Michael’s long walk

Michael Long, AFL star and aborigine is planning a walk from Melbouren to Canberra to talk to John Howard. Could I suggest an alternative. Fly to Darwin, catch a bus to the Border Store on the border of NT and Arnhem Land and then walk to Oenpilli. Tell the people there to stop trashing their houses and start sending their kids to school. Everyday. Fridays Australian carried an article Third World housing shames nation. The author, Ashleigh Wilson may be shamed but I’m not. I’m angry. Every society has people who live in squallor. It generally comes about due to a lack of education, heredity issues and some substance abuse. You can’t always blame the government, (even if it is a conservative one) as no matter how much help you give some people they will maintain their position at the bottom. There are pockets of similar disfunctional living in white societies and I don’t feel ashamed about them either. Just happens. What is needed is an attitude change with these people and that stems from education. We also need an attitude change in the media and amongst sports and academic elite where people like Ashleigh and Michael Long are long on ‘Poor fellow me’ and short on solutions. Ashleigh – try doing a piece titled Solutions to an old problem Michael – Your’e a hero to a lot of aborigine youth. Why not try and help them get on track through sport. Sponsor a team maybe. Every time you talk to them tell them about the gift of education and the long death that substance abuse offers. According to a Northern Territory government research paper to be presented to a housing ministers meeting in Adelaide on December 3, it would cost about $2 billion nationally to meet Aboriginal housing demand, including $850 million in the Northern Territry. The paper said the areas of greatest need were in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia. The long suffering tax payer may be getting sick and tired of replacing houses but sure, give ’em some more. While we are handing over more money maybe we could talk to organizations like the Northern Land Council and ask them what are they are doing with royalties. We know they buy 100 series Toyotas, helicopters and mansions for the leaders but what about the poor ‘poison cousins’? We know that for years each family on Groote Island received a suitcase containing $35,000 cash twice a year from the Royalty bonanza. Just a thought…maybe some of that could have been used for house maintenance. You know, when the hot water service breaks down, repair it. When some cousin mixes metho and a ciggie and burns down the back porch, replace it. No. Too hard. Let’s just make the Darwin Toyota dealer a millionaire.