I think it would be quite interesting.
After all I heard about the Aboriginals, I got the impression that they are far away from being integrated.
I heard much about aboriginal communities - that there is lots of violence against children, women and whomever.
That prime minister Howard and his government don't want to say sorry to the Aboriginals and that they don't do anything to ameliorate the situation of the Aboriginals (that's something what I think, not what I know ).
I think there are integrated Aboriginals, but how many? The unemployment is apparently high and drugs and alcohol (and violence) are the accompanying symptoms. Aboriginals die 20 years earlier than a white australian...that's a significant difference.

What do you think about the Aboriginals in Australia? What should change that Aboriginals are better integrated?

Well, yes, unfortunately it is true that Aboriginals are not integrated that well into society. It is not due to racism that they don't integrate though, i couldn't really set it down to one actual reason. Two that do come to mind however are the Dreamtime and cultural heritage to the land and the stolen generation. It is not easy for change and the Aboriginals are tied to the land by choice, the Stolen Generation only destroyed ties between the Aboriginal communites and the Europeaners. Howard not saying sorry is another factor, basically he's an asswipe for refusing to IMO.

There are many that have integrated and are much better off for it as they get many perks for being an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. However, they still are a minority i believe. I actually don't know the reason why many abuse drugs and alcohol, i know that alcohol has severely worse affects on them as they did not have any alcohol before settlement and their livers are not used to processing it.

I know quite a few Aboriginal people (there is a hostel down the road from me). One of my first friends in high school was an aboriginal and he is one of the most stright laced guys you could meet, not into drugs and drinks moderately.

Really though, i don't think that there is anyway to actually integrate them better into society because change is a slow process. I do feel that getting better medical and dental care to those who live in the Outback however, is essential in helping them. Over time, they can slowly integrate into society, hopefully without losing their culture.

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I heard about the "Nothern Territory National Response Bill 2007" (I hope I formulated it right). It is controversial, isn't it?
Do you think it is oppressing?

It is only really contreversial in the fact that it is happening in an election year. Had it been done a year or two ago, it wouldn't be so.

I think that it is slightly oppressing but it is necassary. It's amazing when you find out that paedophile rings are there right on your backyard.

If you want more information, try this article on it.
Indigenous child abuse a national disgrace, says Brough. 15/06/2007. ABC News Online

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this sounds kind of like America and the native americans. they had trouble integrating and had trouble with alcohol. i think one thing that helped here is wars(believe it or not). in wars you learn to to get along with the people around you. people that are racist or feel superior are not liked so nobody covers their ass. if you get the youths together before they learn an us and them attitude it is much easier

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i live in a great room in the sanitarium

There are still many Indians living on reservations that have high rates of alcoholism, unemployment, poverty, and early death.

I lived with Native Americans (Inupiat Eskimos and Athabascan Indians) for roughly 28 years. Part of that time was spent engaged in cultural research. Cultures do not die easily. A Native American may wear clothes bought from a store, live in a modern home and watch t.v., but that does not mean that he or she has been "assimulated" into western society. The traditions, values and worldview of Natives tends to survive on for generations after the material culture and practices have largely disappeared. In some cases, this sets up a cultural clash within a Native as he struggles to find his place in the world. Aberrant, and even self distructive, behavior can result from this internal conflict. I am familiar some very sad cases of failed social adjustment, including suicide. However, the great majority of my experiences was positive and displayed the remarkable strength and wisdom of aboriginal Native Americans.

with the aboriginals there was a great injustice done called "the stolen generation" where "half cast" (half indigenous half white) were taken to missionaries to be integrated into white society. weather they wanted to go or not was irrelevant to the people in power back then.

the problem was with even the best missionaries the children didn't want to learn and when most of them left they went to camps to be with their people again. but had serious emotional problems.

what really messed the kids up was the bad missionaries where they were treated awful.


now the aboriginal people are so afraid of another stolen generation, they wont accept any mass help making progress slow.

PS, no Australian PM in his right mind can apologise for the stolen gen coz they would be a admission of guilt form the federal government and opens the door for the largest class action lawsuit the world has ever seen.

i just had a fight about this with my girlfriend.
she belives that aboriginals (in our case Maoris) won't intergrate with western society because the white people are constrictive of the maori culture.

i don't see how they are being repressed if they are given the same (if not more) opportunities as white/westrn people or Pakeha.

Back to australian aborigionies (aborigonals? Anyway...) I'm not suprised that they don't integrate all that much. From 1963 to 1967, the australian government conducted atomic bomb tests on inhabited land, resulting in many deaths from radiation poisoning. That's almost a Spanish low. (In the americas, intentional gifts of small-pox infected blankets killed over 1.5 million native americans. The remainder were enslaved. This caused the collapse of 2 separate empires.)
P.S. The situation in australia, however, has improved greatly over the past 25 years. Still, don't expect them to forget.

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"What would they do to me," he asked in confidential tones, "if I refuse to fly them?"
"We'd probably shoot you," ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen replied.
"We?" Yossarian cried in surprise. "What do you mean we? Since when are you on their side?"
"If you're going to be shot, whose side do you expect me to be on?" ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen retorted.