'An excellent diagnosis of Australia's mind-set.' - Jeff McMullen journalist, author, film maker Deep in our hearts, all Australians know that white Australia was established on land which did not belong to us. Some of us assert that Aboriginal people should simply take advantage of opportunities offered by white society. Others turn this guilt inwards and feel helpless in the face of the appalling conditions in which many of the original inhabitants now live. Successive government policies of obliteration, assimilation, cultural maintenance and intervention have manifestly failed to bridge the gulf between black and white Australians, and to improve the lives of many Aboriginal Australians. We are stuck. Sarah Maddison argues that there's no point in looking again to governments for a solution. Rather, it's up to us, all of us. We need to acknowledge our collective responsibility, change at a deep level, and develop a revitalised view of our national self. Only then will we develop policies and practical solutions that work.
