D-Day comes next week for the Northern Territory: but for Aboriginal people there is no likelihood of change.

From this:
To this:

In such a short time!

The life of Aboriginal Public Policy ne'er does run smooth!

I have foreborne to comment on the defection of Alison Anderson from Labor Party ranks in the Northern Territory. What to say? All I can say about Anderson is this - her reputation long preceded her election to the Northern Territory Parliament. Have a read, dear Networker, of the hatchet job that Russell Skelton has done in to-day's Age.

Scrymgour is back from the cold but, from the Party song-sheet point of view, hardly singing in tune. Could I please correct that, dear Networker? I think Marion may well be singing in tune with the Northern Territory and Federal Governments striking horribly discordant notes on Aboriginal Public Policy.

However, Scrymgour was not given a portfolio position. In fact, there has been no new appointment to the front bench. Henderson re-distributed the portfolios and the lucky person to get Indigenous Affairs is.....

Malarndirri McCarthy

Which raises the question...

How many black women is the Australian Labor Party

going to sacrifice, burn, wipe out

to push its racist Aboriginal Public Policy?

Now Malarndirri, formerly Barbara,

the Member for Arnhem and

defacto Member for her hometown of Borroloola,

may stand a better chance than the others.

She has moved around in the whitefellas world,

is most articulate,

and done quite a stint at the ABC

where she started life as a trainee.

But she has tilted at the government before.

So as the NT News says,

D-Day is just ahead.

Next week could be a dramatic week

in the Northern Territory.

But.....

if there is an election,

if the Country Liberals win government,

what will change for Aboriginal people.

Is it a case,

Heads You Lose, Tails I Win?

I feel I can safely predict one thing.

Unless the Rudd Government changes its tune

(unlikely),

Aboriginal people will lose out once again.

Please, Rudd and Macklin, listen.

Your approach is all wrong.

It will not bear fruit only barrenness.

You are still, as so many before you have done,

driving Aboriginal people and communities into the ground.

My only hope is that somehow

Warren Snowdon and Trish Crossin

can, behind the scenes,

bring some sense into the situation.

For the sake of the Aboriginal people of the NT.