HOWARD'S SOLUTION

Johnny Howard has waded in to the aboriginal problem.
And really, at its core, what he's suggesting is a territory wide suppression and enforcement backed up with extra police and quite possibly some military. (Where they're going to get that from I wonder; they're fighting personnel are all overseas).

Some have come out (well isn't THAT a surprise...) in condemnation of Howard's 'jackboot' mentality.
Mainly out of jealousy because given the chance, and right or wrong bedamned, they'd weild the exact same power. Proof positive that the opposition often rely on simple disagreement whether they have a viable alternative or not.

Given the circumstances here (the sexual abuse of aboriginal children), one has to be beggared at the oppositon's comments. Kids as young as three are being 'sold' for alcohol. They are being 'groomed' by being forced to watch pornography then act out the same for the gratification of the adults, who no doubt are hammered on booze.

There will be, I'm sure, allusions to the 'stolen generation' - when the authorities removed some children before because of a similar thing, that they weren't being properly cared for. But this recent report suggests of a practice that goes way beyond the mere 'not looking after'. This is raw abuse, plain and simple.

The only real answer is what Howard is suggesting - that they go in and 'clean up the area', to quote the PM. But you can build as many nice homes as you want; provide parks in which the kids can play; schools for them to attend, but until we make the adults responsible for themselves no amount of 'nice' things are going to solve the problem.

I've spoken of this before; these people are living in limbo; stuck in a nether world between living of the land as their ancestors did, yet having the benefits of civilization. And therein lies the problem. It has to be one or another. Living as an indigeonous people yet having access to civilization's ills is destroying them.
The 'ills' of which I speak in this case seem to be alcohol, petrol and pornography. And the victims of such are the women and children who it's reported are scared to report any abuse for fear of desperate recriminations.

So put the whole area into lock down. As deliberately suppressive as it is, it seems the only way.