Posts by Richard Llewellyn
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rl, i agree, there is indigenous tourism. but there is a long way to go before aboriginal people stop being locked out. in cairns they round up anyone aboriginal and drop them a number of km outside town. in this day and age.
Che, I think we are possibly arguing about the same thing. I thought its a bit harsh to say Aboriginals are being 'locked' out of tourism when there is plenty of evidence to suggest that many are not, but that said, I agree with your general sentiments, that indigenous Aussies are shamefully treated - who could not agree with that?
I also think we need to appreciate that there are a lot of decent people in Australia trying to do something about it at a variety of levels (and hopefully those decent people will have their voices heard at the next election).
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perhaps we could call it atsic. sigh.
Which brings us back to the odious Mr Clark, who I believe did just as much damage to indigenous rights as anyone, by confirming the prejudice of the masses and giving the Rodent the excuse to close down ATSIC.
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Being locked out of the tourism industry is pretty shocking
Neil/Che, this is a bit strong. I'm not claiming that its anywhere near perfect, but I think tourism as an industry per se is far more open to indigenous ownership and participation than probably any other industry in Australia.
Check out http://www.aboriginaltourism.com.au/ for more details.
On top of that Tourism Australia and all the various state and regional tourism bodies all invest shit-loads of time and money assisting local operators to get off the ground.
Granted it may be motivated by the massive amount of potential money in indigenous tourism, but like NZ, as a tourism destination they have to maximise any point of difference to get over the tyranny of distance for the lucrative Asian, American and European markets.
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I met and talked with Michael Fay, he was a very nice man and a gracious host, but...
Ah touche, I didn't mean it quite like that, but true, the devil sometimes wears the best clothes, no?
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Slightly OT, but I had the privilege of meeting Charlie Perkins while working in tourism, as part of the tourism issues around the Sydney 2000 Olympics (he passed away just a few months later).
I've got to say, while he enjoyed a reputation as being a firebrand and political shit-stirrer, he really impressed me.
And what an amazing life! - first indigenous Australian to graduate from university, civil rights leader, political leader, and he even trialled for Everton and Liverpool - and turned down Manchester United! What a guy ....
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The Noel Pearson = Allan Duff comparison is not a bad one
Erm, I'll just correct myself here, having reflected on some of Mr Duff's more controversial statements over the years.
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Never once in five years did I meet an aboriginal in the corporate world I inhabited.
Well, you may well be right Ben, but my own anecdotal experiences were slightly different, having worked in the Australian tourism industry for over a decade, I can vouch for at least that industry sector being reasonably well represented at a corporate, political and business ownership level, (with tourism heads being well aware that indigenous tourism is a massive inbound tourism drawcard, particularly from Europe). Thats only one industry mind, and I'd agree not particularly representative of others.
The Noel Pearson = Allan Duff comparison is not a bad one, Pearson has long been one of the most challenging and articulate champions for trying something different other than the status quo, which as is evident, is just not enabling adequate health, education, life expectation or living standards. I'm certain that Australia could do a lot worse with someone like Noel Pearson more integrally involved with indigenous politics than some of the political leaders of the past, like the odious Geoff Clark for example.
But back to the Rodent - I'm sorry, but even though this issue is burning a hole in the Australian conscience, I just don't trust him. I believe he more than even Tony Blair has reduced public expectation about the level of political honesty and integrity that a democratic process can deliver. And if he was serious about it, why has he waited until now?
Interestingly, while Labour remains comfortably ahead in polling, the most recent poll is showing movement back to the Coalition, so don't expect to see Howard giving up on this wedge just yet.
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RB, I'm afraid I tend to lean towards brutal cynicism when it comes to the Rodent and election campaigns, which in the context of the issue that they are trying to address is a terrible thing to say.
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ESPN’s dumb-and-dumber coverage of European Soccerball is enough to put me off the channel for life
Oooh yeah, lets not get started on Tommy Smyth 'wid a Y'.
The absolute zen master of talking complete bollocks - able to pass sweeping - and completely wrong - generalisations about a game after just a few minutes of play, able to completely mis-interpret the evidence of our own eyes in a way that suggests he is simply guessing about whats going on out there.
Now there is a commentator that really farks with my blood pressure. Have another whiskie Smythie.
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Not picking on our guys in particular, I don't think they are any better or worse than their offshore peers, and I guess there is space for every type of commentator, from the one-eyed fanboy, to the gushy romantic in love with the higher virtues of the game, to the 'just the facts' expert commentator.
I'm all for mixing humour with commentary, so I tend to prefer the likes of Kerry O'Keefe, and Dennis Commetti in the AFL, but that said, I've always thought that Ian Smith was by far our best sideline comments man - where has Smithy gone?