Children as young as four being left

alone for not just a few hours but for days at a time?

If this was happening in an urban area and you were not "aboriginal" then your parent would be in court. You would be removed from their care.

If you are "aboriginal" and living in a remote community then apparently things are done differently. You might have older siblings or cousins who will see to it that you eventually get something to eat - if there is any food in the house - they might even do a bit of actual caring if you are lucky.

Someone mentioned the report about this to me and asked if I thought it really was true. Sadly and distressingly my answer was that it was not only true but it would not be an isolated incident.

I am commenting on this now, while I can. It is all too likely that saying something like this in the future will result in a demand to "take it down" or it will be removed and I will be unable to post anything at all on a blog. I may not even be able to have a blog.

Yes, there are two issues here. The first is the issue of the care of the aboriginal child. The second is the present government's attempts to take control of what we can see, hear and do on the internet. The claim they are only trying to remove the harm done by misinformation is nonsense. Misinformation? If the government does not like something does this mean it can be removed? Yes, of course it does.The idea of robust debate is not something any government relishes if it means they may lose votes. All those comments about non-competitive grants to golf courses would have to go. Any questions about "platinum" access to the lounge at the airport would be considered "misinformation" even though the vast majority of the mileage was paid for by taxpayers. 

Those are just two examples in the last few days. There has also been the refusal to even debate the urgent need to review the Act which has left women without rights to safe places.

Perhaps all of that pales into insignificance however when children are not being cared for because to do so might mean their removal from their families and their community. We are being told that they must remain there "because we cannot have another Stolen Generation". If you believe that then do you actually care at all? 

Recently I was directed to an article in a "reputable" newspaper on the other side of the world. If the article is correct then a mother now has a criminal conviction for the sin of allowing her four year old child to walk a half a mile alone - without adult supervision. Once the child would have walked twice that distance and done it twice a day. Yes, there were risks involved but the benefits were seen as outweighing the risks. I suspect someone allowing their child to do that here would also find their child was on an "at risk" register. A parent might well find themselves in court.   

In a remote community of aboriginal people it seems it is a different story. To do anything might mean taking the child away from their family and community. That takes precedence over the safety and well being of the child. We are told that the priority here is "family" and "culture". The reality is that, all too often, neither of these things exist in a meaningful way. Those responsible allow the lies about those things to continue but talk about them and the label "racist" is quickly applied. 

The person who directed me to the article is aboriginal. She wanted to know what I thought. Her views on the issue would get her banned from the internet - but they might protect children.