Children rot while we have another circle-jerk

Paul Kelly seems faintly surprised that Kevin Rudd’s “sorry” to a non-existent ”stolen generations” and talk of “targets” has left Aborigines as poor, jobless and sick as ever. I’m surprised that anyone ever thought Rudd’s stunts were anything but.   What ails Aboriginal townships is not a lack of compassion in white hearts, but a lack of personal responsibility and drive in black culture. Crudely, it’s not about us, but them.  Feeding the guilt industry and talking loudly of how much more compassionate you are is a sign that a politician does not understand the true changes that need to be made - huge changes that will take generations to bear fruit, and which must largely come from within the communities themselves.   From Andrew Bolt   You know, there are times I do despair.   Every time I see photos of aboriginal kids, their faces so bright and full of life, is one of them.   Because I know where all that promise and potential is going to end up. Because I know that they'll be wrecked as people by the time they are fifteen.   I am so sick and tired of white middle-class compassion junkies being more than happy to let this go on indefinitely so they have a "sacred victim" onto which they can project their needs to feel good about themselves and prove what Mahatmas they are.   I am sick to death of an urban aboriginal elite who have profited from promoting the failed policies that have led inevitably and predictably to this point.   The entire rights and separatism agenda has been a manifest failure for years now, but it continues to be pushed by those with an institutional stake in its disastrous continuance.   And yet meanwhile the lives of yet another generation of kids is being ruined as we dither and dick-around with talk of land rights, native title, apologies and preambles to the constitution.   All good stuff for those who like to discuss how enlightened they are while enjoying a fine New Zealand pinot noir on the balcony of their inner city townhouse.   But at least they care! Yup, they care a lot   Pity though about the people left to rot in the middle of nowhere.   Noel Pearson also despairs about the fact that K R Puff'n'Fluff and co haven't got a clue about what they are doing. Then I read the communique from the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Darwin this week, which had indigenous disadvantage as the main agenda item.   You know that famous painting by Edvard Munch titled The Scream? Imagine a more rotund, dark figure instead with his hands clutching his head. That's me after reading the rubbish coming out of Darwin.   The Prime Minister and his colleagues across the country have little clue about what to do to achieve their stated aim of "closing the gap" on Aboriginal well being. The COAG partnership agreement gives me no confidence that we are on the right road to turning around the plight of indigenous Australians. Putting the words "closing the gap" in front of every policy initiative does not magically turn useless policies into effective ones. But this is the new mantra of bureaucrats and politicians across the country.   The country's most senior bureaucrats do not understand what needs to be done. Their political masters know even less. The only politician who made any sense this week was West Australian Premier Colin Barnett who went into the meeting declaring that the shutdown of sit-down money and a fully concerted effort to get indigenous people into real jobs was the main agenda. Barnett said: "There is no doubt that Australia's greatest social challenge is the condition of the Australian indigenous people and I think every government in Australia recognises that. I hope every person in Australia recognises that."

Posted via email from Garth's posterous