ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIANA –

This book is a new vision of the most divisive political issue in Australia today. Aboriginal politics are now dominated by demands for reconciliation, self-determination, and acknowledgment of culture. But these concepts — defined and promoted by an urban elite of educated Aboriginal activists — hide the bigger truth that most people of Aboriginal descent today are already integrated into the wider society and are doing well, if belatedly. More importantly, the Aboriginal industry fails to address the needs of the 20 per cent minority of their population who still live in despair. Those who remain in remote and rural Australia are being asked to build a new Jerusalem on poor lands with ancient cultural hab­its. This captive minority needs to reach out, literally, but the politics of their leaders keeps them locked where they are.

“Australia is not a black and white society. Aborigines are less black, and the remainder are less white. Aboriginal colonisation, the attempt to engineer a reverse takeover of Australia through a language of untouchability, reconciliation, spirituality, recognition and acknowledgement does not address the needs of the minority of Aborigines, perhaps 20 percent of the Aboriginal population, who are living in despair. They have been asked to build a new Jerusalem with depleted human capital on poor lands and with ancient political and cultural habits. This captive minority needs to reach out, literally, but their leaders are preventing them from doing so. The Aboriginal industry aims to isolate their captives more than 230 years after the rest of the world discovered Australia and changed it forever. This is a cruel neo-colonial endeavour as destructive as the colonial endeavour but without the payoff of a better life. The industry hides the bigger truth – that most Aborigines have integrated into the wider society and are doing well, if belatedly.”

• 516 pages ; 22 cm #280226

• Includes bibliographical references (pages [459]-503) and index.

  First Nations (AIATSIS) Subject:
  • • Politics and Government – Governance
    • Socioeconomic conditions – Living conditions
    • Socioeconomic conditions – Social deprivation

  Subject:

  • • Aboriginal Australians — Legal status, laws, etc
    • Social justice — Australia
    • Social planning — Australia
    • Poor — Government policy — Australia
    • Closing the Gap (Government program)
    • Aboriginal Australians — Australia
    • Aboriginal Australians — Social life and customs
    • Aboriginal Australians — Government policy — 21st century
    • Aboriginal Australians, Treatment of %y 21st century
    • Race relations
    • Non-governmental organizations — Australia — Political activity
    • Political activists — Australia — Attitudes
    • Elite (Social sciences) — Australia — Attitudes
    • Native title (Australia)
    • Reconciliation — Australia
    • Representative government and representation — Australia