Labour Minister doesn’t flip

CONTROVERSIAL Territory cabinet minister Marion Scrymgour has backed away from her criticisms last week of the Howard Government’s intervention in Aboriginal communities following meetings with Chief Minister Clare Martin and federal Labor MP Warren Snowden. No she hasn’t

“In hindsight, (it was) the emotional roller-coaster I was on, and I’m not going to blame anybody other than myself. I have looked at that speech and in hindsight I could have toned it (down), could have still got the same message across,” she told The Australian.

We’re talking semantics here. Her message hasn’t changed – She still believes in what she said. So does Clair Martin.

On Thursday, Ms Martin admitted she had vetted a draft of Ms Scrymgour’s speech. “The essence of what Marion said in her speech in Sydney is exactly what we’ve been saying all along,” she said, adding, however, she would not have used Ms Scrymgour’s language herself.

So what’s it all about? The Federal Election. The Howard/Brough plan is obviously working and the last thing Rudd wants is any discussion about successes of the Coalition. He doesn’t want the electorate reminded that at long last there is some hope. I note Howard critics are also trying to defray the issue by insisting that Howard didn’t do anything for 11 years. Not so. It has taken that long to shake the years of ALP Left wing outstation, noble savage,culture before employability and sit-down money is good mindset. Over that period the debate changed from ignoring obvious, known by everyone, alcohol and drugs based social disarray to Indigenous leaders stating the obvious and asking for help. Rudd doesn’t want the word Indigenous mentioned, particularly by the very same people who have done nothing for generations; Howard should mention it daily.