A history of failure

Café Whispers

The remarks Liberal MP Andrew Laming made after clashes between Aboriginal and Pacific Islander communities escalated at Logan, south of Brisbane, have been widely condemned. The MP for Bowman tweeted: “Mobs tearing up Logan. Did any of them do a day’s work today, or was it business as usual and welfare on tap?”

His comments have been widely condemned and rightly so.

Sadly, they reflect an attitude that has been entrenched in the Liberal Party for more years than we care to remember. As far as Aboriginal affairs go, they also have a history of failure (as do all governments).

Here’s my take on it.

I once heard a comment that went something like this: The aspirations of Aboriginal Australians are expressed through a political system designed, first and foremost, for the white majority. In my many years in Indigenous affairs and as a student of Indigenous history it was…

View original post 1,241 more words