Indigenous issues loom particularly large in desert Australia.
Although it shares most of the previous elements, Indigenous policy
is in a rapidly developing phase where change driven on short-term
electoral cycles far outstrips the capacity of remote communities
to keep pace. The essence of the current debate is about the degree
to which welfare dependency is undermining people’s ability
to make choices about their own futures. In its wake we can expect
the abolition of CDEP in favour of mainstream programs for the
unemployed. Coupled and slightly confused with this, is an
intensifying debate about whether society should support the costs
of maintaining remote settlements, especially if these are seen as
contributing to the poor outcomes for Indigenous people today. This
debate is largely uninformed by good data on the real costs and
benefits of remote settlements. Although both policy debates are
about Indigenous issues in particular, both resonate strongly with
quieter issues around the appropriate level of support for other
forms of remote settlement in Australia, including pastoral and
mining settlements.
