A Dreamtime Idea That Can Be Taken To The Bank
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday May 26, 2007
The ministers Mal Brough and Tony Abbott have clarified any doubts we may have had about the value the Howard Government places on Aboriginal people ("Blacks, be patient: Abbott", May 25). Both ministers said there would be no apology and were no doubt embarrassed by Professor Lowitja O'Donoghue's comparison of the Government's budget for Aboriginal health of about $135 million over four years with the $123 million cost of the "very silly" new citizenship test. With the 40th anniversary of the vote for Aboriginal people coming on Sunday, we are again reminded of the disgraceful lack of progress made in helping them to achieve anything like parity with us in areas of health, housing, education and social justice.
This week, Kerr Neilson suddenly became worth $2.9 billion by listing his company, Platinum Asset Management, on the stock exchange ("Meet the $2.9b Man of Platinum", May 24). His good fortune made me think about Muhammad Yunus, who won a Nobel Prize for his concept of interest-free micro-loans to help poor Bangladeshis set up small businesses. What magic might be worked for Aborigines if some members of Australia's rich list were to take up the idea of Yunus's Grameen Bank? The bank's experts could advise and educate indigenous borrowers on finance and management and Noel Pearson, who is urging Aborigines to break the cycle of welfare dependence, would have an exciting self-help alternative to promote among his people. The publicity for any altruistic rich involved would certainly provide some balance to the usual outcry over salaries for company and bank chief executives. We do know that it is a waste of time waiting for any effective government action in this area when our Health Minister thinks indigenous people are better off now than when John Howard came to office in 1996. That statement might be called the minister's personal "dreamtime" story.Peter Bennett Nelson Bay
© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald