Response to Discussion Starter 4 - Newtown Group, Sydney

There were 11 participants at our discusison on June 2, 2001. The presentation was made by Dr Pam Johnston, from the Woolloomooloo community.

Dr Johnston said that in her view the Bridge Walks were the only effective action in the reconciliation movement for lifting the confidence of Aboriginal people. In general the reconciliation movement has not translated into improvements in daily life, and in fact the situation is worse than ever for most Aboriginal people.

She warned that there is a big gap between the good feelings generated by reconciliation activity and the fact that Koori children contiinue to be born into hopelessness and despair. She presented a range of press clippings, photos and artworks to illustrate:

• the increasing number of young Aboriginal women in prison - a 400% increase between 1998 and 2001, of whom 98% have children that have to go into care.
• Continued poor housing for Aboriginal people
• High level of illiteracy among Aboriginal girls in Year 11
• High levels of violence witnessed or experienced by young Aboriginal women, including in their families
• The case of the police killing of the young Woolloomooloo resident Edison at the start of the 2000 Olympics, and police oppression of young blacks In the subsequent discussion, the following points emerged:
• The Howard government has resisted reconciliation and a Treaty because of fears of claims for land and compensation and this has produced media manipulation
• Where is the hope that can inform us of the best action to take now? We should call our MPs and write to the newspaper about the need for Labor to have a clear positive policy
• The reconciliation movement has been very positive, and the Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander leadership is of high quality, so why are things getting worse?
• Is it true that a Treaty might be an ultimate act of dispossession?
• Koories are powereless, but so are other groups in our society. We need strategies to overcome the powerlessness.
• The cake has to be divided up differently if Aboriginal people are to get a fair go, and perhaps a tax to 'pay the rent' for the land should be instituted to make the new divisio of
• In jails, the biggest groups in order of appearance are Aboriginal people, Middle Eastern people, Asians, and then working class whites. The best programs to break the cycle are the camps, especially cultural camps for Aboriginal youth with elders, but real life is not the camp. More is needed. When Aborigianl people come out of jail, they are treated very badly.
• There is a strong desire among Aboriginal youth for educaiton and a job, but there are big problems in current schools. Their culture is really to share to make the community happy - a sort of communism, and having material possessions is not so important. But schools don't work like this. Schools mainly train students not to question, to accept one source of authority, to accept doing boring stuff, and to work in a rigid time framework.
• Aboriginal culture is one of the few ramaining holistic human cultures in the world, and it would be a tragedy if it disappeared under current pressures. Culture is oriented to future generations.
• Need to work on common inequalities as the basis for uniting people to win positive changes.