NEWS: Australia Bans Booze and Porn…Unless You’re White.

Yeah you're probably right there actually. I wasn't thinking about how much media coverage we got here in "The Shire" displaying us as racist morons with beer in hand. Honestly I'm not sure if there was any real overseas coverage after the Redfern riots (the ones after the death of TJ Hickey).
I thought throwing bottles at the Ambulance officers on that fateful day in Cronulla was absolute gold though. Who is stupid enough to assault a medical practitioner? They weren't arresting people or even really trying to defend themselves they were trying to help people. It's like kicking a doctor in the nuts while trying to perform open-heart surgery.

And I agree with anyone who drinks James Squire.

i saw on the news or current affair last night that Redfern and Cherbourg are actually getting things together of late,and thats by involving everyone.
sorry im not so great with the details as to how exactly its being done.

I have to say that what Noel Pearson had to say on these issues on the 7:30 report was pretty simillar with how I would approach such problems within any community.

---Political Aside---

I do find it interesting that it has taken 11 years (give or take) in office for the Howard government to discover this crisis in aboriginal communities. I also find it amazing that after years of telling us we don't need faster internet connection speeds (former communications minister Senator Alston), the Howard government rolls out a plan to bring faster internet speeds to the nation. Not to mention it suddenly getting behind climate change and at least vocalising that it is real and we need to do something about it.

Seriously I think we should have an election every other year considering the rate of knots policy and action is being taken on various issues this year... although which of these items will end up being "core" or "non core" promises to be abandonded after the next election is anyones guess.

I had never heard Noel speak until I watched Lateline last night. His passion really got to me actually. What a smart man, I hope people start listening to him.

I don't think Howard believes in global warming - he's just trying to be in with the cool crowd because it's election time.

Yep, more elections would keep them more honest (give them less time to try to take advantage of the short memories of the swinging constituents), but unfortunately it would also turn the focus even further away from looking for long term solutions to problems.

I love that distinction between core and non core promises you made - there should be laws against that sort of behaviour - "crimes against democracy". Unfortunately the government makes the laws, and they don't want to be held accountable for their failing to actively pursue something they only said to get (back) into power.

aussie's see the front page of the age today and see why John Howard has chosen to do this now - he's slime - it's the children overboard of 07 - dick cheese.

Links are your friend.

Wait a second... about the Prohibition thing? Won't the criminal element of Australia start bootlegging alcohol, same as happened here in the US during the age of prohibition? Or just smuggle it?

Since the ban might last more than six months, and beer can be made in a matter of weeks, there's profit to be made. Can the local governments patrol that much land?

That much land is exactly the reason that they won't do it - Imagine if the US government decided to prohibit alcohol to very small Native American communities with a few hundred very poor individuals in each, and that all these communities are located hundreds of kilometres from each other all in the middle of the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, and all are thousands of Kilometres away from the nearest big cities where the vast majority of organised crime is located. Doesn't sound like viable business for bootleggers to me.

Says it all...

The nearest town? I don't think that would be happening in the middle of Oz. Well, not unless someone was so desperate for booze and porn that they were willing to make a 13h trip to get it.

...

Actually, maybe it is possible...

Suggestion, you all read up on Aboriginal Lore. You will find it very interesting reading. and the mes the the Murris are in was made by the so called white people started 2 Centuries back and now we are cleaning up or mess and trying to get the aboriginal community back on its feet. both the Murries and the Kooris have more rights than the rest of Australia. I know plenty of Aboriginals who I call Friends and am proud to be with and at the moment are trying to fix their own problems. the thing here in Australia is we are trying to be a united country where race and colour do not exist as a whole.

You'd be surprised what measures people go to when they are desperate for alcohol (like drink methylated spirits or sniff glue).

Aboriginal settlements are never too far from a major town, usually a couple of hours away at the most, often, a lot closer than that.