Sorry for the Sins of the Future

08 September 2009

At the start of 2008 our PM gave a stirring, heart felt 'sorry' for the alleged sins of the past perpetrated by whites against aboriginals, with one of the major sins being the alleged 'stolen generation.' After the speech the prime minister and then opposition leader Brendan Nelson committed both parties to creating long-term solutions to the dysfunction existing in many aboriginal communities by forming a committee.

Over a year later the committee has met four times, the PM barely speaks on aboriginal issues and more children a being 'stolen' now then at any other point in Australia's history. I feel in 20 years time the future prime minister is going to be giving the same speech and I wonder if he will have the arrogance of presenting it to the pope in a leather bound book like Rudd did last month?

There is little doubt that aboriginal Australia has been poorly treated by white Australia and in no way are we trying to deny many of the sins of the past yet really how many of these children were stolen or saved? The fact is aboriginal people continue to be as the largest political football within Australia. On the international stage we pretend to revere their culture whether it be the opening ceremony of the Melbourne commonwealth games the Sydney Olympics etc however you feel a cheap tokenism about the whole thing, as though they are seen as some history lesson or side show which reminds of us the past and are destined to never feature in the nations future.

The highlight of this tokenism was the memorial service for the Victorian bushfires which was filled with aboriginal blessings, references and didgerdoo playing throughout the service. Few people realise that the aboriginal tribes within Victoria never played a didgeridoo, the blessings from elders in the ceremony where not from areas affected by the fires and few of those who perished where of aboriginal decent. In our PC world we cannot acknowledge our anglo celtic roots, that blessings from people not from that area and playing an instrument that is totally foreign to the area somehow has more meaning.

This sideshow, living museum view of aboriginals is completely ridiculous and will only lead us to continue to repeat the sins of the past. Aboriginals were quiet advanced, developing sophisticated agricultural, navigation and survival techniques. The aboriginals of the north we know traded with the Chinese back in the 1600's. There history is one of innovation, so seeing aboriginals as some, spiritually enlightened hunter gatherer stuck in the stone age is patronising and ethically wrong.

The only way forward is for government to develop rural economies, stop a hand out mentality, bring security and safety to communities and if that means booze bans and other tough measures then so be it. Aboriginals should be encouraged to preserve their traditional culture yet participate in a modern economy and leaders such as Noel Pearson need to be heard, not the big men in town who are a product of the aboriginal industry. Every generation wants to pass a better world on to the next. Currently Aboriginals are the subject of pity, tokenism, political one upmanship and hollow leather bound books. The next needs to be can be one of innovation, dignity and respect however this will only happen when white man realises aboriginal people are a key part of our future not a reminder of the past.