Well, he’s done it again, hasn’t he? He has opened his mouth, just to change feet. You can see it every time he speaks. There is this slight hesitation in his speech and measured words, like he is thinking “am I going to be in the shit again over what I am about to say”? But he usually says it anyway. And then he gets into trouble, and then all his Ministers come to his rescue, and then the backbenchers get more nervous about the polls. By this you would understand that I am talking about our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott.
This time it was the ‘Lifestyle Choices’ statement in relation to aboriginal people living in remote communities. Basically it comes down to his belief, that while it may be ok for them to live where they like, it is not up to government to support them. It came as a result of the Commonwealth removing funding from the States to support aboriginal communities and then stating it was a State responsibility. Western Australia is therefore planning to close some aboriginal remote communities because they say they don’t have the funding.
Apart from the fact that he completely ignores all other government funding based on lifestyle choices, (funding of private school education), to quote just one example amongst the many, his statement demonstrates that he has no understanding of aboriginal people and their culture at all. He does not understand, or is ignoring, for political purposes, that emotional and physical connection to “country” is the cornerstone of aboriginal existence. For those who are not living in the country of their ancestors, many have been forced into remote areas, by successive governments, because they have somehow been in the way of development. The Cape York aboriginal community is a classic example, where aboriginal people were moved from their homeland and herded together on the tip of the cape, because big business and the government wanted to mine bauxite. They were told that they were going for a health check.
Paul Daley, in his article in The Guardian, (11 March, Australian edition) points out that this is the third time in recent history our Prime Minister, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (go figure) has shown his ignorance. The other two were in relation to his statements about how Australia was barely occupied before white settlement, and his nomination of the arrival of the first fleet as the seminal moment in Australian history.
Thankfully, leaders of the aboriginal community and many politicians, have come down on him like a load of bricks. But he still defends himself and his immense understanding of aboriginal culture on the basis that he spends a week each year in an aboriginal community. He goes to a remote community, sits on the ground, kisses lots of babies and has wonderful photo opportunities. Last year, he didn’t quite make the full week as he had to go and wave goodbye to our service men and women who he had just assigned to immense danger with questionable outcome in another foray into the Middle East. I am hoping that all aboriginal communities in future refuse to have him in their midst.
I have just finished reading Hugh McKay’s latest book, “The Art of Belonging”. It is well worth a read. The critical message of the book is the importance of living where we feel that we belong. Many of us are tempted to move to beautiful locations in search of happiness, only to find that we are actually very lonely. The end result being a move back to familiar surrounds filled with family and friends. Hugh McKay, one of our great social commentators, has just put pen to paper on the topic. Aboriginal communities have known about it for centuries.
I might send a copy to Tony. He will need something to read when he has more time on his hands. For me, that day can’t come soon enough.
Rod
