Past Programs
Indigenous - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander - 2007
Indigenous futures
04/12/2007
Our discussion today is about indigenous futures ... How important is saying 'sorry' to gain the trust of indigenous people? And on a more practical level, what's the future of hybrid economies, the CDEP scheme, and healthcare? Is indigenous policy a new dilemma, or a new incentive for Labor, in establishing where responsibilities between the Federal Government crosses over with the States and Territories?
The future of rural healthcare
07/11/2007
The drought barely rated a mention in the Great Debate, and at this stage of the election campaign, rural health seems to rate fairly low on the agenda.
A new Rural Health Action Group -- an unusual alliance including the Farmers' Federation and the Rural Doctors Association -- is hoping to solve the problem of diminishing primary healthcare in the bush.
So, what works and what doesn't work for health services in the rural and regional Australia? Is it rating high enough on the election barometer? Do we need a national approach?
Remote and regional labour markets
02/10/2007
Today we're looking at the challenge of building and retaining a skilled workforce in remote and regional Australia. With the CDEP scheme being phased out in many remote communities in the Top End, what does private enterprise and government need to do to support long-term employment opportunities?
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Stolen generation compensation
06/08/2007
On today's program we're looking at the implications of the landmark compensation payout in South Australia to a survivor of the Stolen Generations. With the Commonwealth again dismissing calls for a central fund; what will this precedent mean for the states and the other Aboriginal people affected by the former policy?
Government intervention in Indigenous communities
18/07/2007
An update on the federal government's response to the child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities of the Northern Territory ... with the Western Australian government also requesting help.
But is the need to upgrade the permit system and wanting to reclaim Aboriginal land a step too far?
Indigenous self determination and the federal intervention
25/06/2007
After an enormous week in indigenous affairs in Australia our first program of the week will ask what the federal government's intervention means for Aboriginal self-determination, a key indigenous aspiration. And we'll touch on another issue that hasn't gone away; aboriginal deaths in custody...
Stories From Country
18/05/2007
Long after we've gone, what remains behind? It's the land itself; the earth that bears witness to our lives, our journeys, and to our family stories. On our next program we're looking at black and white Australians memories of country - and how memories of our land are kept and transmitted.
For First Australians, there are many etchings, carvings, songs and paintings that tell part of their history. Non-indigenous Australians have their own stories of loving the land too, through poetry, song and stories remembered.
In the democratic forum that is Australia Talks, we're keen to hear your stories of life, family and ancestors who've lived in this land. What are your stories from country?
Crime in rural Australia
08/05/2007
Our national conversation today is about rural crime. Far from the myth of 'the bush' being an idyllic setting for harmonious family relationships, the gap between 'rural' and 'urban' is narrowing, and there's far more violent crime happening there than previously realised.
A new book Crime in Rural Australia shows that the incidence of violent crime is twice as high in the regions as metropolitan centres ... but only half of those crimes are actually reported.
And the term 'indigenous crime' is used as a cover for the silence around violent crimes within rural white families.
So, what are the community dynamics around the reporting of crime and violence in rural Australia?
Nomadism
26/04/2007
Robyn Davidson is perhaps best known in Australia for her account of her 1977 journey from Alice Springs to the coast of Western Australia, in her book Tracks. Some called her the Camel Lady; she describes herself as a 'nomad'.
Through her travels in India and Tibet she's witnessed first-hand the way governments treat tribal people, the'nomads'. They are always a problem to be managed. So why do governments think that sedentary is better or easier than nomadism?
Rock Art And Resources
18/04/2007
The Burrup Peninsula is considered the world's largest rock art site; 1 million irreplaceable rock carvings - some nearly 9,000 years old - including representations of the extinct thylacine or 'Tasmania Tiger' on the Australian mainland dating back 3,000 years. Put that cultural heritage up against plans by Woodside Petroleum to expand and exploit gas holdings in its Pluto fields and the potential to generate 17.6 billion dollars to the national economy and over 3,000 jobs to local communities; and you have a classic debate which goes to the core of how cultural heritage is managed in 21st century Australia.
HIV/AIDS - Illusions and Truths Read Transcript
07/02/2007
Back in 1981 when AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency - was first declared a deadly communicable disease, Australia dealt with the problem head-on - through a public scare campaign, and an efficient needle exchange program - but in 2007 the numbers of people contracting HIV-AIDS are once again increasing.
So, how do we talk about high-risk behaviour and the culture around a disease that's ravaging new populations here and in the South Pacific?
Looking beyond the Palm Island case.
05/02/2007
Paul Barclay begins "Australia Talks" for 2007 - with a discussion of the national implications of the decision to prosecute Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley in relation to the 2004 death of the man now known as Mulrunji Doomadgee.
Not just a Queensland story, what does it mean for legal review, for the role of politics in the legal system, for policing, for trust in public institutions, for Aboriginal deaths in custody . . . all across the country?
Join Paul Barclay - and guests Megan Davies, from the Indigenous Law Centre at UNSW; Assoc Prof Colleen Lewis, criminologist and specialist in police accountability from Monash University; and QC Robert Cock, WA DPP.
