Could you ever see the Aussies vote for an Aborigine as PM?

BarryCreed

Obama gets elected.
I know it's slightly different circumstances and history etc, but any of you ever think you could imagine Aussies voting in an Aboriginal politician to lead the country , or are there many in parliament at the moment?

hussey

BarryCreed wrote: »

Obama gets elected.
I know it's slightly different circumstances and history etc, but any of you ever think you could imagine Aussies voting in an Aboriginal politician to lead the country , or are there many in parliament at the moment?

Please take this to the politics forum, I don't think many people are up on their aboriginal history/culture

kittex

Does that reply not illustrate part of his point?

BarryCreed

hussey wrote: »

Please take this to the politics forum, I don't think many people are up on their aboriginal history/culture

Well, that's a point well made right there with that response. I suppose I meant it as a more general question rather than talking politics...

BarryCreed

ok, let me rephrase it and take "or are there many in parliament at the moment".

How about just: Would the Aussies ever vote an Aborginal politcian to be PM?

hussey

Yes and no, my point was that I didn't really want to see a thread that was full of "all aboriginals are x, y and z".

But to answer the OP, no I cannot see that for the foreseeable future. Mainly due to they only represent 2.5% of the population, and because they live in their own lands and try to keep out of the westernised Australian way of life.

My 2c

The_B_Man

ye i think that any of the abodigidies that are in parliament at the moment are too low down the chain to be considered to be put forward.

In the future i suppose its possible but by then they'll be even more outnumbered by us whiteys so chances are there'll be even more whiteys ahead in the pecking order.

Climate Expert

BarryCreed wrote: »

Obama gets elected.
I know it's slightly different circumstances and history etc, but any of you ever think you could imagine Aussies voting in an Aboriginal politician to lead the country , or are there many in parliament at the moment?

You should be looking for somebody half aboriginal, half white who was brought up around white people his whole life to make it a fair comparison.

Xavi6

Not a snowballs chance in hell during our lifetime anyway.

brendansmith

Xavi6 wrote: »

Not a snowballs chance in hell during our lifetime anyway.

Agreed,
Not for a long long time, sure it was only in the last year that the government finally apologised for stealing all the children and separating them from other aboriginies to stop them reproducing in order to phase out their race.

hussey

brendansmith wrote: »

Agreed,
Not for a long long time, sure it was only in the last year that the government finally apologised for stealing all the children and separating them from other aboriginies to stop them reproducing in order to phase out their race.

that's not why they apologised, but I understand your point

brendansmith

hussey wrote: »

that's not why they apologised, but I understand your point

Yes it is.


"Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised in parliament to all Aborigines for laws and policies that "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss".
He singled out the "Stolen Generations" of thousands of children forcibly removed from their families." - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7241965.stm


"The new Australian government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will apologize for past mistreatment of the country's Aboriginal minority when Parliament convenes next month, addressing an issue that has blighted race relations in Australia for years.

But the most lasting damage was done by the policy of removing Aboriginal children and placing them either with white families or in state institutions as part of a drive to assimilate them with the white population."- http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/30/asia/australia.php

dennisthemennis

Climate Expert wrote: »

You should be looking for somebody half aboriginal, half white who was brought up around white people his whole life to make it a fair comparison.

this.

hussey

brendansmith wrote: »

separating them from other aborigines to stop them reproducing in order to phase out their race.

hussey wrote: »

that's not why they apologised, but I understand your point

This part then

brendansmith

hussey wrote: »

This part then

"policy of removing Aboriginal children and placing them either with white families or in state institutions as part of a drive to assimilate them with the white population"

hussey

brendansmith wrote: »

"policy of removing Aboriginal children and placing them either with white families or in state institutions as part of a drive to assimilate them with the white population"

That is opinion, there was never any hint of that in the speech.

here is full text http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=379056

brendansmith

hussey wrote: »

That is opinion, there was never any hint of that in the speech.

here is full text http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=379056

The third line - "We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history."

Are you trying to wind me up?

hussey

brendansmith wrote: »

The third line - "We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history."

Are you trying to wind me up?

I don't think you are following me, he apologised for mistreating them, he never apologised for "to stop them reproducing in order to phase out their race."

as I said this is opinion

brendansmith

hussey wrote: »

I don't you are following me

What does that mean?:pac::pac:

dSTAR

Aborigines are for the most part treated like second hand citizens. It may be all well and good PM Rudd apologizing to the 'stolen generation' and to all the other aborigines who suffered at the hands of past administrations. He recently called together a talking shop of Australia's wealthiest and most powerful to create an extra 700,000 new jobs for the natives. But as any 'black fella' knows them is just words.

Why are so many still living in slums and shanty towns that would make Soweto look glamorous? Why are the aborigines of the Northern Territory having half of their welfare payments quarantined to supposedly counteract alcoholism and child abuse? While at the same time being forced to travel hundreds of kilometers by taxi to the nearest big chain supermarket because the local stores wont accept their food stamps and there is no local transport?

People in Melbourne are up in arms if their trains are more than five minutes late and they have to stand for their 20 minute journey into the city. The transport minister will jump through hoops to ensure everything is being done to alleviate the problem. Unless these kinds of inequalities are addressed I don't hold out much hope of an aboriginal person coming to power because most white Australians don't want to acknowledge that this is the case in their 'lucky country'.

watna

brendansmith.. Hussey is allowed to disagree with you. As long as neither of you are personally abusive there's no problem with it. I don't think he is doing it to wind you up.

However, in the cause of continuing this thread constructively, how about you both agree to disagree?

Panda

I would have to say no.
The general australian population wouldn't vote for an Aboriginal.
Also i really doubt there is a significant amount of aboriginal voters to back a candidate.

Post again in around 150 to 200 years.

BarryCreed

Climate Expert wrote: »

You should be looking for somebody half aboriginal, half white who was brought up around white people his whole life to make it a fair comparison.

true I suppose....

BarryCreed

But....

if you look at the USA in 1968, there's no black person then could have predicted a black president (ok, I know his mammy was white....)

So it's not unbelievable to think one (in Aus) could be PM or state leader in 20/30 years time.....

The_B_Man

OT, but...

Reports suggest Obama might ask Australia for more troops in Afghanistan!

wordcount

nO even the msot pleseant and liberal Aussies have blind spot when it comes to how rascist they are in relatiion to the Abbos as they call em,

hussey

BarryCreed wrote: »

So it's not unbelievable to think one (in Aus) could be PM or state leader in 20/30 years time.....

yes but blacks in america take up alot more than 2.5% of the population, and of that 2.5% maybe 30-40% live on their own lands away from mainstream culture.

brendansmith

The_B_Man wrote: »

OT, but...

Reports suggest Obama might ask Australia for more troops in Afghanistan!

Really? Link:D

dSTAR

It has been suggested in The Age amongst other places recently.

Link

BarryCreed

hussey wrote: »

yes but blacks in america take up alot more than 2.5% of the population, and of that 2.5% maybe 30-40% live on their own lands away from mainstream culture.

that's another can of worms...

missannik

wordcount wrote: »

nO even the msot pleseant and liberal Aussies have blind spot when it comes to how rascist they are in relatiion to the Abbos as they call em,

:eek:

First of all, only scumbags use that term and their views and comments shouldn't represent the rest of us.

I grew up with many Koori's (Indigenous people from Victoria) and have a great respect for their culture and for them in general. Yes, there are a lot of issues that they face today, because of terrible treatment from previous governments, etc. But to state that most of us are racist against them is a gross misrepresentation of the Australian public, and really is very untrue. I also believe that your comment that we are blind to our racism is also untrue- many of us are well aware that there are a minority of people who are racist towards them. Unfortunately many of us feel powerless to improve things in the communities and to battle systems that have been entrenched from previous generations, and maybe foreigners view this as being racist?

And to answer the OP question- yes there are many indigenous people in politics on a State and local level. I always vote for the candidate with the best policies regardless of their looks, gender, ethnic background- so if an Indigenous person was running and their policies appealed to me, then it goes without saying that I would vote for them. And if the American people are able to do the same, then I see no reason why we wouldn't.