(First posted 20 December 2014)
Amici, buona giornata,
I’ve often claimed not to be the author of the Musical Dispatches. They write themselves. So soon on the heels of the last Dispatch, let this be the Christmas edition. I simply could not ignore this little gem from Hansard:
Senator Nova Peris 26th November 2014 Senate Inquiry into the sale of TIO:
Here in Canberra we have witnessed government MPs accuse their own Prime Minister of verbal gymnastics over his claims that he has kept his promise that there would be no cuts to the ABC or SBS. It would seem that Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles likes the way his mate Mr Abbott denies the truth. How is this for a quote: ‘We are not selling TIO. We are just transferring ownership.‘ That is actually what the chief minister said in response to suggestions he should not sell it. As Michael Gunner, a Territory Labor MP said yesterday, ‘Adam Giles isn’t going to the Christmas sales this year; he’s going to the Christmas transfers of ownership.’
We are quite accustomed to Transfers of Ownership here in Yuendumu.
On the coat-tails of the Intervention, ownership of “community residences” was transferred to Territory Housing (a Darwin based NT Government Agency). These houses were “given” to Yuendumu by a string of politicians. You know the sort of thing “I got you three houses, vote for me”. The money to build them came from such as ATSIC, ABTA etc. These houses were held on behalf of the community by the Yuendumu Community Government Council. They were deemed by consensus to be communally owned. I’m not denying that occasional arguments re occupancy rights erupted, but such were resolved locally without outside interference (or should I say intervention?). Rent (admittedly modest)was paid on these houses to the Yuendumu Council, which employed such as a plumber who with his Warlpiri offsider(s) would do repairs at a fraction of the cost of bringing in Alice Springs based contractors. Prompt repairs were never the norm in Yuendumu, but relying on outside contractors (as is now the case) has not sped up matters in the least. Rents have increased several fold.
Transfer of Ownership occurred when the Yuendumu Council Inc. was appropriated by the Central Desert Shire (since renamed the Democratic People’s Republic of….. no just kidding… they changed their name to Central Desert Regional Council-CDRC). The head office of CDRC is in Alice Springs, which is not within the area covered by the CDRC. When I last checked the CDRC employed from 70-100 people at head office. I’m not sure, but it doesn’t include one Warlpiri person. In Yuendumu itself slow but steady progress is being made to regain local “ownership” and participation in municipal functions. This process is much slower than the instant transfer of ownership that took place some years ago.
But hey! What are we complaining about? Transfer of ownership is nothing new. Transfer of ownership has been the norm throughout history and continues to be so.
Of particular relevance to the descendants of the original inhabitants of what is now Australia is the transfer of ownership that took place in 1788.
In 1788 the Union Jack was planted at Sydney Cove.
….and he’s taken just all that I had…
…. The first cut is the deepest…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK9eLe8EQps
When the Iron Curtain collapsed, a massive transfer of ownership took place from the Soviet Union to the Russian Mafia.
In Australia a massive transfer of ownership took place: Huge deposits of iron ore and coal owned by the Common-wealth (get it?) are now owned by the not so common few.
(a moot point, the huge deposits of iron and coal were included in the 1788 transfer of ownership unbeknown to the then protagonists)
I won’t spoil your Christmas dinner with more examples of transfer of ownership.
If you’ve been good I wish that Santa transfers lots of ownership to you.
…this toy is for you, now you have ownership,
You can share it but only if you want to,
You have the right to say, if someone can come and play with it…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXsJWTKKOfs ****
Arrivederci al prossimo anno.
Avere un felice Natale
Franco
**** Warlpiri children are continually told to share…. Unprompted, Warlpiri children will offer you a bite of what they’re eating…. Greed in Warlpiri society exists but is frowned upon. Greedy people are not part of Team Warlpiri!