Sunday 30th March 1997
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Issues - The banking system under the spotlight. The clergyman, Presbyterian minister Brian Stuart, made the comment last week when declaring himself a vehement opponent of native title.
Stuart lives in one of Brisbane's most highly populated Aboriginal areas, Inala.
He said, "Eight-tenths of the Aboriginal population have never made a boomerang or a spear, have never worn a loin cloth, have never lived in the scrub, and would not want to eat witchetty grubs and kangaroos.
"But there are many members of the clergy who would not hold my view.
"The attempt by some to lay a guilt-trip on today's Australian's is so pathetic and irrational. How can today's Australians be held responsible for a past they had absolutely nothing to do with?
"It is surely immoral and unreasonable to permit 40,000 disgruntled Aborigines the opportunity to lay claim to 75% of Australia, where 18 million people now own a part of, and live in, this fair land.
"It is surely immoral and unreasonable to allow native title to over-rule pastoral leases."
The Presbyterian Moderator in Queensland, Gary Tosh, said that the church had no official position on Aboriginal native title and Mr Stuart's views were his own.
Sounds like most of the nation's views as well...
But this latest little development must have the glasses completed steamed over - the President of the Senate, Margaret Reid, is taking three weeks leave - and guess who gets to hold the top job in her absence - Mal Colston!
Of course this puts the self same man under the spotlight for rorting his travel allowances in charge of departmental officials who's task it is to investigate the claims....
Labor Senator Robert Ray said, "That would be like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank. A person who admits to sloppy administrative and book keeping practices could be hardly regarded as an ideal supervisor of such matters."
Margaret Reid last week sought advice from the Chief General Counsel of the Attorney-General's Department to whether Australian Federal Police should investigate Colston.
Let us remember that Colston has claimed to have a "large sludge file" on members of both Liberal and Labor Party MPs and Senators... in his position as Senate President I have a feeling that there might just be a case of deja-vu as the chase after Colston becomes an exercise in political side-stepping by some of his old colleagues pulled screaming and fighting into the spotlight.
Senator Ray, has in the meantime, drafted a Private Members Bill aimed at stripping convicted Senators of their superannuation contributions. The Bill is expected to go before Parliament in May.
Extensive political commentary and links can be found on Palmer's Australian Politics page.
I, for one, certainly do.
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