Not Honesty To Have It Thus Set Down! Making National Indigenous Policy

Like most governments back in 1945, the Howard government has a view of indigenous 'problems' as material disadvantage created by lack of education in the White Man's language, economy, and political culture, coupled with some unnameable or unstated exotic factor of genes or culture. Assimilation would be best, in this view, and the moving of remote or rural people to job centres in cities, but while there are increasing voices in some circles urging the latter, most 'realists' recognise that to advocate the former today would not be politically smart. Howard has had to face an indigenous political movement several generations old, one accepted by the political mainstream; a great many non-indigenous Australians of all ages and social backgrounds who respect indigenous cultural, social, and some degree of political autonomy; internationally respected and sophisticated Australian research output in many areas of indigenous life past and present; and a modern political convention of bi-partisanship, tact, and restraint in indigenous policy. Howard has also had to face indigenous life conditions and statistics which have failed to catch up with the non-indigenous population on anything like the measure of similar countries such as USA, New Zealand, and Canada