As in America, the aboriginals were a population that had been isolated from the rest of humanity for 50,000 years, and had no protection from diseases carried by the europeans. They therefore died off like flies, and suffered continuous population decline until around 1970. Government policy toward them up to that time was understandably based on this premise.

The important thing is that this was not the europeans’ fault, as no-one knew what caused these diseases at that time. Do I hear anyone blaming the sailors who unwittingly brought the Black Death to Europe in 1348? The first settlers were even blamed for the smallpox outbreak that killed 95% of Sydney aboriginals in 1789 until modern medical research proved that they could not be responsible, as there was no smallpox in the settlement.

Not only are we blamed for winking at the indonesian takeover in East Timor in 1975, but also for kicking them out in 1999. Fair Go! You can’t have it both ways! As for the Solomons, we were invited in by the government to restore order. Was that wrong?

Pilger also criticises us for being in Afghanistan. What does he suggest we do with a country like this?

People like Pilger make a comfortable living disparaging countries like Australia without suggesting any practicable alternatives to the defects he criticises.

In the current climate of credit collapse, bankruptcy, and peak oil, he should have a field day.

Australia’s natural boundaries can’t prevent the intrusion of intellectual honesty. From it’s treatment of the subjegated Aboriginal people to Howard’s nonsense in East Timor, Australia bears a self appointed “white man’s” burden that no one as…