A media note: In praise of The Oz on Aboriginal affairs

My guess is that when people like me put on their pundit's hat and criticise The Australian for some of its strange editorial twists and turns it is really nothing more than an acknowledgement of the importance we attach to this one national daily. The conservative streak might not be appreciated but it is the one newspaper in the country that takes a broad look at our society without the local city blinkers of the other dailies.
And as this morning's edition proves yet again, there are some national issues which only The Australian even attempts to cover on a consistent basis with Aboriginal affairs being one of them. For month after month - year after year really - there has been a critical questioning of the actions of the Queensland police in investigating the death in custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee. This morning's summary of the reaction to the latest coronial inquiry should be a must read.
Sure we get the stories about welfare bludging and the horrific stories of alcohol addiction and domestic violence but the good news is covered as well. Like the story of Donald "Duck" Chulung this morning who hopes he is the first of many Aboriginal entrepreneurs in his home town of Kununurra, the Kimberley outpost that has started to boom on the back of a $415 million expansion of the Ord River scheme. Along with criticism of the pace with which the Federal Government is acting to try and solve the Aboriginal housing crisis we find as well in The Australian stories like this one for which I could not find a link on the website:


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