Individual approach to land rights only half the answer

Michelle Grattan of the Sydney Morning Herald writes that Individual approach to land rights only half the answer for Aborigines to achieve home ownership. John Howard is pushing the capitalist philosophy of ownership.

Have a look at Howard's rhetoric at the Aboriginal community of Wadeye, 270 kilometres south-west of Darwin, on Wednesday.

"I believe there is a case for reviewing the whole issue of Aboriginal land title, in the sense of looking more towards private recognition," he said.

"All Australians should be able to aspire to owning their own home and having their own business. Having title to something is the key to your sense of individuality, it's the key to your capacity to achieve, and to care for your family and I don't believe that indigenous Australians should be treated differently in this respect."

Land is at the heart of Aboriginal identity. It's also often at the centre of politics involving Aborigines.

In other words for Aborigines to integrate into a capitalist economy, they must develop concepts of individual ownership and striving. Here the Liberal ideal of the individual caring for the family not the family or the community caring for the individual comes through.

But the fundamental problem is: how do you get a sustainable economic base in a tiny, remote town? It's not that there is anything wrong with changing the title system to make individual ownership easier, provided the Aboriginality of the land is preserved for future generations. Indeed, it is sensible enough. It's just that it won't, of itself, give these Aborigines a living or the where-withal (or wish) to own a house.

We have a fundamental conflict between the primitive communism of Aboriginal culture and the raw capitalism of the dominant white culture. The two cannot coexist. The primitive communism must be destroyed and devoured by the superior economic system, Capitalism. This is one of the laws of history.

The sentimental attitude towards Aborigines does them no favours. Their culture will be destroyed no matter hard they try to preserve it just like the Scottish and Irish cultures were destroyed by the advance of Capitalism into their lands.

As long as Capitalism remains the dominant economic system, Aboriginality is doomed to be a tourist attraction. The only real hope is the advance of real communism to replace capitalism.