Is it Racism?

New Zealand Maori Member of Parliament, Hone Harawira caused a ruction when he called Australia's Prime Minister Howard a "racist bastard"for his new policy to invade the Aboriginal communities and change their behavioural patterns. He was called to task by his own Maori party for the personal attack, but they also noted their belief there is deep-seated racism in Australia's general attitude to their Aboriginal population.
This would be hard to deny because the Aboriginal people have suffered serious injustice ever since the first colonialists arrived. From 1910 to 1970 an estimated one-third of all Aboriginal children were forcibly taken from their family and forced to live in a European community in an effort to 'civilize' them. In the eyes of the government at that time Aboriginal's did not even exist and were not included in the census until 1967.
The policy over recent years has been segregation and separate development. It is a policy which did not work in the United States or Canada and is not working in Australia. Living on reservations does not contribute to human development but to despair. Look no further for the high rate of alcoholism and suicide in the Aboriginal population.
It is good to know that Australia is at least attempting to do something to protect the Aboriginal children from abuse, however misguided the methods used. But let us hope that this is not the end and that it will lead to a more sympathetic policy toward the whoe Aboriginal population