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Media Release by Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra OAM: June 2011 In June, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a “second intervention” to follow the Government’s Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER). This is the response from Aboriginal leaders in the Northern Territory to this announcement: …
closing the gap Archive
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Effective communication – not intervention, the key to Closing the Gap
Posted on July 20, 2011 | 2 CommentsMedia Release: Tuesday 28/06/11 The Only Intervention Needed “The only intervention needed in the Northern Territory is an intervention in communication” Richard Trudgen, author of Why Warriors Lie Down and Die, responds to the news that the Gillard Government will spend six weeks... -
Predatory systems maintaining Indigenous disadvantage: Some examples
Posted on July 1, 2010 | 6 CommentsAs was discussed in the previous article, one of the limit conditions that create Indigenous "poverty" is that people must engage in strange cultural spaces, controlled by the Dominant Culture. But what are the systems that maintain peoples lack of control in these spaces. I put forward a range of possibilities, some more controversial than others. -
Understanding Indigenous “Poverty”- Making it History
Posted on January 26, 2010 | 7 CommentsIn recent times the word "poverty" has been used broadly to refer to the situation in many remote Indigenous Communities in Australia. But for most people poverty conjures images of the poor from 3rd world slums. The Indigenous peoples of Australia face very different situations. I think it is worth stepping back and considering what Indigenous "poverty" has in common with the situation of the worlds poor. What can this tell us about how so called "Indigenous poverty" can be overcome. -
When Indigenous Advocacy Does Damage
Posted on November 23, 2009 | No Comments"The poverty experienced by many Aboriginal people is as morally reprehensible as torture and must be eradicated", Amnesty International secretary-general Irene Khan says. Strong words, but is such 'advocacy' helpful. I argue that moralistic bites such as this are in fact dangerous. While advocates feel that such statements point out government failures, they can actually be harmful to the people they are meant to protect. I consider why this is... -
Closing the Gap Part 2 – A Yolŋu petition and an Ivory tower.
Posted on August 24, 2008 | 1 CommentIn Yirrkala on the 23rd July 2008, the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his cabinet were presented with a petition by a dozen key Yolŋu Indigenous leaders. The petition requested that the Federal Government begin the process of negotiation with Aboriginal people in order to recognise and protect Aboriginal rights in the constitution. How did Mr Rudd respond?... -
Closing the Gap Part 1 – Symptoms & Causes
Posted on August 5, 2008 | No CommentsThe Federal Government has embarked on a process they call "Closing the Gap". It recognises that there is a gap between the outcome for Indigenous people and rest of Australia in key social indicators. Indigenous people and their communities face poor health outcome, poor job prospects and poor educational outcome compared to the rest of Australia. As Australians attempt so help to rectify such social problem we must distinguish the symptoms from causes, and ultimately find a way to treat the cause/s. Let me illustrate the difference between a symptom and cause using a parable.