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ABC Hindsight provides audio access to a Robert Manne lecture ‘Whatever happened to reconciliation?’, located here.
I admire Professor Manne because he left Quadrant magazine in order to pursue a more non-partisan (and more substantial) contribution to Aboriginal history and politics, including (2001) In Denial: The Stolen Generations and the Right. The circumstances of his leaving Quadrant are well documented.
Community development is underpinned by a simple notion - that every young person receives an education that builds their capacity to actively navigate the formal systems of society.
Continue reading ‘Education, capabilities and the IK economy’
The two books that Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd provided George W Bush at their APEC private meeting are posted here, courtesy of Dr Andrew Leigh.
I’m a firm believer in the capacity of social capital to influence positive change, particularly in relation to Indigenous affairs (for an introduction to the general subject and its application in ethnically diverse populations see Dr Andrew Leigh’s post, here).
A number of important studies of social capital are used in the context of the immigration debate.
In terms of bridging social capital (across ethnic boundaries), the Indigenous context provides two further considerations: (1) Indigenous Australian’s aren’t immigrating, either from this country or to this country, and often reside over long periods in the land that they are associated with; and (2) the character of acculturation is shaped by history and is unevenly spread.
Furthermore, the scope of Indigenous participation is defined by one end characterised by Indigenous people who retain a strong traditional identity, and the opposite end characterised by Indigenous people who retain only remnants, if not then no traditional identity, and every Indigenous person in between. Social capital is relevant to both ends of this spectrum because it is concerned with identity, self-perception, family and social relationships and social norms.
Interestingly, exploring the concept of social capital may open up new thoughtlines in relation to Indigenous policy.
Continue reading ‘An introduction to social capital and Indigenous policy’
The Larrakia case
10 years ago I decided to pursue legal studies because I believed that all people are grounded in reason, and that knowledge of the law would enable me to develop coherent, sound and persuasive arguments.
Recently I was informed that the Larrakia peoples aspirations for leave to the High Court had been denied.
During University I was fortunate to work as a minute-taker for the Larrakia Nation. Through this work I was able to meet many Larrakia people and their families.
I met families who had always lived in Darwin, who knew the stories and dreamings as passed by previous generations. I met Elders who have since passed, who used to gather food around the northern suburbs - Rapid Creek, Mindil, Nightcliff & Millner during the first part of the last century. Casuarina was a place where families would visit for picnics travelling on dirt roads.
Centralian desert
My boss, Alison Anderson MLA, featured in this fascinating ABC Hindsight series exploring the Centralian environment and its stories.
An edited abstract of Noel Pearson’s speech published here in the Age, discusses amongst other things the pursuit of the Radical Centre.
The leadership pyramid with idealism and realism at each bottom corner, and a synthesis of both expressing the height of leadership at the top is, in my view, an interesting metaphor for describing the Radical Centre.
I know this post is late, but what I’ve been reading has relevance to our own political situation.
I’m currently reading Barack Obama’s ‘the Audacity of Hope’ - a book credited as lifting his Presidential nomination chances for the sole reason that it projects hope for a reformed Centrist position in America.
Here’s one excerpt:
I think to myself, those ordinary citizens who have grown up in the midst of all the political and cultural battles, but who have found a way - in their own lives, at least - to make peace with their neighbours, and themselves. I imagine the white Southernor who growing up heard his dad talk about niggers this and niggers that but who has struck up a friendship with the black guys at the office and is trying to teach his son different, who thinks discrimination is wrong but doesn’t see why the son of a black doctor should get admitted into law school ahead of his own son. Or the former Black Panther who decided to go into real estate, bought a few buildings in the neighbourhood, and is just as tired of the drug dealers in front of those buildings as he is of the bankers who won’t give him a loan to expand his business. There’s the middle aged feminist who still mourns her abortion, and the Christian woman who paid for her teenager’s abortion, and the millions of waitresses and temp secretaries and nurse’s assistants and Wall-Mart associates who hold their breath every single month in the hope that they’ll have enough money to support the children that they did bring into the world.
A study reported here found that young children think that food branded with the McDonalds label tastes better than food without a brand. 63 children from 3-5 years of age were provided with two identical samples of food, both sourced from McDonalds, but one packaged with the Macdonalds brand and one packaged with no brand.
The study found that a significant number of children said that the McDonalds packaged sample tasted better.
Continue reading ‘Marketing strategies that target children’
Indigenous affairs is one of those truly distinct policy areas.
It pertains to a distinct group of Australians but is of close interest to the broader non-Indigenous population. It is not just about poverty and socio-economics but national identity.
Continue reading ‘Intro to Indigenous policy and Federalism’
A team statement
In Alice Springs I coach an under 10s mixed basketball team. It has been a great learning experience.
Every week before training we sit in a circle for five minutes for a general discussion. I am promoting amongst our group a three-step statement, kind of like a motto or a mission statement – ‘Believe, Work Hard, Achieve’. This statement extends to: ‘if you believe in something and if you work hard then you will achieve’.
After only a few weeks they can recall our statement. I hope it makes a difference.
Acculturation and ?
History shows that as our English language evolves new words to describe learned theories and concepts are introduced. Recent history demonstrates that these words hinge on advances in technology: internet, email, et cetera. Some theories and concepts adopt the more academic combination of current words.
One of the problems confronting indigenous community development is the consideration that traditional authority structures are now fundamentally altered, and all within the space of a generation or two.
In the Wave Hill walk-off (1960s) the authority of Vincent Lingiari was affirmed by the fact that after several years of continuing to strike his determination binded the younger generations desire to return to work on less than minimum wages. Today that same degree of authority appears to be absent.
The question is, what is the cause of this breakdown of authority?
An article in the Age (27 July 2007) reports an idea promoted by Evan Thornley* of allowing parents the right to vote on behalf of their children under 18.
Continue reading ‘Allowing parents the right to vote on behalf of their children’
Earlier this month our family went to the Alice Springs Desert Park. For $40 we paid for a Territorian pass, and are now entitled to attend at any time for one year (two adults and two children under 5).
