Culture
Australian Oxford Dictionary describes the word culture as follows:
cu’lture 1. n. cultivating; production; development of bacteria etc; bacteria etc. developed, in specially prepared medium; refinement or improvement of mind,tastes,etc. by education and training; form or type of civilisation; customs etc. of a people;
cul’tural a. 2.v.t. maintain (bacteria etc.) in artificial conditions for growth
So when being applied in reference to a group or race of people the dictionary says “form or type of civilisation; customs etc. of a people”.
Conversely when being applied a means of achievement the dictionary says “refinement or improvement of mind, tastes,etc. by education and training”
Neither of these two explanations of the word “cultural” can be decided or implemented with or within each other.
That is the way of living of a people cannot stay as it was if advancement and learning is to be achieved.
Australian Indigenous Culture
The Australian Indigenous Culture is based on tribal blood lines and territory.
That is, each tribe, of which there are many have their own individual language or tongue, historical stories and territory or area of roaming.
Basic way of living in the open and surviving off the land is or was the same for all tribes in all locations throughout Australia. Each tribe had / has stories and myths relevant to their territorial arear and tribal rituals which influence and are part of that tribe’s culture or way of life.
When people in high positions of office in this country (Australia), call for and advocate our Education Departments and Schools to bring Indigenous Culture into the schools and classrooms, what is it they are actually on about?
There are endless streams of quotes and statements in speeches and news bulletins and the like across Australia from almost anybody who seems to have a voice on all matters Indigenous, but never are any explanations or specifics of what this word “culture” in this context means.
Not one person lays out the specifics of what they are actually talking about / calling for.
The main reason for this must be that there is no answer. What part of a way of life (“culture”) can be taken into the classroom that makes any sense.
Classrooms are for academic teaching, training and learning, and are not there to be influenced by any singular people’s way of living.
The Classroom
It makes no sense to try and hang onto a way of life in a class room.
How can a person open up their mind, listen, learn and attain knowledge if they and those imparting the knowledge (teachers) are bound by the notion that “cultural” has and is made to be in the classroom at the same time.
A way of life (culture) is just that, and has no place in a classroom, regardless of whose culture it is.
What part of any culture (way of life) could be brought into a classroom that would be of any benefit to academic teaching, especially if that aspect of a culture is made to be in the classroom regardless of the teachers and students wishes.
Remember that once you enter a classroom all students are equal.
No ethnic or any other particular group should be encouraged or allowed to
have their way of life dominate over others.
By Peter Billington 26th January 2021
The massively dysfunctional and failed social and cultural existence of a great number of Aboriginal descendant Australian’s across the country
The situation with Aboriginal decedent Australians should not be as it is and which has not improved over the decades and in fact is seen to be getting worse.
Federal Government’s funding and overall financial commitment to the cause of raising the standards of Aboriginal descendant Australians cannot be questioned or suggested as being restricted.
To emphasize this point the following is a copy of the Indigenous Expenditure Report 2017:
Indigenous Expenditure Report 2017
The 2017 Indigenous Expenditure Report was released on 26 October 2017. It provides estimates of the levels and patterns of Australian, State and Territory government expenditure on services relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Data are available for 2015-16, with historical data provided for 2012-13, 2010-11 and 2008-09.
2017 Indigenous Expenditure Report
An estimated $33.4 billion of Australian, State and Territory government expenditure was spent on services provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in 2015-16, according to the 2017 Indigenous Expenditure Report.
Around 18 per cent of this expenditure was on targeted programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and the remainder was through non-targeted, or mainstream, services. Since 2008-09 (and after adjusting for inflation), targeted expenditure has remained relatively constant at around $6.0 billion, while expenditure on mainstream services has increased by almost one-third (from $20.9 billion to $27.4 billion).
Per head of total population, expenditure (targeted and mainstream) equated to $44 886 per Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian, around twice the rate for non-Indigenous Australians ($22 356) and similar to ratios previously reported back to 2008-09. Around two-thirds of the higher per person expenditure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is accounted for by greater intensity of service use (reflecting greater need and younger age profile), with the remaining one-third accounted for by the higher cost of providing services (such as in remote locations).
Peter Harris, Chairman of the Productivity Commission and Chair of the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision emphasised the importance of robust, public evaluations to understand the adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency of government spending, something which is outside the scope of this report. ‘Understanding which policies and programs deliver outcomes effectively is vital for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and all Australians. Without understanding what works and why, we cannot say if money is being well spent’ he said.
The full suite of information on this report, including the report, data tables and a ‘how to’ video for accessing the 2017 report data can be found at: http://www.pc.gov.au/ier2017
The report is produced by the Productivity Commission for the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. It is the fourth in the series
Clearly funding by Federal and State Governments is more than appropriate and is in fact over the top in relation with expenditure on other Australians.
It is therefore very obvious that the control of these huge sums of money are being utterly miss managed, squandered and quite surely being miss appropriated.
Now how can this be happening when the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and all its affiliated agencies, authorities and organisations are the principal custodians and administrators of these funds?
Quite simple, because there is no overall control by a singular RESPONSIBLE POSITION / PERSON, which in any normally structured Government, Government Agency, Business, Club, Association, etc. and the like run under the Westminster System of Governance is normally in place and is called a TREASURER.
An Act about the governance, performance and accountability of, and the use and management of public resources by, the Commonwealth, Commonwealth entities and Commonwealth companies, and for related purposes is the –
Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00269
The objects of this Act are:
(a) To establish a coherent system of governance and accountability across Commonwealth entities; and
(b) To establish a performance framework across Commonwealth entities; and
(c) To require the Commonwealth and Commonwealth entities:
(i) to meet high standards of governance, performance and accountability; and
(ii) to provide meaningful information to the Parliament and the public; and
(iii) to use and manage public resources properly; and
(iv) to work cooperatively with others to achieve common objectives, where practicable; and
(d) to require Commonwealth companies to meet high standards of governance, performance and accountability.
Again, clearly this Act of Public Governance, Performance and Accountability has not been followed in any respect. Hence the expenditure on Aboriginal Affairs has been allowed to spiral out of control without the Government of the day having any knowledge of what is taking place both with expenditure and results.
To show who is involved and responsible within the whole conglomeration of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and all its affiliated agencies, authorities and organisations, the follow numbers give some indication.
Aboriginal descendant Australians in Politics and Public Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indigenous_Australians_in_politics_and_public_service
Present 2022 Public Servants 63
Activists 49
Educators 150
Lawyers and Judges 40
Humanities 100
Aboriginal descendant Australian Politicians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indigenous_Australian_politicians
1971 to 2022 a total of 57 (15 Federal and 42 State and Territories)
Present 2022 a total of 27 (11 Federal and 16 State Territories)
In perspective this equates to a great number of Aboriginal descendants representing and in control of all other Aboriginal descendant affairs, lively hoods and wellbeing.
There are a total of 402 in Politics and Public Service and 27 in Federal, State and Territory Governments, making a total of 429 in prominent positions of influence power and control.
In terms of representation this 429 from a Aboriginal descendant population of 700,000 equates to 1 in 1632 or 0.06%. Based on Politian’s only it is 1 in 25,926 or 0.004%
As a comparison with the representation of the Australian Greek descendants the numbers are as follows – Australian Greek community’s population is 430,000 and there are at present 19 Australian Greek descendant Politicians in Australia
Greek descendant Australian Politicians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Greek Australians
1930 to 2022 a total of 27 (7 Federal and 20 State and Territories)
Present 2022 a total of 19 (5 Federal and 14 State and Territories)
Therefore representation for Greek Australian descendants is 1 in 22,632 or 0.004%
A similar representative percentage outside these two groups would be hard to find.
The level of representation for any group based on race should have no real relevance in any DEMOCRACY.
In addition to the above number of Aboriginal descendant Australians in position of power and influence, there is another layer of Aboriginal descendant Australians that have been inserted into a maze of positions throughout the Australian Government Public and Defence Services. Most of these positions are purely as so called “elder” figure heads and they actually have no real work roll. They are there only to promote the opportunities of Aboriginal descendent Australians who have proper jobs in these organisations.
So, what is the real aim of “The Voice”, other than to complete the already substantial take over and control of all lands of Australia.