[Dialogue] Remote communities in Australia

[frank bremner via Dialogue]

Greetings.  Especially if you spent any time in northern Western Australia, at Mowanjum and/or Oombulgurri in the 70s-80s.
 
Tony Abbott, our PM referred to remote communities as having "made lifestyle choices".  You can check out the rest of his comments.
 
The WA government has been closing down many remote communities.  Again you can check the details.
 
On this past Monday the ABC's flagship current affairs program, Four Corners, showed a story called Remote Hope, about the above situation.  I managed to find it on ABC iView, where it will be available into June.  The address is as follows:
 
http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/four-corners/NC15C
 
Although there have been problems with violence, sexual harassment, paedophilia and so on, the government bodies involved have not looked at "underlying contradictions" (to use an old phrase).  The comments made by some of the locals, and by some agencies, show more maturity and understanding than the state and federal governments.  
 
We, as ICA,  may have made mistakes in these places - eg our secretiveness within our "revolutionary" mindset, and our claims to be the best thing since sliced bread - but it makes interesting viewing.
 
Meanwhile "ice" is an increasing problem across (white, and not-so-remote) Australia.  Recently a top-level meeting was held at Mount Gambier, a rural city, about this issue.
 
Best wishes
 
Frank Bremner
 		 	   		  
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