Reference:
The Border Mail (Australia; Albury (NSW) and Wodonga (VIC)); Weekend Edition; Saturday, January 19, 2008; front page and pages 4,5 & 40.
This is not the place to put my own opinion, that is not the way this web page is designed, but I have felt that there is problems in the Australian Aboriginal community and have been personally affected by interaction with Aboriginals. But for my part I think problems stretches beyond the Aboriginal tribal groups and into our Western style society also (but western societies may not display the problems in the same ways as Aboriginal communities).
These are quotes from that article:
“Workers and Elders (from the Westside community Centre, 16 Mulga Place, West Albury) say the parents of children have spent what they have on cigarettes, alcohol and gambling."
“Community centre co-ordinator Karen Deans says there are other issues.
These are poor families often without vehicles...(and) it is impossible for some to go into Albury by bus and shop for families of five or six people... how do they get the food home?"
“Aboriginal elders and social workers from the west Albury housing department estate say children as young as 11 are sexually active...(as they) turn to alcohol and drugs through boredom...(and) sex soon follows."
“Kathleen Cameron, a Wiradjuri person and local community member who is spending an increasing amount of time at the centres, says stories of sexual abuse and incest weren’t confined to the Northern Territory...,kids are afraid to go home..., for girls it could be the friend of the family or the uncle that comes around to visit... in the end they don’t trust anyone."
Ms Deans and Ms Cameron “both agree the children would benefit from positive male role models... we need people who can show them a better way, show them they don’t have to be running around like this, getting into trouble."
“On one side of the road there is modern homes with the luxuries of a western life, here it is closer to third world poverty."
The kids “don’t see fresh fruit"... (some do not know what it is)“they don’t know what vegetables are."
“The tales of woe, long hours and fear takes its toll on even the most dedicated social worker... it can be quite threatening, quite confronting... Some of the teenagers are bored, they come in late in the afternoon looking for stimulation -- they play pool and turn up the music. You can’t make them leave, the fact is they don’t really have anywhere else to go."
End of Quotes from: The Border Mail; Weekend Edition; Saturday, January 19, 2008; front page and pages 4, 5 & 40.
The Border Mail (Australia; Albury (NSW) and Wodonga (VIC)); Tuesday, January 22, 2008; page 3.
It would seem that the social worker and Aboriginal Elders comments have been rewarded with the possible sacking of the social worker involved: Karen Deans.
I suppose after over a decade of control of the media and gagging contracts that this social worker or her organization may have signed, the subsequent response is not surprising.
Quote:
“Member for Farrer (NSW, 10.11.01, Liberal Party) Susan Ley of Australia said it would be appalling if the community centre co-ordinator lost her job because of her honesty... (The Border Mail discovered that a) community co-ordinator is paid for 21 hours work, she (Karen Deans) was working for more then 50 (hours)"
End of quote: The Border Mail (Australia; Albury (NSW) and Wodonga (VIC)); Tuesday, January 22, 2008; page 3.
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Wiradjuri people |
