Author(s): Rhonda Craven

Current Affairs

Why are so many Aboriginal Australians still disadvantaged? Why is so much potential still wasted? Why is 'the Aboriginal problem' still intractable? Why can we not even agree on the causes, let alone ways forward? Why have billions on special programs had such little effect? Is it all bad news? How can we: realise the talents of all Australia's Aboriginal citizens, eradicate disadvantage, grow Aboriginal success, and achieve at last the real potential of this country? In Black and White: Australians All at the Crossroads seeks to illuminate the issues through perspectives of concerned blackfellas and whitefellas, both, on root causes, how issues play out on the ground, and what needs to be done. It is the hope of the editors that experiences and ideas, from the community base to the heights of policy, may reveal the common ground that is sine-qua-non to working out real answers and practical programs that will make a difference. As the subtitle's reference to our National Anthem suggests, all Australians - that's all of us - must put an end to the wastage of Indigenous talent and the denial of the real Australia that has diminished our nation far too long. Aussies can do anything.
Together we can't lose!