation, other than to tell people this is what is going to happen to your community, so as to tick ‘community consultation’ boxes.

It is more common to come across a non drinking aboriginal per capita than in the general population.

Aborigines also have to deal with the ingrained fact that many of us white fellas are scared of and repulsed by aboriginal people and that is before they even meet them. The only time any immigrant group has to put up with this fear is when 1 of their number commits a particularly grotesque offence. This soon blows over. My experience, from living in Perth, the Pilbara and now in Darwin, people of Aboriginal decent and appearance have to put up with this fear and loathing on a day to day basis.

I’ll leave out that paragraph and re-post my comment.

I’m not sure why you say people of Borroloola are single-out.

Many towns have alcohol ban, and many of them were requested by the locals themselves due to the cycle of violent abuse against women and children which continue the cycle of poverty and severely stop any chance for the community to improve their conditions. There is evidence of gradual improvements in some towns.

The ban is to do with geographical where the problems are endemic and apply to ‘all races’ within the area. Some police may have prejudicial attitude and treatment of Aborigines but that is outside the prescription of the law. They do need to change their attitude, but many Aborigines to to change too and stop making up excuses and blaming everything on other people, take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect their relatives and community and be responsible for their own lives. Sure, the law ain’t perfect at the moment, it needs more consultations and refinement but nothing will change when people don’t take responsibility for their actions and their own lives. And I think if any non-Indigenous people have history with violence due to alcohol, they should be banned from drinking, so too the long term welfare recipients who are alcoholic, and they also need to undergo compulsory treatments to get back on their feet or just give them food stamp, I think they’re call basics card in Australia.

Many towns have alcohol ban, and many of them were requested by the locals themselves due to the cycle of violent abuse against women and children which continue the cycle of poverty and severely stop any chance for the community to improve their conditions. There is evidence of gradual improvements in some towns.

It’s best if you read “Is it racist to ban alcohol from some Aboriginal communities?” by Elizabeth Watt on the ABC website. She explain the case quite well.

The ban is to do with geographical where the problems are endemic and apply to all races within the area. Some police may have prejudicial attitude and treatment of Aborigines but that is outside the prescription of the law. They do need to change their attitude, but many Aborigines to to change too and stop making up excuses and blaming everything on other people, take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect their relatives and community and be responsible for their own lives. Sure, the law ain’t perfect at the moment, it needs more consultations and refinement but nothing will change when people don’t take responsibility for their actions and their own lives. And I think if any non-Indigenous people have history with violence due to alcohol, they should be banned from drinking, so too the long term welfare recipients who are alcoholic, and they also need to undergo compulsory treatments to get back on their feet or just give them food stamp, I think they’re call basics card in Australia.

Why single-out the people of Borroloola?

Do you people even know how disappointed foreign tourists feel when they travel to the outbacks and see all Aboriginal do is drinking all day, totally shattered after being so excited with anticipation?

The alcohol causing brain damage to the babies and repeat more cycle of poverty. Family in Africa, Asia have nothing and getting nothing from the government, they put their children to school and try to get an education to get a better life. So many of them are so desperate to get to Australia for an opportunity to get a better life, they risk their lives at sea for the chance, and many of them find success in Australia and in many other countries around the world. Stop blaming the system for everything and do some self examination.

There may need to be more consultation, and better policy to prevent people from driving to other towns to drink and risk their lives. More social counselling, mental health services, possibly allow for a pub to be open but the locals (white or black) have to register for a drink card and there is a limit on how many drink they can be served on the day. Yes, the attitude of the cops should be changed and the way they handle the problem, but if the Aborigines don’t change themselves, don’t expect others to be able to change either. You fight back by taking initiative and be in charge of your own lives through all odds and obstacles, the refugees do it and they start from having nothing except the will and determination.

There are 2 laws in the Territory, one for white fellas, including the Sudanese and Somali and another for the Black fellas.

Your place will never have ‘Shame’ signs put out on the verge just for your ‘protection’. You can have a picnic in a park in Darwin and not have a ‘paddy wagon’ drive up to make sure you’re not drinking grog. In fact the white fellas up here have a beer can regatta; if that’s not a double standard, I don’t know what is. White fellas can walk anywhere in town and not get questioned about what they’re doing.

Sean is neither showing compassion or being indulgent. He is stating what is.

My measure of that is to simply apply the same standard of conduct to indigenous communities as one would to any other; East African, Chinese, Middle Eastern or European. We are a multi-cultural society and indigenous communities are just another part of the mix.

Indigenous societies have suffered. Well so have a lot of our new arrivals; particularly the refugees. Their experience puts indigenous history into some sort of perspective. But they don’t make excuses for themselves, because they are too busy taking advantage of the opportunities that Australia offers to anyone prepared to make the effort.

All our indigenous brothers and sisters need to do is make the same decisions as their Sudanese and Somali neighbors. Perhaps they should get to know each other. Swap some massacre stories.

Personally, I don’t think the relationship would last long. Getting drunk together only takes you so far…