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Originally posted by hippichick
The Australian government is between a rock and a hard place with regards to the advancement of some (repeat some) aboriginal areas. The situation is dire in SOME areas - infant mortailty is sky high, domestic violence is sky high, paedophilia is entrenched, unemployment is extreme, attendance at school is patchy at BEST, diabetes is endemic, alcoholism is regarded as the norm and the life expectancy of male aborigines is up to 27 years LESS than the general populace. Petrol sniffing and alcoholism used to be more widespread than now and has reduced because a few aboriginal communities have introduced regulations (at their own behest) even more draconian than those being proposed. But these communities are few in number and the conditions at communities which have not adopted are unbelievably poor.
These things must not be allowed to continue!
State and Federal governments are at their wits end to try to stop the cycle and bring aborigines into the zone where they can attain the benefits of living in Australia. Much angst has been created and many millions of dollars have been spent on the aboriginal problem and have been wasted because nothing has worked.
I believe that the Australian government has the interests of the aboriginal people at heart (and if you knew how much I hate the current government, you would have a small idea of how hard it is for me to make that statement) and are trying to stop the wasting of so many valuable human lives.
Maybe this is not the way to go but, in the absence of any working progress, at least they are trying.
Some of the measures such as providing some benefits in the form of vouchers and enforcing the requirement that children go to school will be applied to ALL ethnic/racial groups and are NOT racist. The US provides some benefits in the form of food stamps (similar to the proposed voucher system)- is that racist? Others measures do not apply to any other group because of the special nature of aboriginality and are of a temporary time-scale anyway to permit the creation of infrastructure which will be turned over to the aborigines when due. Some measures relating to alcohol will apply across the board in one huge area (the Northern Territory) and will affect everyone:- white black or purple, rich poor or indifferent, young or old, fat or skinny, male or female. Now some (immature morons) will assert that all the "TopEnders" are being discriminated against. Ask them - they will tell you that it's OK, they'll wear it, it's for the best.
This may or may not work but to do nothing is inhumane.
BTW: I am a racially mixed person, part of which is aboriginal. When I see people of my blood hurting themselves through ignorance and behaviour, I cry. I want them to have ALL the benefits that others enjoy.
I would be greatly appreciative if you would cite your sources that indicate successful results from the alcohol prohibitions in aboriginal communities.
Originally posted by T0by
Anyway, alcohol and petrol sniffing has been a major problem in the aboriginal communities here, and it's holding them back from progress.
Theres something about aboriginies and alcohol that doesn't mix well at all = /
Originally posted by dingleberry77
Is it a human rights issue if we leave these poor people to drink themsleves to death...literally. That is more of a human rights issue.
If people were hooked and dying on heroin, is it right to take it off them. It's the same issue in the Northern Territory. It's their heroin.