Closing gap priority, not celebration

WELL, I can hardly believe that we indigenous people have our own Australia Day celebration. Whoopy- do.

I feel the Australia Day celebration will be much like the Mabo land tenure, where we attained very little.

I cannot understand why the indigenous leaders of this nation so desperately wanted to secure our own Australia Day celebration. I mean, what have we gained?

Our indigenous nation is riddled with social and economic problems including high unemployment, high welfare issues, low educational attainment, massive health problems, high imprisonment rates and poor economic opportunities, and yet the most important issue for indigenous leaders is to have our own Australia Day celebration.

How is celebrating Australia Day separately to mainstream Australians going to address any of the serious issues I have raised?

Do we not worry about the more serious problems confronting our indigenous people and instead tackle the much easier issues, giving us the misconception we are achieving something?

For 200 years, the gap on these social and economic issues has continued to widen.

Our indigenous leaders have little perception on how to rectify these serious problems, which means we will continue to travel down the same familiar road.

For me, closing the gap between indigenous and non- indigenous Australians is far more important than a day of celebration.

In essence, what our people are really seeking is not our own Australia Day celebration but a democratic society that unconditionally offers the same opportunities and equality as the liberated world promises. NEIL PATTEL, Kirwan.