Sunday, November 18, 2007

COMMENT: It's good to see someone is benefiting from the NT intervention ...

Apparently the only way a government can fight child abuse in indigenous communities is to put aside the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act. Yep, welcome to 21st century Australian conservatism. Where 3 decades of bipartisan legislative consensus can be thrown aside with little complaint from either side.

This exraordinary legislation was passed at lightening speed through both Houses of Federal Parliament in mid-August. We are told that indigenous Aussies are benefitting from the intervention. That may well be true. But there is one group certainly benefitting.

The Weekend Australian Financial Review reported on 18-19 August 2007 that ...
Commonwealth public servants have leapt at the offer of a $37,000 allowance to work as "business managers" in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, but there are concerns about whether they have the commitment and expertise for the job.

At $37K a pop, who needs commitment? The report continues ...

The business managers will be the government's representatives on the ground following the takeover of NT Aboriginal communities.
Heck, I'd jump at the opportunity of grabbing a $37,000 payrise just to 'represent' the Commonwealth up north. Here, Mr Brough, you can have my CV!

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Mal Brough said this past week that 300 applications for the positions had been received, far more than the government was looking for ...

Placements are for a period of up to 12 months, with the managers given the opportunity to return home every three months.

And what to the people on the ground, most affected by the intervention, think of all this?

But indigenous communities, which have to hand over control to these outsiders, have questioned how these public servants will perform and complained of lack of details regarding their duties ...

At one of the targetted communities, Yirrkala, council co-ordinator Adrian Rota expressed frustration at a lack of detail regarding the business managers.

The Laynhapuy Homelands Association represents 19 "outstation" Aboriginal communities in north-east Arnham Land ... Deputy CEO Ric Norton said the recruitment could attract ambitious but unsuitable public servants.

Kevin Rudd has already committed the ALP to continuing with the intervention should his party win next Saturday. Let's hope a Labor victory leads to a greater degree of consultation with the communities on the ground.

Words © 2007 Irfan Yusuf


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16 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

i wonder if anon is that unemployable oversized sicillian turd who used to appear on radio skid row on monday nites.

Anonymous said...

whoever anon is, he is clearly unhinged. VERY unhinged. Irf, just out of curiousity, why do you allow his awful comments through?

Anonymous said...

Just popped in and saw the statue of "Shaykh Musa bin Maymoun al-Qurtubi".

This a famous JEWISH scholar whose name was Moses ben-Maimon, also known as the Rambam. He fully codified Jewish law, was a leader of the Cairo Jewish community and wrote Guide to the Perplexed, a work of Judaism-based philosophy.
I saw the remaining corner of his dwelling when I visited Spain years ago.
If you're trying to claim this mediaeval Jewish scholar was a Muslim, think again.

Irf said...

Can you please show me where I claim he is a Muslim?

Anonymous said...

It is implied by your omission of his Jewish identity, and your use of his name in transliterated Arabic, when he is more generally known as Moses ben Maimon or Maimonides.

Irf said...

Anon, are you suggesting that Jews in Andalusia did not speak Arabic? What language did they speak? Latin? Mandarin? Swahili?

He wrote a book translated as 'Guide to the Perplexed". What language did he write it in? Japanese? Russian?

Are you suggesting that my usage of his name suggests I deny his Jewishness? Why don't you go to Online Opinion and check out some of the articles where I refer to him. Read there what religion I ascribe to him.

I guess you must think Nasser Khalili denies his own Jewishness because he uses his real (Arabic/Persian) name.

Anonymous said...

Let them eat Pork.

Real Aussies love it.

Anonymous said...

Where is your pompous and self-righteous indignation about the Islamic Australia Association "Chaser Style prank"?

Why not have another go at the Liberal Party, which treated you with respect at the turn of the century, but who now are only repaid by you with venomous rantings.

Anonymous said...

Hi Irf,
I know that plenty of Jews speak Arabic, and obviously GttP was written in it.

I simply find it a rather pointed omission that you write his Spanish identity on your blog and not the fact that he was Jewish.
Feel free to amend the the little caption to "Spanish Jewish theologian, physician and mystic".
He is, after all, generally known as one of the greatest Jewish thinkers in history, who lived in Spain and Cairo, not as one of the great Spanish thinkers who was also Jewish etc.

Anonymous said...
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Irf said...

anon @1212, will your comment form the basis of the next Liberal sh*tsheet?

Anonymous said...

Classic picture of one of your Nazi mates trying to hide his face behind a fake pamphlet. LOL. Even a muslim isn't dumb enough to hide his face behind a bag of heroin. What's the chances that one of Irfan's Nazi mates dobbed them? The Liberals just don't know how to sh*tsheet the way Irfan Yusuf and your Nazi mates used to do it.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Since when did Cenatiempo become a Pakistani?