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Tue, 25 Jan 2000 11:28:19 +1100

Few could say it better...

to those who usually skip over posts of this nature, I highly recommend you
read this...
peace

Liam Neame

-----Original Message-----
From: Trudy and Rod Bray <ozbrays@dingoblue.net.au>
To: RecOzNet2 <recoznet2@green.net.au>
 

#2 Different editing - different speech

The Australian
Let diversity defy division
We are at a pivotal time in our history, writes LOWITJA O'DONOGHUE
25jan00

>> AUSTRALIA is a country of many paradoxes. It is hospitable and
>> yet vast areas of land are extremely harsh. Its people are warm,
>> open and welcoming, but there are pockets of bigotry and racism.
>>
>> Australia Day is the ideal opportunity to reflect on who we are as a
>> nation and what values we collectively endorse and can celebrate.
>>
>> A national day such as this should not simply be an excuse for a
>> holiday. I believe it is necessary to think about our past, present
>> and possible futures in order to embrace those things that we
>> take pride in as a nation -- and to recognise the things that we
>> cannot condone.
>>
>> It is very important that a national day of celebration be inclusive
>> of all its citizens. But we must also be very clear about what it is
>> that we as a nation are celebrating. It is all too glib and easy to
>> think of the nation simply as a collection of "sweeping plains" or
>> "rugged mountain ranges". Or to wallow in ecstatic celebrations of
>> our many wonderful recent sporting victories.
>>
>> These are indeed things to be proud of -- but they do not define
>> who we are. And they cannot mask the things that divide us, the
>> inequities which are so entrenched in our society, or the ideological
>> differences which we rightly debate.
>>
>> The quest for an Australian identity and the parallel desire for a
>> national day of celebration go back almost 200 years. Many
>> Australia Day commemorations have incorporated ghastly historical
>> re-enactments of the arrival of the First Fleet, with Captain Phillip
>> confronting groups of Aborigines who fled in terror. Such
>> re-enactments were powerful and grotesque reminders of the real
>> symbolism of January 26 -- a day signifying for my people
>> invasion, conquest, dispossession and death.
>>
>> It is not surprising that indigenous people and their
>> non-indigenous supporters have countered with protest. Many
>> would oppose my participation here today or the acceptance of
>> Australian of the Year awards by a number of indigenous
>> Australians, including myself.
>>
>> I understand and respect their position. I know where they're
>> coming from. I hope my people also respect my choice, for our
>> differences are ones of response only. For me, the most important
>> first step to reconciliation is dialogue. This means participating in
>> mainstream national events and ensuring that the indigenous voice
>> is heard. And my dearest hope is that I may be able to contribute
>> to positive change, even if this does involve encroaching on a few
>> comfort zones and rocking the boat a little.
>>
>> I would, however, make a strong plea for a change of date. Let us
>> find a neutral date on which we can all feel included, in which we
>> can all participate equally, and can celebrate with pride our
>> common identity.
>>
>> It has been enormously important to indigenous people that as
>> the truth of our past has been revealed, hundreds of thousands
>> of Australians -- from all sections of the community -- have
>> expressed their sorrow and commitment to working together
>> towards reconciliation.
>>
>> Sadly what many of our political leaders have failed to understand
>> -- or chosen not to acknowledge -- is that the racist policies and
>> practices of the past continue to affect every aspect of every
>> indigenous person's life. The past is still with us.
>>
>> SEVERAL months ago I said that I thought that John Howard had
>> come a long way when he expressed his "deep and sincere regret"
>> about the stolen generations. I felt that he had opened the door
>> towards reconciliation and that this should be acknowledged. Now
>> I feel as if we're still waiting on that doorstep. Reconciliation will
>> not proceed unless Howard can bring himself to say sorry. His
>> refusal to do so on behalf of the Government of the day
>> diminishes him as a person and Australia as a nation.
>> Acknowledgement of the past is the first step towards
>> reconciliation.
>>
>> We need to get past the idea that indigenous people are a blemish
>> on the nation. We need to move beyond the old assimilation
>> mentality -- the idea that with a bit of support, indigenous people
>> can become part of the "mainstream". This view is often well
>> intentioned, but has its basis in paternalism. It assumes the
>> superiority of one culture over another, rather than embracing
>> diversity. And there needs to be sensitivity about tokenism. Too
>> often, Aboriginal cultural traditions are wheeled out as an exotic
>> form of entertainment or tourist attraction. This is particularly
>> problematic in situations where there is no understanding of
>> indigenous history and no interest in contemporary social issues.
>>
>> Similarly indigenous athletes, artists, writers, film-makers,
>> musicians and dancers are feted for their talents -- their very
>> prowess and vitality masking the daily tragedies of indigenous lives
>> wasting away in town camps, cities or prisons. Individual success
>> works as an alibi for collective impoverishment.
>>
>> I read with disbelief and dismay the Prime Minister's New Year
>> comments in which he claimed that "whether we have come to
>> Australia through the Dreamtime or through the dream of a new
>> beginning we share equally Australia's great legacy and its
>> promise". Dream on, Mr Prime Minister! I doubt that the 800,000
>> kids growing up in families where no one has a job feel all that
>> equal.
>>
>> Despite all the rhetoric about mateship and egalitarianism,
>> Australia is in fact a society of haves and have-nots. The
>> entrenched privilege and wealth of some stands in stark contrast
>> to the millions of others caught up in a cycle of disadvantage and
>> despair.
>>
>> It seems to me that the current atmosphere is one of blame
>> towards the recipients of social welfare rather than looking to the
>> roots of problems to find solutions. It is unproductive and divisive,
>> for example, to blame the victims, as John Anderson has been
>> doing lately. No one aspires to welfare dependency -- for it erodes
>> our sense of dignity and self-worth.
>>
>> The Government's explicit commitment to remedying social
>> disadvantage in its second term of office is welcomed. However, it
>> is important that the proposed social coalition between business,
>> government and welfare organisations does not become a
>> smokescreen for the scaling down of government responsibility or
>> intervention.
>>
>> We are coming of age as a nation. Fellow Australians, I urge you
>> to seize the day -- acknowledge our history, confront our
>> problems, celebrate our shared humanity and our cultural
>> differences, take pride in our sizeable achievements and look to
>> the future with confidence.
>>
>> This is an edited version of the Australia Day address delivered by
>> Lowitja O'Donoghue in Sydney last night.
 

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