Let us recognise as a nation that Aboriginal culture has been under attack for the past 209 years and that the Prime Minister's Ten-Point Plan is yet another example of the erosion of our basic rights. Our black leaders are fighting hard for us in the political arena. These people identify themselves as fighters for basic human rights. It's through their understanding of traditional law that they can find parallels with the Western introduced law, precipitating greater scope for co-existence. Their fight is to stabilise the nation, to bring about peace and harmony in our homeland.
Health problems are still chronic, education standards poor, living conditions often atrocious.
Until there's a fair dinkum shift towards better understanding of Aboriginal people and their culture, we're not going to move forward. They also need to acknowledge the aspirations of Aboriginal people. In the Northern Territory, over 90 Aboriginal communities are classified as Dry. That is, the people of those communities have voted to ban alcohol from their environment. In many cases, it's been the women of these communities who've fought for the ban in order to give their children a better start in life.