Archived article
Comment on On youth prisons: grandmothers, reformers, revolutionaries by James T Smerk.
I commend these women on speaking out. However I don’t think their plan would work, don’t get me wrong I would love it if it could work! Why can’t we build a purpose-built location (on country), not prison, more boarding house for kids to learn and develop skill with elders talking and teaching.
I would like to see more training/coaching for parents or soon to be parents on their responsibilities and help getting them permanent housing to bring up their families in a stable way.
It’s a fact that if you turn your back on modern society’s ways and language you are essentially turning your back on prospering and your generations’ chances to come also.
I also believe you should have to be Aboriginal or part to sell any Aboriginal art works in Australia, it’s their art and should be their profits.
I could go on forever but that’ll do…
Recent Comments by James T Smerk
Santa Teresa wins housing class action against NT Government
If only there were unemployed people around who could perform handyman duties (or be training in them) as required, with Housing picking up the tab.
Or just keep it as normal and pay $1000 every time there is a leaking tap for a tradie to drive out there and fix it.
Sometimes simple suggestions are the best.
Youth workers on the streets from 8pm to 3am
It’s something, but I would be looking at their home lives and trying to make these environments safe and healthy.
Regarding the really trouble youths: Help them from the start and not just deal with the effects of a trouble childhood. It is beyond ridiculous that some of these kids have to try to survive in some of these hostile and damaging homes.
What about making an Indigenous boarding house for kids, where they can stay permanently and eat healthy, learn culture, modern society and be loved and looked after.
Their parents can visit them anytime if they choose to. If the parents don’t care about them does that mean no one should care about them?
Enjoying The Centre at a frantic pace
Subsidised airfares to make them more realistic or cheaper is the key for rescuing the Territory.
We all have family and friends around Australia who would love to come and visit us and spend money in our town except the crazy prices on flights stops that dead in its tracks.
People as much as they might want to check out Kings Canyon or Jabiru start with how much are flights to get there, then they go maybe next year and so on.
Normal city folk don’t want to drive for a week or more they want to fly, and as soon as they have a family and kids the cost balloons out and they don’t bother, maybe until they are grey nomads then they might drive up.
Until then you have waved away a fortune of money and the chance of these people to tell their friends what a great place it is.
Drowning in bad news stories? Try this.
I think we need to see more Aboriginal enterprises that help Aborigines instead of dwelling on what can’t be changed.
Let’s get started on the future and make sure we change the current situation.
Let’s face it, Government can’t get it right so we need the people to be proactive and show what needs to or can be done.
It will be hard and the Government will need to help where they can, but sitting around complaining isn’t fixing anything, it’s just continuing the broken way. Good on these mob! This is a great idea.
Crime statistics horrendous, says Lambley
Why would he front the media and explain his actions like any other accountable person would. He is above explaining his actions.
And what about the prison half way houses? Why is the government so secretive on this?
Oh, that’s right, just image one popping up next door to you or over the road where your kids walk past to school every day.
