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Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

254 points · 216 comments · doener

  1. bpbp-mango · · focus · HN ↗
    The current government seems to be quite determined to pretend our British heritage isn't a large and important part of us. I don't understand it.
    1. marcus_holmes · · focus · HN ↗
      It's because the British heritage involved committing huge crimes against the indigenous folks that we haven't really acknowledged and haven't dealt with. We can't move on until we do. So we're kinda stuck.
      1. BLKNSLVR · · focus · HN ↗
        I think it's fairly well acknowledged, but there is no 'dealt with' that fits into any kind of reality I'm familiar with.

        My purely observational understanding is that there are fundamental incompatibilities between aboriginal and 'western/British' culture. "Ownership" of land as probably the primary example. I don't know how that gets 'dealt with'.

        1. lokar · · focus · HN ↗
          I don’t know the discussion in Australia, but in Alaska (also having an indigenous population with land ownership) they found solutions. Regional “native corporations” were given large amounts of valuable land, natives were given preferential resource rights (fishing, etc).

          Not everything is perfect (far from it), but a lot has been done.

          1. marcus_holmes · · focus · HN ↗
            Yeah, other ex-British colonies with similar problems are doing great work in reconciling their differences. We could learn from them.
            1. lokar · · focus · HN ↗
              I think in Alaska it helps that the natives have enough votes to be politically relevant.
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