First dispatched 18 May 2014
Tovarichi,
From my dad’s anecdotes:
SEP.’07- Not all that long ago dad was having one of his sessions and kept coming up with his now habitual rather negative opinions. This caused his daughter in law (of whom he is rather fond) to remark: “Well, you know Mark: every silver lining has its dark cloud”. Touché ! Dad chuckled and acknowledged that she was right.
Tony Abbott’s election campaign included a pledge that he’d be the ‘Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs’. In previous Dispatches it was pondered whether Misterrabbit’s undertaking to spend a week in an Aboriginal community for each year he was Prime Minister was a promise or a threat. Should we erect another Rabbit Proof Fence?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLGfhn0eLIg
Jenny Macklin’s assimilationist Empire was handballed to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Northern Territory’s own Senator Nigel Scullion was put in charge.
Some years ago Nigel Scullion suggested that removing the permit system would allow free enterprise to flourish and for example “we could get Vietnamese market-gardeners to establish themselves on these communities”. Need I say more?
On page 15 of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s ‘Workplace Diversity Strategy 2011-2014’, in the column headed ‘Action Plan” there is:
“Incorporate acknowledgement of traditional owners at all PM&C public events.”. In the column headed ‘Responsibility’ it has: “All Staff”
All correspondence received from the Department of the PM&C and/or its agents has the following:
“The Department acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures and to their elders both past and present”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYbs_O_iMfU
Yes indeed R-E-S-T-E-C-P https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klz6IVHfHpY
Such acknowledgements have memefied. Examples abound:
“I would like to acknowledge that daily I live, work and play on larrakia land. I pay my respects to larrakia elders, both past and present.”
And like all silver linings they disguise a dark cloud.
The recent Australian Budget had an incredible month long lead up of rumours, leaks, discussions, political wedging and propaganda with a compliant press that fails to acknowledge one of the reasons the printed media is losing circulation is that the papers are (generally) incredibly boring! German has a word that describes what the printed media suffers from: Kreislaufschwäche (look it up if you can be bothered).
I acknowledge that the geniuses in charge of running the country quite correctly identified the plethora of ‘programs’ dealing with Indigenous Affairs to be a case of too many cooks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X3ArmLyXoE
They just weren’t delivering the assimilationist outcomes they sought. Their Gap kept on widening.
So what is proposed? In their wisdom they propose: A new “Indigenous Advancement Strategy” comprised of five programs within PM&C. The consolidation according to the Budget will result in savings of $534.4M. Thus from over 150 cooks they’ll cut back to just 5 cooks. Brilliant!
To every dark cloud there is a silver lining. Whereas Aboriginal Legal Aid Services and The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (virtually the only national Australian Indigenous representative body) have had their funding severely cut, we must acknowledge that remote Aboriginal Australia can look forward to $200M of funding for additional Police Complexes (“community safety”) and School Attendance programs. We can’t wait!
No hidden agenda there, not even behind a dark cloud, it is blatant forced Assimilation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKbTqdZQwwU.
We must acknowledge that many (both black and white) have been bedazzled by the silver linings. They believe ethnocide is both inevitable and desirable.
It is colloquially known as a ‘double-whammy’. On Tuesday 13th May the Federal Treasurer delivered the Budget. The next day, the NT Minister for Education released: “A Share in the Future-Review of Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory” Recently I was given a book “Colloquial French”. I didn’t have to consult it, the colloquial French word that immediately sprung to mind was ‘merde’ (also the Argentine colloquial phrase: ‘Hijos de puta’).
On page 34, commenting on consultations and received submissions the report acknowledges: “ …Many respondents stated strongly held views on bilingual education….There was also extensive commentary on the role of first language in education….”
Another silver lining on page 20: “The review supports the teaching of literacy in first language…” followed by the inevitable caveat “…where feasible”
The teaching of literacy using a foreign language (English) is not qualified with a “where feasible” in the report. The feasibility of children to learn to read and write whilst being addressed by a teacher that has gobbledygook emanating from his or her mouth, isn’t questioned.
On page 11 an even brighter silver lining: “The review acknowledges and supports the role of student’s first languages in education….”
And then there is the inevitable dark clouds:
Page-11- “The review does not, however, support the position argued by some respondents that first language is the only or best means of access to English, or that the curriculum should be predominantly taught in Indigenous languages.”
Page 35- “It is also important to acknowledge from the outset that this review has made a pragmatic decision to focus on the skills and knowledge that underpin success in the western education system…..and that this will not be achieved unless there is rigorous and relentless attention to learning English and gaining the skills that support participation in a modern democracy and economy.”
The NT Department of Education has already pre-empted its intention to be guided by this review when formulating its policies.
Seems to me that they’re not satisfied with having mortally wounded bi-lingual education some years ago. They now intent to cremate it and scatter the ashes so it can never again be resurrected.
If the assimilationists have their way Australia stands to lose more than is realized. A language is not just a means to gain the skills and knowledge that underpin success in the western education system
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmLVxRS_Sxs A language is much much more than that.
I now have come to realize why when acknowledging traditional owners and elders past and present, no such acknowledgement is extended to future traditional owners and elders.
If they have their way there will be none left to acknowledge!
Merde!
Doz vitanya
Франклин
Everyone is calling out for Peace, no one is calling out for Justice…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stuNZeCenS0
Amen to that.