Spin, waste, rent seeking, and lack of progress have become defining characteristics of Aboriginal Affairs

In my view the false/exaggerated narrative concerning the so-called "Stolen Generations" has caused untold damage to endangered Indigenous children because it has made it much more difficult for authorities to intervene. The false narrative also contributed to payments of up to $85,000 as "compensation" to those claiming to be members of the "stolen generations" with little proof being required. Mere removal from family or having been institutionalised has been equated with being "stolen".

Another example of misleading narrative is that of the Wave Hill walkout and the related equal pay case for Aboriginal stockmen.

The Gurindji Strike, also known as the Wave Hill walk-off, began on the 23rd of August 1966, when 200 Gurindji stockmen, domestic workers, and their families, walked off Wave Hill. The walk off has since been celebrated by "progressives" as a victory for wage justice and anti-discrimination. The "progressive" narrative states that "It was a pivotal protest by Aboriginal workers against racism – and for Award wages, for Land Rights and for self-determination…Aboriginal workers at the station received one-third of the wages of non-Indigenous workers". The Commonwealth Arbitration Commission ended up granting equal pay and extending the pastoral award to include Aboriginal workers. The Commission accepted the likelihood that some "disemployment" might occur.

Employers had argued against equal pay. "The employers agreed that some 20 to 25 per cent of the Aboriginal stockmen could perform their duties at the standard expected of normal (that is, white) employees, and that they should come under the award in the usual way. Emphasising that they were opposed to any discrimination on racial grounds, the employers wished to argue that the remaining 75 to 80 per cent were unable to provide normal work value because of their stage of cultural or educational development. Preferably, they should not be brought under the award at all, but if they were, they should have special lower-paid classifications that recognised their lower work value".

After the equal pay decision, Aboriginal employment on cattle stations declined dramatically. This happened not only in the Northern Territory but also in states where the award precedent was followed. Most of the small number of Aboriginal stockmen now employed on white-owned stations are employed as individuals. Nearly all the old camps have disappeared.

Aboriginal leader, Noel Pearson, is said to have nominated three factors that contributed decisively to the Indigenous "descent into hell." The equal pay decision was the first. (Social security income and the right to enter pubs and drink alcohol were the other two.) Together, they helped entrench the notion that Aborigines should be regarded as and should accept the role of "victims."

There has also been a general policy by government, the "progressive" media and others to "talk-up" Aboriginal achievements and to avoid mentioning matters that are unflattering. While this may amount to good public relations, again it is not conducive to policy realism. Bruce Pascoe's work claiming that Aboriginal people practiced sophisticated farming practices was in that vein, but his research (and indeed his own claimed Aboriginality) has been strongly challenged.

The are many taboo subjects in Aboriginal affairs, which mostly involve covering up matters that do not fit the official narrative. Subjects that the Aboriginal Industry has not liked to talk about (mainly pertinent to remote areas) have included sexual abuse of minors, family violence, inter-tribe clan conflicts, cultural practices such as initiation (said to involve scarification, circumcision, or subincision), polygamy, promised marriages of young girls to older men, and sky-high levels of illegitimacy. Despite taboos on these matters, they have come into the open to varying degrees in recent decades.

I don't claim great familiarity with remote settlements, but I know people who have worked in such communities for several years or have travelled extensively through them.

The consistent description provided by people with first-hand knowledge is that most remote communities come across as depressing places. There is not much employment, and even those that want to work are subject to pressures from other members of the community. Housing is very crowded, hugely expensive to construct (almost entirely by outsiders), and the standard and condition of the housing stock is said to be beyond comprehension. Basic items like food and fuel are expensive. In many communities, truancy, petty crime and domestic violence are big issues, while security (electric fences, steel shutters etc) is very noticeable. Dry communities are generally considered better functioning than those permitting alcohol.

Poor parenting seems to be the biggest issue in remote areas but tends not to be referred in those terms. Neglected children, that are poorly supervised, don't go to school and get involved in crime at an early age, guarantee that problems become intergenerational. The late Kumanjayi Walker, who died following an altercation with police, was an example.

The response of "progressive" governments to high Indigenous youth crime has been to increase the age of criminal responsibility, relax bail laws, and attempt to reduce imprisonment levels. The newly installed conservative governments in the NT and Queensland have tended to do the opposite.