Indigenous people on remote communities where there are chronic alcohol problems are living in conditions not dissimilar to war zones. Children are afraid to go to sleep at night for fear of violent physical or sexual assault. Women are cowering in refuges surrounded by barbed wire and shot through with bullet holes. The Democrats are considering a Senate Inquiry into the crisis on remote indigenous communities. We urge all Australians to recognise the urgency of this problem and take decisive action.
Native title is a cornerstone of reconciliation.
If the Senate ticks off state native title regimes which raise the high jump bar impossibly high for native title claimants, it will bear responsibility for the continuing violence and despair infesting indigenous communities as they continue to exist on the fringes of their traditional land. Finally, personal relationships between the white and the indigenous leaders of this country which must be healed. However, Mr Dodson and Ms O'Donahue still carry enormous weight in their communities and must be brought back into the reconciliation process. If such action is taken, the world may see a different scenario at the Sydney Olympics. One where indigenous leaders appointed by their communities proudly welcome overseas visitors to Australia.