She’s a Mil

I am reading a book at the moment called “God’s Politics, how the right it got it wrong and the left didn’t get it”. I have to say none of it is that new and it is a little bit repetitive at times but it is interesting enough and I am enjoying it. When you only ever hear Christianity and politics together when it pro Bush it fills me with a little bit of hope (not a heap but a little is all you need) to know that there are prominent American, Christian leaders who are fighting for the core moral issues of poverty and war. In fact it was written in 2004 and the author was already quoting Barak Obama.

So in that spirit congratulations Barak Obama. I have to say I don’t really know much and I was quite excited about the idea of a woman president but from everything I have heard you do seem like a pretty inspiring man really who is interested in change and trying to engage in a more bipartisan style of politics in order to get some things done.

Not a very original title but appropriate for the day. So it’s finally happened. Today the PM of Australia said sorry to the Stolen Generation. It was a moving moment. I have to confess I did cry. When I woke up this morning and looked out the window at the pouring rain and I very nearly stayed in bed but then I had sense that today history was to be made and I wanted to be there. So I got up and went to Martin Place and stood there in the rain with Carlyn and an old friend from Rough Edges who is indigenous and watch after many years of wishing for this moment Kevin Rudd say the word sorry.

I’m excited! Not because (as many have stated) an apology in itself can bring about reconciliation or close the enormous gaps between indigenous and non indigenous people but because without it, we can not even really start. I also thought it was a good apology from Kevin Rudd, respectful and honest. I heard that he spent hours with members of the Stolen Generation just listening to their stories and it showed. I like the fact that we have a PM who listens. It was a shame that this was not mirrored by Brendan Nelson whose speech was completely disrespectful, inappropriate and plain down right rude. However I am not going to let that ruin the moment. I would like to think in 100 years people will remember today. That they will remember the thousands, perhaps millions who gathered around in public and private places to apologise for the horrendous way that we, as a nation, have treated our indigenous people. And they will remember Kevin Rudd’s words and not those of the opposition leader. So I with the PM and others say sorry again to the aboriginal people of Australia and let’s hope that this will be the beginning of some big changes.

It’s not a very creative title I know but appropriate for what I am going to write about and I can not deny I am such a fan of the slogan. It’s the daggiest thing ever but it so works.

I guess it is old news now but I am pleased that Kevin Rudd won the election. While my initial enthusiasm for him dwindled as he became more and more conservative (so much so I didn’t even vote for him in the end) I still think he will be better PM than John Howard and I am holding on to hope for a more just Australia. I am holding out hope for an answer to my election prayer. While I don’t think he will address all the issue on my list I am looking forward to a withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, a slight increase in foreign aid, the ratification of Kyoto, a dropping back of workchoices, some improvements in health and education and a rethink of the NT intervention.

So Tom you can tell anyone who heard your sermon that even though it is quite cloudy today the sun is shining a little brighter for me.

Today in my quiet time I wanted to pray for the election. I find that sort of thing hard though and wasn’t sure what I would say. So I opened the Bible to the Psalms which I am reading at the moment and I happened to be up to psalm 72 which is this:

Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God,
the gift of just rule to the crown prince.
May he judge your people rightly,
be honorable to your meek and lowly.
Let the mountains give exuberant witness;
shape the hills with the contours of right living.
Please stand up for the poor,
help the children of the needy,
come down hard on the cruel tyrants.
Outlast the sun, outlive the moon—
age after age after age.
Be rainfall on cut grass,
earth-refreshing rain showers.
Let righteousness burst into blossom
and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing.
Rule from sea to sea,
from the River to the Rim.

Foes will fall on their knees before God,
his enemies lick the dust.
Kings remote and legendary will pay homage,
kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth.
All kings will fall down and worship,
and godless nations sign up to serve him,
Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need,
the destitute who have run out of luck.
He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out,
he restores the wretched of the earth.
He frees them from tyranny and torture—
when they bleed, he bleeds;
when they die, he dies.

This is now my prayer for the election.

I have just finished one assessment which I am very pleased about. This particular assessment may have caused me more suffering than any other assessment so it feels good to have it done. Anyway before I start the next one I thought I would do a bit of a post on my experience at Kaltukatjara. Given that the assessment is about the prac I think it may be a good lead in not to mention gives my head a bit of a break.

As mentioned Kaltukatjara, otherwise known as Docker River, is an 8 hour drive from Alice Springs. It was a long drive but a very pituresque one with Uluru and Kata Tjuta on the way. We didn’t stop as I had been there before and felt that unless I was able to fully engage with these places it wasn’t really worth it but it was good to have them part of the journey. It certainly helped me to place myself and get a feel for the land.

When we arrived at Kaltukatjara we went to the coucil offices where we were to be teaching. We spoke to some women who were hanging around there. Helen let them know class was on tommorrow. We drove around to find some of the other women in the class to let them know too. Apparently this works better than timetables. It’s an amazing place. So incredibly beautiful, with it’s red earth and mountains and tress everywhere. However there is also rubbish everywhere and the town is plagued with the many problems that face these communities.

We then went to put our stuff down. I had a lovely little cabin to stay in. Simple but sweet and I could sit on my balocny and watch the sunset over the mountains. It became a special place for me.

The first day of class was pretty daunting. We were teaching the women about the computer. As most people know I am no expert on the computer but most of these women had not even turned one on before so in terms of content I didn’t feel too out of my depth. In every other aspect though I was totally out of my depth. Basically the women would arrive at sometime and then leave at some time and then come back again at some other time and it would go on like that most of the day. They often bought children or pets so as you can imagine it was very differnt to a formal classroom setting that I am used to and I was unsure how to repsond. I went home exhausted and was very grateful for the peace of my balcony.

The next day I at least knew what to expect and when I decided that I wasn’t going to make this look like a normal classroom and that I didn’t really need to either I was able to relax a little. Basically we were there from 9 until 3 and our role was to create a space where they could play around with a computer and that they did. Unlike most other people I have come across with limited computer experience these women had no fear of the machine at all. They would press buttons and click on things and explore. Helen and I would demonstrate diffrent things and offer ideas for things they could do and assist them when needed but basically they just learned what they wanted to. There was plenty of time for chatting and hanging out as well which was great for me as then I too was able to learn. I was suprised at how much they were willing to share with me and they really were so kind to me. Although if I ever made the mistake of actually asking something that would shut down the conversation relatively quickly so I learned not to. The highlight would have to have been when they took us out to the river bed (no water of course) to cook kangaroo tails. They explained what the different parts of the land were and showed me camels footprints and sang songs in Pitjantjara (their language). I managed to pick up a few words but not a lot really. The Australian governement business manager (the person who is in charge of implementing the intervention in this community) came with us as well. I actually truly believe he is a good person who is genuinely trying to build relationship with the people and implement things in the most respectful way possible. I am not saying that this is a good policy and what he is doing should have been done before the whole thing started but given that it is going ahead I am pleased that at least the person on the ground is good.

It was exciting on the last day when they came in and were able to make a poster about themselves even inserting a photo. There certainly seemed to be more response to anything that was visual rather than words. It was also a bit sad to leave. It really was such a short time that of course I was not really able to get to know anyone beyond a superficial level nor even scratch the surface of the many issues facing this community. It really is so very complex and most people here seem to have some very interesting thoughts and ideas and I guess I have some thoughts too. However I am not going to make any comments here as I am afraid I will say something shallow or incorrect or insulting but hopefully we will continue to engage with the issues.

I want to add indigenous issues to that previous list of things I am going to vote on. I am suprised it slipped me in the last post given that is almost all I have thought about for the last week here in the NT in the very thick of the government’s intervention. Not that I feel like I have any answers at all but lots of thought.

So I suppose I should say something on my time. Not sure what. I have had so many challenging, uncomfortable, wonderful experiences and have really learned so much that it is hard to know what to say. But I’ll give it a go.

So I arrived in Alice last Saturday and spent Saturday and Sunday with mum and Keith. Helen and Jon were also here for a night which was fun. We sat around and talked a lot on their marvlous home. We also went down town and looked at Aboriginal art. Which I guess is what you do in the Aboriginal art capital. On Sunday I met Helen, who is the nun who was to be my cooperating teacher. She is certainly an interesting woman and I have to say I will remember her for a very long time.

On Monday I left for Kaltukatjara which is the community that I was to do my prac in. It is about 8 hours from here about 15 mons from WA border. I won’t talk about that now though as mum and Keith have lit a fire and they have visitors who I want to chat with so I may go and do that but I’ll get to Kaltukatjarta tommorrw so stay tuned…..

“Prime Minister John Howard has set November 24 as the election date, saying it will be fought on the economy and who can provide Australia with the right leadership” (from here)

How boring John Howard is. That is certainly not what I will be voting on. What I will be voting on is:

the war
the environment
foreign aid
immigration
the IR laws
education

Well thought I should do a bit of a catch up on how life is going. So it’s going pretty well.

House as always is easy, I mean apart from the fact that we are not able to get an effective system for paying and doing the shopping. I don’t quite understand how five relatively smart people (one of whom is an economist and another who claims to be a genius) can not get something so simple together but we can’t.

Work is busy. I have ten people going through at the moment so that is a lot of work for me but I won’t complain about that. It makes me happy when new friendships start. We had a friendship lunch on the weekend which was fun. I have to say I was somewhat cynical about the whole thing at first, it felt a bit forced but some people do really become very genuine friends. We had two pairs there that had been going for ten years.

Church is very fulfilling. Geoff does such good sermons and the liturgy is really nice. I am also part of small group with people I really like and we have some very stimulating discussions. They have put me one the prayer roster too which I enjoy. Nice to feel like I have something to give and I get some good feedback. That’s good if I ever do want to write this prayer book.

I am excited by the Labor Party’s continuing popularity. Despite coming to the realisation that Kevin may not be the answer to all or problems I am excited about a change and continue to hope in the possibiltiy of a more compassionate Australia.

Marriage is pretty cruisy too at the moment. Martin has particularly impressed me lately with his patientence and kindness and I feel very blessed. We start dance classes tommorrow which I am really looking forward to.

Uni is a bit hectic. I have three things due before the 9th of June so I feeling a little pushed but I should be okay. Then off to Peru on the 21st. We are very excited, was looking through the Lonely Planet the other day which also fueled my excitement.

I haven’t been to Rough Edges for awhile but will be going on Sunday so maybe I will give an update on that sometime soon.

God continues to be very present to me in all these aspects of my life which makes me feel very grateful. It sure makes things more peaceful, more real and more exciting to know that He is always there.

For my practicum I am reading the book “My Place” with the students. While it is a children’s book it raises some ver interesting topics such as the wars, the depression, women working, aboriginal issues etc. This week the topic of politics came up and I wanted to give the students some information on the two major parties. I did not want to be bias so I went to the official websites of each of the parties and each had a heading that said what we stand for. This is what I found:

What Labor Stands For

Labor’s Values
Labor believes the truest measure of a good society is the care it provides for those most in need and the opportunity it provides for every person to realise his or her full potential. Labor’s commitment to a strong economy is therefore matched by its commitment to justice, fairness and equity for all.

Fairness
Labor believes that all people are created equal in their entitlement to dignity and respect, and should have an equal chance to achieve their potential. For Labor, government has a critical role in ensuring fairness by:
ensuring equal opportunity;
removing unjustifiable discrimination; and
achieving a more equitable distribution of wealth, income and status.

Compassion
Labor is committed to protecting and supporting those who are disadvantaged, oppressed or simply struggling to cope. The Labor tradition has always been to reach out, embrace, protect and support those in need. The consequences of a society characterised by high levels of inequality include poverty, crime, drug abuse, greed, envy and insecurity. Accordingly, Labor believes that all Australians have an interest in the creation of a more compassionate and egalitarian nation.

Human Rights
Labor is committed to a just and tolerant society which fully protects the rights and freedoms of all Australians. Labor supports the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international treaties to which Australia is a party. This includes:
the fundamental political and civil rights of everyone to freedom of conscience, expression and association, and to due process of law.
‘economic rights’ such as, for example, access to tertiary education on the basis of merit, access to adequate health care and the right to rest and leisure including reasonable limitations on working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Labor supports the introduction into Australian domestic law of the rights recognised and protected in the international treaties, conventions and protocols to which Australia is a party. In introducing these rights, Labor will ensure that existing rights are also protected.

Labour Rights
Labor is committed to protecting and advancing the fundamental rights of working people to join trade unions, and to organise, collectively bargain and strike.

What does the Liberal Party stand for?

We are the party of initiative and enterprise.

We believe in the inalienable rights and freedoms of all peoples; and we work towards a lean government that minimises interference in our daily lives; and maximises individual and private sector initiative.

We believe in government that nurtures and encourages its citizens through incentive, rather than putting limits on people through the punishing disincentives of burdensome taxes and the stifling structures of Labor’s corporate state and bureaucratic red tape.

We believe in those most basic freedoms of parliamentary democracy - the freedom of thought, worship, speech and association.

We believe in a just and humane society in which the importance of the family and the role of law and justice is maintained.

We believe in equal opportunity for all Australians; and the encouragement and facilitation of wealth so that all may enjoy the highest possible standards of living, health, education and social justice.

We believe that, wherever possible, government should not compete with an efficient private sector; and that businesses and individuals - not government - are the true creators of wealth and employment.

We believe in preserving Australia’s natural beauty and the environment for future generations.

We believe that our nation has a constructive role to play in maintaining world peace and democracy through alliance with other free nations.

In short, we simply believe in individual freedom and free enterprise; and if you share this belief, then ours is the Party for you.

I imagine that a lot of this rhetoric and it doesn’t always get lived out that way but I thought it was rather interesting

Well Tom shared with us the other day a part of his sermon where he discussed how much the people in our house liked Kevin Rudd. He may have been exaggerating a little but just to prove he really was telling the truth I thought I’d post about how happy I am to see how popular Kevin is at the moment with a two-party-preferred vote of 61 per cent to the Coalition’s 39 per cent.

That makes me happy not only because I really, really want Labor to get in and Liberal to get out but also because it has happened despite the fact that John Howard and the Liberal party have been attacking him mercilessly for the last couple of weeks. To the extent that John Howard even forced someone to resign - which I have to say given he didn’t even do that to Amanda Vanstone despite the extreme errors that she made which ended with someone wrongfully deported shows where his priorities are at. Anyway, they were saying on the radio this morning that maybe people actually realised the game that John was playing and didn’t like it. Now I know I am probably being a little too hopeful and maybe a little hypocritical as if it was the other way around I may not have cared so much but wouldn’t it be good if Australians decided that we didn’t actually want to see these kinds of attacks on people’s personality but rather we wanted to see what people had to offer.

Now I know that John Howard is a pretty clever politician and has been in places of unpopularity before and still managed to win but I am feeling very hopeful that by this time next year he will no longer be the prime minister.