Abbott: Why I ate a witchety grubMy quad bikes and bush tucker outback adventure was to help bridge the gap with Aboriginal people and not be one of those white seagull ministers who fly in, scratch around and fly out again, says Tony Abbott.
Indigenous affairs
LOSTNEARFOSSILCREEK: Abbott quadbikes through the Red Centre
Tony Abbott spent the best part of a day and a night stranded in the desert wastelands of Kings Creek Station. But with no policy announcements and just cheap shots at indigenous issues in the media, what was the point of his NT expedition?
Can My Schools close the gap?
The recently launched My School website is a perfect opportunity to use that transparency of school information and focus specifically on indigenous education, says Andrew Penfold.
The Ampilatwatja walk-off: why the Intervention doesn’t work
Bob Gosford sits down under a shady tree to discuss the NT intervention and income management with Richard Downs of the Alyawarr people, who walked away from the nearby township of Ampilatwatja to camp on Aboriginal freehold land.
Larissa Behrendt talks: postcards, the walk-off and the Intervention
Bob Gosford chats to Professor Larissa Behrendt about some hot-button issues affecting Indigenous Australians — including the sale of postcards featuring naked Aboriginal children.
Naked Aboriginal kids on postcards: the line between art and exploitation?
You can buy postcards featuring naked Aboriginal kids in newsagencies and Australia Post shops across the country. Why aren’t these pictures treated with the same outrage as Bill Henson’s photos of naked teens?
Kate Grenville: Sorry means diddly squat if it’s just symbolic
Two years ago author Kate Grenville stood with thousands of others to hear Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generation. The public outrage on indigenous affairs has faded, but the dire living conditions of Indigenous Australians continue.
Kevin Rudd’s “clanging gong” rings hollow
The gift of a “declaration bell” will ring a loud and clear rallying call to the Alyawarr people of NT, who just a few months ago walked off the literal cess-pit that the Ampilitawatja township had become after years of neglect. Bob Gosford reports from the ceremony.
Failure to restore Racial Discrimination Act means double jeopardy for Aboriginal people
The Government should withdraw the proposed paternalistic social security legislation, pass the Greens’ Bill to reinstate the RDA and start a wider discussion on how to achieve real welfare reform.
First Dog: Why does Google hate Aboriginal Australia?
Google had a competition to design its special banner for Australia Day, but First Dog on the Moon has spotted a rather concerning difference between the winning logo and the one Google is displaying.
Why Australia Day is historically inaccurate
John Carmody explains why 7 February would make a far more historically accurate — not to mention morally acceptable — date on which to celebrate the nation.
Where’s the native title property boom?
Native title is frozen in time, with anyone seeking economic opportunities accused of selling out their culture. But, native title isn’t a government handout for righting past wrongs, it’s a recognition of property rights, argues Marcus Priest.
Talking the Town: Talking the Town: Pilger’s wrong to bag The West
Those expecting a fierce attack on media moguls from Australian ex-pat journalist John Pilger would have been disappointed at his Q&A session in Perth yesterday, writes Lawrence Apps.
Taking a dump on sacred land: the long-drop toilet and the NT Intervention
A construction company working as part of the NT Intervention is facing charges after digging a toilet in the middle of one of the most sacred Indigenous sites in Arnhem Land. How does a mishap of this size happen?
Data without destiny: Macklin fudges evidence
Jenny Macklin’s latest effort in justifying policy is her gross over-promoting of the results of a very small and dicey survey of 76 income-managed residents in four communities in the Northern Territory.
Guy Rundle: Windschuttle hung out to dry on the rabbit-proof fence
Keith Windschuttle’s appearance in last week’s Oz Spectator may be the first example of Howard-era retro-chic, in an article focused obsessively on the 2002 film Rabbit-Proof Fence
Biggest problem facing Scullion as shadow indigenous affairs? His boss
New shadow Indigenous Affairs minister Nigel Scullion has a genuine opportunity to make meaningful progress for the nation’s most disadvantaged citizens. Let’s hope he doesn’t succumb to his poll dancing past.
graph pr0n Australia’s disgraceful imprisonment figures
New ABS figures on Australian prisons don’t tell a pretty story, says Possum Comitatus: the NT’s imprisonment rate is up 16.9% and Indigenous imprisonment is up substantially in almost every state.
Jenny Macklin turns a deaf ear to intervention gripes
Aboriginal affairs minister Jenny Macklin is waging a PR war on the findings of a report critical of the government’s NT intervention.
Aboriginal Australia: like the poorest of Africa, says Amnesty chief
The Secretary General of Amnesty International has likened conditions in Central Australia to the poorest parts of Africa and Asia, and described the gap between rich and poor in this country as the most stark she’s even seen.
Travel tips for media on the Close the Gap bus
In a lecture for Reconciliation Australia, Koori Mai Editor Kirstie Parker talks about the role that Australia’s media can play in helping to Close the Gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.
Racial equality impossible under the constitution
One hundred and forty years after the firstAboriginal Protection Act, Indigenous peoples in Australia are still being subjected to regimes of surveillance, control and discrimination, says Dr Aron Paul.
After the NT intervention: violence up, malnutrition up, truancy up
The latest, and arguably most comprehensive findings, on progress in the Northern Territory intervention are damning of its effectiveness and extremely disappointing, says Jon Altman.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: The biennial ABC indigenous staff love-in
Will the ABC executive perform a “rap dance” (a “dance” presumably pronounced with a long a) as part of their ABC indigenous staff team building? At least there are no plastic chains this year.
Intervention’s welfare management to extend across Australia
The Federal Government will shortly announce the extension of income management Australia-wide as part of its reintroduction of the Racial Discrimination Act in the Northern Territory.
