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Charlie McMahon

Dear NTER Review Secretary.

Firstly Emergency Response is an improvement on Intervention. But I fear that if the E R fails to markedly reduce indigenous disadvantage in communities with a majority indigenous population a deep resentment could fester in those communities. From my exerience people in those areas have tended to have local inentities based on their linguistic and geographic origins. Now it may change as all are marked for the same treatment based on their race and a perception that they are a failed mob. What they would call 'too much humbug'.

Australia has nothing like the racially homogenous communities that the E R addresses and there in lies the danger. Other well intended policies have failed and there is no guarantee that this one will succeed. History gives many examples of where a seemingly omnipotent outside mob intervenes in the affairs of a small one for their own good. Barbara Tauchmann's 'The March of Folly' is a good read on that subject. A home grown insurgency or similar disturbance is a 'remote' possibility if racially homogenous enclaves of inequity are allowed to persist within a state that is resented.

So my policy thoughts are;

  1. This Indigenous policy can not be allowed to fail but that may be wishful thinking. Has failure been factored in?
  2. The ER must be part of reconciliation and be perceived as so. It must not be a white or government run job.
  3. The racial homogeniety of remote communities is now wrong. It impedes their social and economic development.
  4. The best remedy is work, any work to begin with. My wise mother's truism is 'the devil works with idle hands' Work builds self esteem, health, involvement in the wider community etc. Mutual obligation is a good practice. But you need people in the communities for the long term with real economic base not just a career public service position. Land tenure and the permit system are very important issues here.
  5. Some indigenous cultural practice like sorry business, large families, early marriage etc are inimical to useful employment and effective education but they can only be changed by the people themselves seeing and choosing alternatives. It is in some ways sad to think so but just like trousers and cars and guitars old customs that are not practiced in the wider community will be substituted by those that are.
  6. The present consensus in the nation to close the gap is fortuitous political capital that must not be wasted. But how soon are results expected and how aware is the electorate of the extent of the problems to be surmounted ? The needs to be more visitation by people in remote communities to the rest of the country and visa versa.
  7. Reconciliation and the apology at Parliament House are largely gestures shared in the wealthier classes. Ironically those less well off who live closer to indigenous Australians do not embrace reconciliation so much.
  8. Get Xavier Herbert's Capricornia made into a major feature film. It has much wisdom and many Australians are ill informed on our race history. It has that rare quality of ringing true to both left and right as it says unflattering things about the human nature of both white and black characters.
  9. Beware of the squeaky wheel syndrome and be sure that positive news in remote communities gets out.

Sincerely

Charlie Mc Mahon

2 August 2008