A new book makes the plea that Aborigines be allowed "to be who we are" -- an intriguing theme that, alas, the author fails to explore. If he means that Indigenous Australians want to run their own show, the similarly un-examined corollary is that conduct and culture must not be at odds with the larger society

The modern world, especially its Western incarnation, often has been seen by those whose cultures it has disrupted as an assault on faith, tradition and identity. Islamist aggression is one manifestation of the reaction, a renewed reverence for the Rainbow Serpent another

Whatever the final wording, the proposal to acknowledge Aborigines and their culture in the Constitution will present but a single theme for endorsement or rejection. That's a pity because, with a a dash of reality on the ballot, some good might come of the exercise

Critics lined up to wield the axe handle when the Prime Minister described residents of remote communities as making 'a lifestyle choice'. Sadly, much of the rhetoric was no less distant from reason than are bush settlements from hospitals, schools and the opportunities of the modern world

The much-damned Dane doesn't quibble with the contention that humans are raising global temperatures, just that the money spent in name of repairing the atmosphere might be better spent. That heresy has seen him banished from UWA -- and the university's claim to being a serious institution with it

I observed in print that, if Indigenous scholars are to win respect for their work, they will need to produce more than anger-infused narratives of white oppression and personal suffering. Well that did it! Suddenly, I'm a vile specimen who needs to be booted from the James Cook campus

It is all very well to sermonise about Aborigines and the inherent right to celebrate their heritage. But without a related emphasis on responsibility such talk amounts to nothing more than platitudes for papering-over the need to examine traditional mores mesh that do not mesh with the modern world

The PM's adviser on Indigenous reform has a sharp tongue and quick temper, but what his critics dislike most is his recognition that a traditionalist mindset hobbles both initiative and hope. To those who value and promote group identity above all else, that sentiment, rather than his language, is the proverbial red rag

Half the 21st century has gone and with it the dreams of a separatist movement which won its independence from the country formerly known as Australia. The rationale was a fervent and fashionable belief that Indigenous ills were all the white man's doing. Reality remained unpersuaded