Tie me Rolf Harris down, sport.

He might be deaf, dumb and blind but he's a wizard on the wobble board. Rolf Harris of course. Deaf, dumb and blind? Well, yes.

Deaf to the plight of Australia's indigenous population. Dumb if he thinks the solution to their problems is just to 'get off their arse'. Blind because he cannot see simple truths such as the truth that Australia's indigenous population's problems are the result of the invasion and subsequent cultural (and perhaps literal) genocide.

His advice to them is that it is Time to get off your arses

He does, though, apologise for the racist portions of his classic song 'Tie me kangaroo down, sport'.

The offending lines - as I understand it - run thus:

let me Abos go loose, sport,
let me Abos go loose
they're of no further use, sport,
they're of no further use

In most ways, though, I'd say those who should be most offended are not the 'Abos' of the song - i.e Australia's indigenous population - but rather the perpetrators and the supporters of the abusive treatment that our indigenous brothers and sisters have received since 'colonization'.

Because these lines are actually very accurate descriptions of the situation. The aboriginal population - the traditional and original occupiers of Australia - were esentially abandoned after they were deemed to be of no further value to the new, white owners. Initially, they were of value as they could be used (albeit immorally) as a means of claiming ownership of Australia though numerous unlawful and unsubstantiated 'fair exchanges'. Then they served as low (or even unpaid) servants. Eventually, having successfully destroyed much of their culture and their identity, they were abandoned - and still are.

When you take away someone's self-definition they are left a void and this void usually fills with inappropriate substitutes, such as drugs, alcohol, disfunctionalization and so forth. What was left after they were discarded - safely away from their traditional areas and all threat to the new Australian society - is not a collection of 'victims' but, in many cases, a people who have had not only a generation stolen from them, but also their very lives.

let me Abos go loose, sport,
let me Abos go loose
they're of no further use, sport,
they're of no further use

These words are a depressing reminder of what helped to cause the problems that so many indigenous people in Australia (and other countries) are facing.

So really, in a sense, they are truth.

And, in a way, so is Rolf's advice. From the mouths of babes and sucklings (and entertainers) comes wisdom. It's pointless expecting our government to solve any of the problems. (They are too busy inappropriately renaming mountains and destroying education). No, government will not help. Nor 'white' Australia - who have little ownership of the problems of people who have become aliens in their own land. No. These problems require a vested interest.

The only people who are ever going to solve the problems and challenges of our indigenous population ARE the indigenous population. And so they need to get off their arses and start doing so. Which is exactly what many are doing.

And the rest of Australia needs to get off of THEIR arses and start supporting them. Which means doing a bit more listening and less talking, a lot more tolerance and less interfering.

Which essentially means working together.

It's time to untie the kangaroo and see how it jumps.