... what's different 40 years after the referendum?

40 years ago this week 90.8% of Australians voted 'Yes', in a referendum to include Aboriginals in the census.

Bizarre really.

It's incomprehensible to moderners that they were ever left out of it.

Paul Kelly writing the Australian today says, "There are, however, two truths embedded in the 1967 message that are more pertinent than before: Most Aborigines will find their livelihood within the mainstream economy and, like other citizens, Aborigines must accept responsibility for their own future."

He missed a bit. The other 19,500,000 of us who are not aboriginal have to get behind those aboriginals who are leading the way in accepting responsibillity for their future and their people – politically, financially, morally. We need to applaud and support their intiatives for dry communities, 100% school attendance for the kids, safety of women and children, fighting petrol sniffing, encouragement of personal and racial dignity.

Interesting note to this is the statistic related on the weekend by the AFL that 20% of the draftees this year were aboriginal. Although it's a stat about young and mostly urban/semi rural men, the fact can't hurt.

Indigenous Australia has super heroes.