No Welcome, no smoking ceremonies

By Joanna Hackett

I acknowledge those proud Quadrant contributors past and present, who ask despairingly what the lone individual can do when the enemy circles.

Josie hurled her knitting across the room and followed it with the remote. She hit the ABC reporter right smack in the face as intended.

The television spluttered and went dark.

“Smarmy bitch,” she muttered. Her cat, Cat, gave her a belligerent look and stalked into the kitchen. “I’ve had enough of this nonsense, Cat,” she said loudly. “I may be old but I’m not stupid. How dare they do this to my country.”

She sat quietly for a minute. The room was gloomy and cold and the hot water bottle on her lap was clammy. Josie had survived war and depression, worked hard and paid her dues. She loved Australia but now it seemed to be falling apart. Sometimes she felt as if she no longer belonged here, like a piece of detritus. That new little Prime Minister was prancing around parroting on about enshrining his precious voice in the Constitution so that 3 per cent of the population could tell the remaining 97 per cent where to go. That was obviously as ridiculous and damaging as his push for net zero, or men giving birth through their penises.

Read on

Do not welcome me to my home

Being a fifth generation Aussie and responsible for two more generations; having served in the military for 25 years both in peace and war; having been a JP serving my community for over 20 years and having served on charity boards I consider Australia My Country and refuse to be “welcomed” to it by some nondescript Indigenous chap who presumes to lecture me on the sins of my forefathers.

Lincoln Brown at the The Spectator agrees with me.

The notion that Australians must be welcomed or invited to their own country by Indigenous leaders – as occurs at the opening of state and federal parliaments, conferences, and school assemblies – is a divisive and destructive one.

This practice, while it may appear reasonable or harmless, is a manifestation of the ongoing assault on Australia’s Western heritage and implies that non-Indigenous Australians, whose families have called Australia home for many generations, do not really belong here.

I recently attended an event where the audience (mostly comprised of Australians with European heritage) were ‘welcomed’ by an Indigenous speaker. It was a pitiful display of bitterness, resentment, and even hatred towards white Australians. Indeed, it was little more than a scolding for the colour of their skin.

The speaker bluntly stated that Australia still belongs to ‘First Nations’ people (a nonsensical and ahistorical term lifted from Canada’s debates about colonialism) and does not belong to so-called ‘white people’ (or presumably any other migrant families). He then asserted that the audience needed to learn Australia’s ‘true history’. This, even though ignorance of Australia’s British heritage has never been more apparent than it is now.

It was an overtly adversarial presentation – devoid of hope or a positive vision for Australians. Not a trace of recognition for the fact that Indigenous people enjoy the same fundamental rights that all Australians enjoy, or the tremendous efforts that governments, charities, and individuals have put into improving life for Indigenous Australians over many decades. Instead, the speaker aggressively asserted that Indigenous people are still colonised and that white people must continue to be reminded of this until colonialism ends.

The belief that all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, have a right to call the country in which we were born home is now openly attacked.

The desired outcome for such activists is unclear. How, exactly, will we know when enough has been done to overcome racism? What measurable goals must be achieved? When will we be able to congratulate ourselves for elevating Indigenous voices and dismantling colonialism enough? Will it be when all references to Christianity are removed from the national curriculum, as was attempted (and, thankfully, negated) last year? Or when we abolish the Australian flag? At what point will we have made enough progress?

Ironically, as I flew home on a Qantas jet, the pilot acknowledged the traditional custodians of the state I was returning home to. It is a strange form of colonialism in which major corporations, from airlines to the AFL, feel the need to constantly remind everyone that the land belongs to Indigenous people. One would think that if racism were the ubiquitous problem that we are told it is then major corporations would not bother with such sentiments.

White people, as nebulous as that concept is, are not guests in Australia. My ancestors were also born and raised here many generations ago. No one should be made to feel guilty for the colour of their skin or blamed for the actions of people who have long since died. This attribution of historical, collective guilt to an entire group of people due to their ethnicity is not only racist but is a symptom of a dying Australia. It is a direct, ideological assault on Western values based on selective distortions of history and the Marxist idea of class guilt, now applied to race, which divides humanity into ‘oppressed’ and ‘oppressor’ classes and ascribes sinfulness or virtue based on whatever group one happens to belong to.

If you are Indigenous, you are a victim, and therefore virtuous. If you are white, you are an oppressor, and therefore sinful. If you disagree, this demonstrates that you are entrenched in your oppressor privilege, which makes you more of a racist.

This is a dangerous fiction.

The reality that nobody is allowed to acknowledge, but everyone knows, is that Indigenous Australians not only enjoy the same basic rights as everyone else but are now viewed by mainstream institutions such as government, media, and education as having a kind of culturally protected status thanks to policies concerned with promoting ‘equity’. Such policies mean that Indigenous people have access to a range of opportunities, from scholarships to employment, that non-Indigenous people do not.
Welfare policies for Indigenous people abound, yet so do high rates of alcoholism, abuse, imprisonment, and early deaths in Indigenous communities. Is this because of racism? How many more apologies, more welcomes to country, more equity programs, are needed to remedy these issues and undo the supposed harms of our colonial heritage? Or could it be that these policies, which negate personal responsibility (that nasty colonial idea), do more harm than good?

People are afraid to suggest these things because they will be accused of racism. To call someone a racist is one of the most destructive slurs available. It destroys careers and reputations. This constant threat of ostracism for saying ‘the wrong thing’ is a cudgel the Left wields to shut down debate and discussion about how to view Australian history and how issues in Indigenous communities can be addressed. The tragic irony is that ‘welcome’ ceremonies, apologies, and other pointless gestures do nothing whatsoever to address the real and serious problems faced by Indigenous communities (especially those who live in remote areas). The virtue-signalling activists do not care about helping them, only about getting revenge on white people, and promoting themselves as victims.

None of this is likely to be new to most readers of The Spectator Australia. We know that Western values are under attack and that Australian history is more complex than being entirely good or entirely bad.

What is needed is the courage to say the unsayable: it is not right for white people to be chastised for their skin colour, nor is it right to blame every problem that Indigenous people face on so-called racism. This assault on Western values only ends when cancel culture is countered with courage culture, and name-calling stops being a weapon that can be used against people who see through the pernicious cultural-Marxist worldview.

Lincoln Brown can be found over on Twitter.

Greatest invasion ever!

Turnbull says we invaded Australia- Abbott said we occupied. If it was an invasion then the 245 marines that accompanied Phillip would have been the greatest force multiplier ever assembled. Statistically greater than the D Day force at Normanby or Ghengis Khan’s mob that overrun Europe. 7.7million square kilometers, hundreds of thousands of locals and 245 Marines sorted them out. Not only did they do this but they did it with Phillip stating Rules of Engagement that ordered them to treat the Aboriginals kindly and to establish harmonious relations with them. Abbott is right and the Invasion mob should stop playing around with the English language.  

Australia Day

I could’ve picked the AOTY by just selecting the last person I would choose for the honour. Well, it used to be an honour and I used to think they were far better men or women than, me but over the last three years at least, it is not the case. Three years ago we had an Aboriginal whose claim to fame were as follows; He could play football, He publicaly ridiculed a teenage girl accusing her of racism, and He  found it hard to say “I am proud to be Australian” after seeing Pilger’s ‘Utopia’  Not proud to be an Australian…John Pilger…Utopia… We then had a woman, a long term victim of domestic violence, who left her young son in the care of the main perpetrator of this violence, whereupon he beat the kid to death with a cricket bat! My role model would’ve kept the kid away from the bastard, not hand him over for slaughter. Now today we have a retired General who’s only claim to fame is a speech he gave accusing the military of misogyny telling them if they didn’t like women in the the ADF they should get out. This seemed to be based on the fact that some male soldiers were hitting on some female soldiers. Some cases were criminal or offensive but the rate of such offenses in the military was much less than the civilian rate and anyway, if soldiers commit offences then charge them and if warranted discharge them. You don’t start with the premise that problems are rife when they clearly aren’t. The speech was written by an Army officer who was a man but now claims to be a woman. FFS The General says his main points over the tenure of his honour will be domestic violence, diversity, the gender pay gap and the republican movement. I would like to think the AOTY award would recognize people who had excelled in their field  thus representing what’s best about Australia, not some doom and gloom activist whose whole outlook is concentrating on the minuscule number of hormone driven offences, slaughtered babies or teenage football fans. Those indigenous of the perpetually offended type call it Invasion Day.  Some fool even had a pic of himself with a banner accusing Cook of invading in 1788, some years after Cook’s death.  Phillips, who was actually the guy who came in 1788 was very fair to the indigenous, tried to help where he could and showed restraint when attacked, but apparently the great unwashed occupying Facebook and Twitter don’t even know of Phillip.  The indigenous have done well from us whities but there are plenty of fools who would wish we had never came; what with our medicine, transport, alcohol, decent and plentiful food, roads, railways, sit down money and money for grants the whole thing makes me think of the Monty Python Sketch on What did the Romans ever do for us? The Left attack any sign of patriotism.  Flags are a no no as is lamb (currently cooking in my BBQ) and we all  should bow to the God of Multiculturalism.  Most who have come from overseas have fitted in well but the later Muslim wave is a worry.  They will always put religion before nation and seem to go out of the way not to fit in. Open borders would leave us in a fools paradise and if we’re not careful we well may experience the associated problems in Europe where member nations are asking Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel “What have you done?” Reminds me of Rudyard Kippling and his poem on the problem; This was my father’s belief And this is also mine: Let the corn be all one sheaf– And the grapes be all one vine, Ere our children’s teeth are set on edge By bitter bread and wine. Makes me think. But no too much as I have to get the lamb roast just right for tonight’s dinner.  I’m using the BBQ for the first time and all seems well.  Apple pie and custard (my Mum’s recipe) will follow. I’ll be thinking of what makes Australia great and that’s  a whole lot more than what might be wrong with this great nation. Have a good day and ignore the whingers. UPDATE: Quadrant has more on Morrison’s appointment.
What we don’t hear often are the voices saying that Morrison demoralised the army with his “feminisation” of the service, which scandalously included taxpayer-funded sex-change operations. Or that his concerns about gender-bashing came very late in his career. The enthusiasm for his YouTube clip effectively snuffed out any analysis of the Morrison style: the fierce, almost jihadist fanaticism in his eyes, the tightened facial muscles, what might be taken by some to be a self-righteous vindictiveness lurking in his delivery. Those who puzzled as to why the Chief of Army needed to deal so publicly with an internal disciplinary matter involving spotty cadets and a hidden video camera might just have glimpsed the unleashing of a political ambition fettered for four decades by military discipline.
And Miranda Devine has a go.
While Australian soldiers were dying in Afghanistan, Morrison was talking about social ­engineering concerns such as gender equity. Fourteen soldiers died between July 2011 and July 2014 in that dangerous and confusing war, when Morrison was chief of Army. But instead of the leadership that ​soldiers at the frontline may have ​craved, they got flowery speeches decrying masculinity and patriarchy to mark International Women’s Day at the United Nations.
 

AFL forget what it’s all about

Here’s an idea AFL. Stop bringing politics into sport. If I want politics I’ll access it through the media.  When I watch football, I just want to watch football.  I don’t want to get involved in whatever indigenous activism is cool this week.  I don’t care if the players are black, white or brindle.  They are just good athletes and a joy to watch.  Or they were until you brought in racism. Apparently this week is Multicultural Round.  There you go again – it’s supposed to be about football, nothing more, nothing less. Let me know when you get the message and I’ll start watching again Oh, and another thing – threatening Aussies with dire treatment if they boo Sooky la la Goodes tonight will most probably guarantee more booing.  

Goodes’ campaign continues

Adam Goodes’ campaign for pre-selection continues as Chip Le Grand, his current campaign manager, gets another above-the fold front page article in today’s Australian. The article draws hundreds of comments, a lot of which point out that the spectators are booing Goodes because he once publicly abused and humiliated a teenage girl. Most Australians don’t like large, adult males abusing teenage girls. Chip ignores this opinion because it doesn’t suit his agenda but the spectators don’t and won’t in the future. If it is racist then one needs to ask the questions – why aren’t all the other indigenous players boo’d. What is it that sets Goodes apart?  I would have to say it is his activist profile.  All the other guys are in football to play while Goodes is, at this stage of his career,  in football for political activist reasons and the crowd don’t like it.  They go to the game to be entertained with football skills, not to be harangued and called racists as part of one man’s campaign for pre-selection or Reconciliation. Subsequent to the abuse incident he was appointed Australian of the Year and since then, this current campaign aside, has been noted for his absence in the media on subjects other than football, with one extreme example.  In early March he announced that he now finds it hard to say I am proud to be Australian after seeing Pilger’s ‘Utopia’  Not proud to be an Australian…John Pilger…Utopia…FFS who is advising this man? John Pilger is an expat Australian who, simply put, hates us.  He has made a career out of this hatred and for years has penned propaganda that always reflects poorly on Australia and whatever he says has little impact outside of the Green-Left of the political divide.  That is, about 10 % of the community give Pilger any credit whatsoever.  This 10%, of course, encompasses the ABC and SBS where he is often seen talking about his hatred of Australia – but we expect that. Back to today’s article.
Michael O’Loughlin was watching Sydney play West Coast when his seven-year-old son James turned to him with a question he could not easily answer: “Dad, why are they booing uncle?’’
It is the question all of football — and much of the nation — is now grappling with, as the AFL, Sydney and opposition clubs look for a way to stop crowd abuse of Adam Goodes.
Good ploy – play the cute little nephew. Pure Facebook campaigning. ..as the AFL, Sydney and opposition clubs look for a way to stop crowd abuse of Adam Goodes.  With all the recent press on the mater, with more people remembering his abuse of the teenager, I don’t think the crowd are going to forgive him anytime soon. He says he is campaigning for Reconciliation but I see little conciliation in starting the debate by saying it is hard for him to be proud to be Australian because, according to left wing Pilger, we are all racists. I predict his post-football career will be in politics where his character will be well and truly tested when the crowd becomes all of Australia, not just a few thousand at a footy match. Will he be able to cut it? That remains to be seen.

It’s not racism

Watching ABC Morning news and they seem confused.  The subject of Adam Goods come up and apparently people are booing him at matches whenever he touched the ball Their take on the matter was racism. I’ve got an alternative thought – people don’t like him because as a  hulking 6 foot plus fit footballer he publicly singled out a pudgy, naive 13 year old teenage girl for ridicule in the national media. Way to go hero. People simply don’t like men who abuse kids.

Constitution change

James Patterson in The Australian
There is no place for laws that apply to someone because of their race in 21st-century Australia. Laws aimed at addressing disadvantage should apply because of the needs of the individual — not their skin colour.
He goes on to say;
The change Australia should make to its Constitution is to remove all references to race. The so-called “race power” in section 51 (xxvi), which gives the parliament the power to make laws for “the people of any race”, has no role in our modern, tolerant and diverse democracy. Section 25, which governs how to deal with state governments that restrict eligibility to vote on the basis of race, should also be removed.
That sums up my feelings exactly. A lot of Australian’s are spending time and energy garnering support for the constitutional change that will not make Indigenous life one iota better. It will help some people, both white and black Australians, develop a warm inner glow but it will be of no practical use. A warm inner glows does not create jobs, educate kids, protect women and kids from sexual and physical abuse or give the indigenous citizens a chance for a better life. It will not get the young men motivated to refuse drugs nor will it develop a work ethic. As Patterson says;
At best, it will recite historical facts no one disagrees with and contain aspirational platitudes everyone supports.

Goodes needs to broaden his horizons

Adam Goodes, current Australian of the Year, is proving a contentious choice.  Other than Aussie Rules fans, very few Aussies had heard of Adam until he abused a 13 year old girl at football match for saying “Way to go, you Ape”  or whatever.  He took this as a racist statement and called for her to be removed from the grandstand, which she was. He is reported as “being gutted” by the girl’s words. In my youth, on the football field, I’ve been called “Big hairy ape” because, basically, I am big and hairy. Well at least that’s what I thought, but obviously there are different interpretations of the term and every man has the right to call it for what he believes.  If Adam Goodes has been referred to as an Ape previously and took it as a racist statement then that is his right.  But seriously, we are talking about a 13 year old girl who,  when she says “I didn’t mean it to be racist” has to be believed, or,  at least given the benefit of the doubt. So when he was announced as Australian of the Year, the only way most Australians knew him was because of this incident.  Depending on your viewpoint, he was thusly appointed due solely to his being the victim of a racist attack, or, because,  as a hulking 6 foot plus fit footballer he abused a pudgy 13 year old teenage girl. Either interpretation is not a good basis for selection. If the Selection Board wanted to appoint an indigenous Aussie as Australian of the Year I can think of dozens, off the top of my head, who,  with greater intelligence and political savvy, could do much more for their people.  Pick your favourite from this list So now he is the Australian of the Year,  a position wherebye the encumbent is expected to draw together different parts of the community and thus help his or their cause, in this case,  the cause of indigenous Aussies. Since becoming AOTY Goodes has been noted for his absence in the media on subjects other than football, with one extreme example.  Earlier this week he announced that he now finds it hard to say I am proud to be Australian after seeing Pilger’s ‘Utopia’  Not proud to be an Australian…John Pilger…Utopia…FFS who is advising this man? John Pilger is an expat Australian who, simply put, hates us.  He has made a career out of this hatred and for years has penned propaganda that always reflects poorly on Australia and whatever he says has little impact outside of the Green-Left of the political divide.  That is, about 10 % of the community give Pilger any credit whatsoever.  This 10%, of course, ecompasses the ABC and SBS where he is often seen talking about his hatred of Australia – but we expect that. Adam Goodes take on Utopia. Adam, heads up mate, you have just alienated 90% of the population, or, at least, 90% of those who are politically aware. NOT the way to go. To approach the problem of indigenous Aussies simply from the “racist attack” point of view is ignoring the elephant in the room.  It ignores the damage indigenous Aussies do to themselves and to quote Pilger, who blames all problems on white Australia, gets us nowhere. If, as Adam Goodes believes,  hostility to John Pilgers film is a denial of the nations brutal past  then Goodes and Pilger are equally guilty of denying the present and this denial bodes poorly for the future. Look around you Adam.  Look at the programmes that are helping your disadvantaged mates and build on that.  Look at child and women abuse, alchohol and drug dependancies, lack of support for education, waste and theft of governmet monies and use your position to agitate for improvements.  Start another education scholarship system as an adjunct to your help for young Aussies in the field of football. Expand your horizons and seek advise outside the Green-Left political arena or most will simply wait until you’re gone and that would be a shame…a waste of the hopes of a lot of people… a waste of a chance to help. UPDATE: I have include some extracts from an interview by Bess Price, one of those I thought would make a better AOTY than Goodes.  It is listed on the RHS Menu under “Worth Reading”
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