Challenging ideas about indigenous Australia

Editorial Sydney Morning Herald November 20, 2014

Australia remains blighted by ignorance of, racism towards and disadvantage endured by its indigenous people. Photo: Ray Martin

The most powerful leaders on earth have gone and the global gaze has shifted away from Australia, leaving us to bask in strengthened allegiances and a new-found sense of place in the world, at least when it comes to economy and trade.

But look in our own backyard, and the self-righteous feeling rapidly subsides.

Australia remains blighted by ignorance of, racism towards and disadvantage endured by its indigenous people, especially in remote areas: out of sight and too often out of mind.

This week, though, two important opportunities have arisen for every non-indigenous Australian to confront his or her own preconceptions: that Aborigines are in for a free ride; they get more than everyone else; they keep using the past as an excuse.

The symbolic and practical dilemmas of indigenous disadvantage present probably the most complex policy problem for Australia.

Despite good intentions and some progress, a significant proportion of our population still endures living standards more akin to the Third World than a leader of the G20 or new best friend of the second-biggest economy on the planet.

The first insight began on Tuesday through the SBS television documentary First Contact………

The second insight, primed to transform the personal momentum of First Contact into policy solutions, is the 600-page ‘Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage, Key Indicators 2014‘ report released on Wednesday – the sixth such report since 2003……………………..

Both the ‘Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage’ report and First Contact will prompt a new round of hand-wringing, searches for policy answers, calls for constitutional recognition and, tragically, a rehashing of the culture wars as elements of the Right take aim at anyone who believes Australia cannot be regarded as a mature nation until it finds practical and symbolic peace with the traditional owners of this land.

This week has offered a much-needed and welcome impetus to view the problems from another perspective: that of the people themselves.