Sorry to all the honest missionaries

Interviewer: But even you've said that there is no economy in some of these communities?"

Missionary Mal: "Yes, but there should be ..."

The new big man of aboriginal affairs, Missionary Mal, gave his game away in the above roughly remembered extract of a radio interview he gave tonight. The emphasis of the 'should' was there in his voice. Put it elsewhere in the sentence, the meaning of the mind behind changes. Where it presently lies makes me think "idealogue". Which matches what I vaguely recall of Missionary Mal - besides the fact that I also seem to recall butchering up some other ministry a few years ago.

The statement fell during an interview caused by the axing of CDEP programs across the Northern Territory. CDEP (Community Development and Employment Programs) are state funded projects which utilise unemployed community members at cheap wages and part time hours for their labour. To my knowledge, obtained at the very edge of aboriginal society, these CDEP programs are usually the only real source of basic infrastructure in a community, and also are genuinely a source of both pride and income to those who are allowed on board.

Mal thinks that these things will come by the imposition of racialy based employment practices for every other job in these communities (ie. if a 'local' can do the job, then they get preference over the outsiders who, like now, probably stand an over 50 % of getting the job otherwise).

All this after so many of these communities had their local governing administrations axed and replaced by administrators who immediatly freeze things up, and after their national representitive body (ATSIC) was abolished - with hints of corruption to justify the action (that, from a government that was caught redhanded giving bribes worth nearly half a billion dollars to Sadaam Hussein!). And, of course, after the recent militarily backed take over of these communities by honest john's cops and assorted white professionals in white clothes.

A part of johnny's take over of aboriginal australia was the abolition of their present right to control who goes on their land and for what purpose through the permit system. When it is said that this is a 'takeover' of their land, Missionary Mal justifies it by saying it can't be for that reason as there are already about 1200 companies that have permits to prospect for minerals on aboriginal land. Of course, the issue is how many for whatever reason weren't allowed on...

He doesn't want to talk about that. Just like he didn't want to talk about what he meant by a 'real' economy in the interview he gave this evening.