EDITORIAL : THE AUSTRALIAN, AUSTRALIA

 

Macklin must move forward 

 

THE Northern Territory needs a second intervention.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin talks the talk on improving the lot of Aborigines trapped in dysfunctional bush communities. She knows government assistance must be matched by individuals committed to improving their circumstances. And she has walked the walk, continuing the Howard government's Northern Territory intervention, which committed resources to improving health and cracked down on sexual violence, substance abuse and child neglect. Ms Macklin's policy of quarantining welfare payments, to ensure recipients feed their children, not their addictions, addresses a problem too long ignored by the welfare lobby.

But it is time for Ms Macklin to pick up the pace. Certainly the intervention has had some successes. Some 1700 welfare recipients whose payments were quarantined have turned their lives around and now properly provide for their children. School attendance rates are close to 100 per cent in targeted communities. But the intervention has not transformed the Territory. Alcohol abuse and the violence that accompanies it is still endemic in some indigenous communities, especially around Alice Springs. It will take a generation before children growing up in communities where welfare is a way of life learn this need not be the norm. Above all, as Cape York leader Noel Pearson points out, public servants make too many decisions, rather than local leaders with the moral authority to push through change. Last October this newspaper revealed the intervention had led to a doubling in the number of public servants working on indigenous assistance in the Northern Territory.

Ms Macklin's task is to address such issues in a second intervention. Securing support for it should not be difficult. Last night Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called for a renewed effort. In contrast, indigenous opposition seems strongest among urban Aborigines in the universities and public service, men and women so removed from remote communities they focus on the intervention as a breach of UN agreements. As the minister responsible for the most disadvantaged Australians, Ms Macklin is obliged to ignore these critics. She should take Mr Abbott at his word, consult with indigenous leaders on the ground and get moving. The need for the Northern Territory intervention is nowhere near over.

Babies are an economic bonus

 

ANGLICAN Church should not resist a significant Australia.

Strange it is that on a day the head of the Church of England is overseeing her grandson's wedding and probably hoping for progeny to extend the line, the Anglican Church of Australia has been forced to defend its faith in procreation. A submission to government by the general synod's public affairs commission suggests the axing of the baby bonus and "any policy that provides an incentive specifically and primarily to increase Australia's population". It also wants immigration cut and repudiates economic growth via population growth.

This is symptomatic of the short-sighted "small Australia" mindset that both major parties pandered to at last year's election. The suggestion that our vast, richly resourced and innovative nation is somehow nearing capacity is as foolish as it is selfish. Clearly we have the space and resources to expand our population, and a charitable, even Christian, interpretation of our global responsibilities might suggest we have a duty to share our prosperity with as many people, native-born and immigrant, as possible.

The Australian supports a big Australia and, while we need to sensibly manage our population growth and infrastructure provision within economic and environmental constraints, we are a long way from capacity. Population growth is vital for our economic development and the baby bonus has won bipartisan support as a practical way of supporting and encouraging families. And families, we are unashamedly old-fashioned enough to point out, are the best form of social welfare anyone can rely upon.

Independent MP Tony Windsor is a longstanding baby bonus critic and has welcomed the latest call, which will no doubt win support from fringe green groups who have a "small" vision for Australia. The church realises the anti-baby bonus and anti-immigration submission to the government's population strategy will offend some of its flock and so is quick to point out these views were not endorsed by the general synod but merely proffered by a "special think tank". It is too easy for politicians and others to prey on people's social, economic and environmental anxieties and suggest all will be better if we can just keep more of this land for ourselves. The truth is our prosperity, influence and ability to develop and manage our environment all depend upon a dynamic population.

Prince's long walk lifts spirits around the world

 

REPUBLICANS and royals can unite over a happy occasion.

Pomp and circumstance aside, at the heart of today's royal wedding is the joy and optimism of two young people pledging to devote their lives to each other. Perplexing as it might seem, even to the couple themselves, millions of people around the world happen to share in their hopes and happiness. Taken in the appropriate spirit, this can only be a good thing.

The last time a royal ceremony attracted this much attention was almost 14 years ago for the funeral of Prince William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales. On that sad occasion the sympathy of the world rested on the shoulders of the 15-year-old prince and his brother Harry walking behind the coffin. So the goodwill, and even proud thoughts, of millions of strangers will accompany this young man as he walks down the aisle of Westminster Abbey on an altogether happier occasion.

On one side of the metaphorical aisle the cynics will scowl, disappointed only that the ABC was blocked from broadcasting a mockery of the whole event, and on the other side no doubt many addicted to celebrity will over-indulge in gossip and hype. Somewhere between will be most Australians, wishing the young couple a contented future, enjoying some of the glamour and pageantry, marvelling at the enduring nature of the British monarchy, and admiring the fact that Prince William seems to have inherited much of his grandmother's dignity and all of his mother's charm. Many gathered around televisions tonight will look at his elegant and sensible bride, Kate Middleton, and simply say, he has chosen well. Good on them.

While the ultimately sad story of Lady Diana Spencer has often seen Prince Charles and the royal family derided as cold and calculating, this same family must take some credit for the apparently fine young man William has become. Aside from all the hoopla and the public's voracious enthusiasm, it is after all a significant family day for the royals, the Middletons and, of course, the Spencers. For Kate's sake, let us hope lessons have been learned.

Here in the antipodes it is only natural that this occasion, involving in leading roles our current head of state and at least our next two, should prompt some discussion of the push for an Australian republic. As our Newspoll showed this week, the mood for change is not strong and has, in fact, been on the wane. Some of this can be attributed to respect for the royals but much also to a benign lack of interest.

The Australian continues to support a non-hereditary and Australian head of state for our nation but we recognise also that the current constitutional arrangements have served us well. Given the great challenges confronting us, not least the indigenous disadvantage discussed below, it is understandable that Australians are in no hurry. The republic is simply not a first-order issue and may not be again for some time.

So today represents more than a fairy tale. Many Australians will look to the royals with a strong fealty, grateful for their stability and mindful of the duty they and their antecedents have shown in times of trouble, epitomised by Prince William's late great-grandmother in London during World War II. Those of us who don't share those loyalties would do best not to mock but just to switch over and watch the footy.