We all want the same thing - an end to child abuse

I don’t agree with all of this statement. To me, the alternative plans are out there, including Pearson’s own plan for Cape York, which has some similarities to Howard’s but also some very significant differences. The Northern Territory report itself constitutes a comprehensive plan of action with its 97 recommendations, although it possibly could do with an immediate circuit breaker or two in addition to its suite of measures. Past reports into the same issue also contain comprehensive plans of action which have never been fully acted on or resourced.

However, Pearson is right in the sense that only governments are in a position to implement this, so we have to work with what they put forward (assuming they let people work with them). We also have to make damn sure this one is properly resourced, something of which there is little sign so far.

Interestingly, Pearson’s article in last weekend’s Australian is called “Politics aside, an end to the tears is our priority”. This matches well with Kevin Rudd’s proposal for a bi-partisan “war cabinet” to deal with Indigenous issues, an idea which has a lot of appeal to me, as a way of keeping the issue in a state of continuing national priority for all politicians.

A range of Australian blogs recently addressed the theoretical question of whether a politician’s motives are relevant in assessing their policies. The Prime Minister’s plan to tackle sexual abuse of Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory provides a real world example. While assessment of motive may give an insight into how likely it is that a policy will be fully followed through, it really isn’t relevant in assessing whether the policy is any good.

The motives may be as pure as can be and the policy still is bad. Conversely, the motives may as devious as possible, but the policy may still be spot on. Indigenous affairs provides lots of sad examples where the political intentions may have been totally honourable, but the policy was disastrous.

Some people argue that the hugely destructive policies that led to the Stolen Generations were mostly carried out with good, albeit misguided intentions. The terrible truths that make up the history of the Stolen Generations should remind us that understandable urgings that “it’s for the good of the children” shouldn’t be used as a catch-all way to silence any criticisms or concerns about the details.

In the same way that I think it’s a distraction to criticise the Prime Minister’s motives, I don’t think it helps to focus on the motives of people who express concerns about the details.

Given that almost everyone actually supports the stated goal here, I hope the government becomes a little bit more open to advice on how to make their policy work, rather than insist they are the only ones with all the answers. The lack of details, including the lack of work done on the likely costs, is one area which will need urgent attention to flesh out the initial hasty announcement.

If people keep getting howled down every time they ask for more details or point out problems they see with the details that do become apparent, there’s a fair chance some good advice on how best to implement this plan will be missed.

Even the head of John Howard’s hand picked taskforce to implement this plan, Sue Gordon, has been quoted as “being among those warning of inadequate resources to support the plan”. However, she has said “her taskforce would move quickly to determine what extra resources were required. And she said the commonwealth had promised to pay” (my emphasis).

Comments by the health experts in the same article suggest just properly implementing the measures relating to alcohol will probably cost more than the “tens of millions” John Howard has floated as a possible cost of his plan. My guess is that the full cost of properly implementing what has been proposed will go well into the billions of dollars, particularly if it is taken beyond the territory and into the states, as the Prime Minister is urging. I hope Sue Gordon has got that promise in writing.