Voice will not help Aboriginal kids if they don’t go to school

I agree with Noel Pearson’s point that an “Education crisis is destroying lives” (31/1). I also agree that this is not a recent problem.

Some years ago, I was a grey nomad touring the whole country. In the Northern Territory and Western Australia it was common to see signs inside airconditioned shopping centres to the effect that children would not be served during school hours. I was advised that this was due to Aboriginal children skylarking inside the centres while their white school mates were sitting in classrooms. If they are not going to school, how are they supposed to get educated? I have read elsewhere that truancy by Aboriginal students is still rife around the country.

I am aware of and commend Pearson’s efforts regarding education of Aboriginal youth. If he has solved the truancy problem, perhaps he could enlighten educators everywhere as to how it was achieved. If he has solved this problem I will wager that in some measure he has ensured that Aboriginal parents are meeting their obligations regarding the punctual and lasting attendance and diligent study/homework habits of their children.

Without that, the best teachers, all the money in the world and a voice to parliament will not do a damn thing.

L J O’Donoghue, Richmond, Vic

Sovereign nation?

It is reported that Lidia Thorpe has accepted assurances from Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy that the voice will not result in a cessation of First Nations sovereignty. This statement by a minister of the federal government calls into question the legitimacy of the very government of which the minister is part. The Prime Minister should immediately reaffirm the sovereignty of the commonwealth representing the people of Australia. Past time to stop this absurdity getting out of hand. It would be interesting to know what the international finance community thinks of this. Talk about sovereign risk.

Paul Everingham, Hamilton, Qld

We seem to be missing the point in the voice to government argument. What it is about, and there is plenty to support the case that this is so, is the modern-day establishment of Indigenous sovereignty. Read the Statement from the Heart and listen to the proponents of the voice with their mantra “always was, always will be”.

Peter Baker, Altona North, Vic

Alice focus

Sadly, the focus on solving the crime issues in Alice Springs seems to be how to make non-Indigenous people feel safer and have a better quality of life. Instead, we need to be looking at the terrible suffering and brokenness of Indigenous people that has resulted in the crime and dysfunction in Alice Springs. Until the many layers of hardship for Indigenous people are properly acknowledged and addressed, nothing will change in our town.

Ray Ingamells, Alice Springs, NT

Worried well

The term “worried well” as used by Dr Joseph Ting (Letters, 30/1) is an inappropriate term to use when referring to patients who are concerned about their symptoms. A medical practitioner should never be dismissive of a patient’s level of distress or the significance of their symptoms. There are troublesome precedents where inappropriate dismissal of a patient’s presentation has led to tragic consequences.

In the setting of general practice and emergency departments, increased patient workload and demand for services have created a challenging environment for both patients and healthcare providers. Doctors are under pressure to see a high volume of patients, often with limited time to fully understand their patients’ medical history and symptoms. In this context, it is not appropriate to blame the “worried well” for the increased patient workload, as patients have the right to seek medical attention and have their concerns addressed.

Dr Ting as a specialist doctor working in a public hospital should learn to understand that there is no luxury to pick and choose who to treat.

Doctors must provide medical care to all patients who seek treatment, without discrimination and in accordance with ethical standards and professional conduct.

Dr Alec Savicky, GP, Clayton, Vic

Get real, folks

A coterie of frequent correspondents to your letters page regularly refer to carbon dioxide as a pollutant and applaud penalties on a targeted group of Australia’s leading companies for emissions of this airborne plant fertiliser in producing goods and services on which we are all reliant. If all of these companies were to shut down tomorrow, it would have no effect whatever on the climate, but terrible consequences on our ability to feed ourselves and build shelter from the elements. Fantasy is for the dreamweavers of the entertainment industry. Reality is based on fact.

John McRobert, Indooroopilly, Qld