Government & Politics

RECONCILIATION SURVEY

Government & Politics

Posted by: nej1941

15th Mar 2016 08:02pm

Having just completed (for the third time) your survey on the recognition of indigenous peoples in the Australian Constitution, I must point out that the survey fails to truly take my views into account. The questions are loaded and do not allow me to express my ideas. I felt pushed into a YES/NO answer when, on this divisive issue, I am not really sure which way I will truly vote until I see the detail. I hope that my (relatively) positive response is not used by the survey client to push their case FOR recognition. At the moment, due to a lack of information on the final question(s) I just don't know.


Comments 1

Wally the Clown
  • 1st Jul 2020 04:14pm

Just completed this survey (again).
I work with people who happen to be of aboriginal descent. (Their descent is not important- it is that they are decent, productive people who live respectable lives that matters. ) I also have a foster nephew who is of full-blooded Aboriginal extraction.
Having grown up dealing with racism in the USA in the 1970s, (caucasian, but raised in fully mixed area as a minority) I found this survey incredibly biased.
I have experienced extreme racism in Australia, violence, verbal abuse, home invasion, theft, threats etc.
Have never experienced any of this from people I work with, or socialize with. It is always (without exception) the aboriginal persons who commit racist acts. This does NOT include the people of aboriginal descent, whether full-blooded or partial- they have been regular people, with good and bad- just like anyone else. And these are the ones I feel sorry for- they unfairly catch all the (fully justified) backlash for those aboriginals who actively choose to be racist, violent, criminal and uncivilized.

I work in the north of WA, so I see this constantly in cities and towns.
I find it sad, but understandable. The indians in the USA got screwed the same way, but they are (largely) pulling out of it and making serious inroads into moving on. Here, the racism and prejudice works the other way. It is OK to advertise jobs for a specific race only, but only if they are aboriginal. If you try to specify any other race to the exclusion of others, you are racist.

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