Anger over politician's suggestion for Aboriginal employment ABC Radio AM - Tuesday, February29, 20008:19 PETER CAVE: A National Party MP has raised the ire of local Aboriginal groups in western New South Wales for suggesting that unemployed Aboriginal people be relocated elsewhere in the country to regain their dignity he says. The comments have angered a local health group which says the politician needs to have his head read. This comes just one day after the Prime Minister was criticised for setting back the process of reconciliation. As Alison Caldwell reports. ALISON CALDWELL: National Party MP for the Seat of Orange, Russell Turner, says he means well. RUSSELL TURNER: I just see it as a tragic waste of people and a tragic waste of taxpayer’s money being pumped in there continually without a long term solution to what the problem is. ALISON CALDWELL: Writing in the local paper of the weekend Russell Turner says towns like Wilcannia, Bourke and Orange are suffering because of high unemployment. It’s not just because the jobs aren’t there, he says, it’s because there are too many people with no incentive or intention to work, local Aborigines in particular. Russell Turner says the only solution is to relocate them to places where they will find work and regain some of their dignity and pride in their heritage. RUSSELL TURNER: We have to start seriously look at relocating some of the workforce to where they may get work. Where they may get a better education and where they may get out of that rut and that family influence that they are in in so many of these towns. ALISON CALDWELL: In your article you pointed specifically to Aboriginal groups? RUSSELL TURNER: Well, in Wilcannia, whether we like it or not, the majority of unemployed people in Wilcannia are Aboriginal groups. And there’s no getting away from that. And whether we, you know, have to continue to prop up towns like Wilcannia and Bourke and Moree with you know as I said, a tragically high unemployment rates, whether we prop them up forever from one generation to the next. Or whether we start to look at it seriously and look at what can we do for that next generation. Because in a lot of cases the current generation – we’ve lost it. There’s no chance of rehabilitating a lot of the people. ALISON CALDWELL: So would you say let’s relocate the Aboriginal population of Wilcannia? RUSSELL TURNER: I’m not saying relocate all of them. There may be very well a reason why a lot of them don’t want to be relocated. But I think there needs to be some encouragement for some of these towns like Wilcannia and Bourke and Moree and some smaller towns in between. ALISON CALDWELL: So do you regret, in your article, having pinpointed Aboriginal groups? RUSSELL TURNER: It’s a fact of life. The vast majority of people in some of these outback western towns that are unemployed with no employment prospects are Aborigines. ALISON CALDWELL: Kevin Read is a coordinator of the Condobolin Aboriginal Health Service. He says Russell Turner needs his head read. KEVIN READ: I would say he’s off his rocker. He wouldn’t know what he’s talking about. ALISON CALDWELL: In pinpointing Aboriginals do you think that he’s made a mistake? KEVIN READ: He’s made a big mistake, yes. You see there’s probably more non-Aboriginals out of work around this area than what there is bloody Aboriginals. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s full of it. PETER CAVE: Kevin Read from the Condobolin Aboriginal Health Service. © 2000 Australian Broadcasting Corporation -- ********************************* Make the Hunger Site your homepage! http://www.thehungersite.com/index.html ********************************* ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
