I don't think that's a desirable goal at all. If anything child abuse, paedophilia and patriarchal tyrannies seem to be common features in 'traditional' aboriginal culture. What's needed is a change of culture, not a strengthening of it. NT and Northern Queensland Aboriginal cultures as they stand doesn't seem to deal too well with the realities of Australian existence.

By all means incorporate the useful elements of the current culture into the new one - the communalism, strong family ties and suchlike - but there are clear elements that need to be purged, and the 'marriage training' of pre-teen and teenaged girls is one of them.

But yeah, I totally agree with involving Aboriginal people more in the process. Just so long as it doesn't lead to another ATSIC. There are too many communities which have made actual process to leave funding in the hands of nepotistic powerbrokers who prey on the naivety of the poorly educated. The measures from Queensland, where individual communities have taken on much greater roles in their own government and laws, are what we need to encourage. I think probably the only area we disagree in is how that is best encouraged.

Interesting issue.  I like Cacto's answer a lot, but not knowing more on the issue, I will just thank CS for educating me on another facet of Austrialian life.

Tis letter was published in The Australian on the 27th of June. I am proud, but I have decided to continue to write on this issue in order to keep the Government accountable. If they're going to make some political mileage out of this, I'm going to at least put pressure on them to listen to what people like Noel Pearson has to say.

Cacto, There are a number of white people coming out to say that paedophilia is a traditional part of Aboriginal culture at the moment. However, they don't actually have any evidence of it. There have a been a lot of elders coming out to denounce the way that their fellow Aborigines have used traditional culture as an excuse for these sorts of behaviours. In fact many elders have said that traditional law was much harsher on rape and child rape than white culture. This is hardly surprising, because frankly, Anglo-Australian law is very weak on sexual crimes. Traditional law is what kept order for centuries and prevented such horrific crimes from happening. There are many Aborigines who have spoken out very angry about the sexual abuse in their communities and the way traditional culture has been distorted to excuse it (Noel Pearson is among these).

These problems have come about with the scourge of drug abuse. The vast majority of Aborigines do not idulge in these activities, but the ones who do, do so to extremes.

Thanks for taking an interest Dr Guy.

Robert Macklin wrote an article about this in the Canberra Times either today or a few days ago. Apparently there were reports of abuse of aboriginal children by both whites and aborigines going back at least to the times of Victorian missions in the mid-19th century.



I suppose this might be true but I do have doubts. Most hunter-gatherer societies marry very young - often at or just after puberty. We'd probably call that paedophilia.

Of course on the rape count I have no doubts about that - most societies heavily punish the rape or theft of women.



Sure. But traditional law isn't enough for today. What they need to do is reformulate it so it suits their current realities. Considering that people make their best compromises when the survival of their culture is at stake I'm in favour of a big stick and small carrot approach - a bit of funding if you head in the right direction, but its complete removal if you refuse to shape up.

I'll be honest when I say I know nothing of this topic, but I like learning about new things and it's kinda nice to see something of a subject other than US politics for a change.