Aid agency heads for the suburbs

[Grant Lee <grantlee@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The West Australian

March 05, 2004

[A front page story from my local paper. The last paragraph is illuminating.
Perth is rated by The Economist as one of the world's "most liveable"
cities. Marx summed up such paradoxes well in his General Law of Capitalist
Accumulation:

‘ … it is capitalistic accumulation itself that constantly produces, and
produces in the direct ratio of its own energy and extent, a relatively
redundant population of labourers, i.e., a population of greater extent than
suffices for the average needs of the self-expansion of capital, and
therefore a surplus-population.’ (_Capital, Vol. 1_, Part VII ‘The
Accumulation of Capital’, Chapter 25: ‘The General Law Of Capitalist
Accumulation’, Section 3 ‘Progressive Production Of A Relative
Surplus-Population Or Industrial Reserve Army.’ )]


World aid to help Perth's poorest

By Charlie Wilson-Clark

AN INTERNATIONAL aid organisation known for its work in poverty-stricken
Third World countries will spend $80,000 in suburban Perth to battle poverty
and antisocial behaviour.

In an Australian first, World Vision will work with the Armadale Aboriginal
community before expanding across the metropolitan area to provide
alternative activities and diversions to beat teenage delinquency.

Until now, the Christian organisation has limited its Australian projects to
two Northern Territory remote Aboriginal communities, Papunya and Epenarra,
where projects improving health and education have been similar to its
overseas aid work.

But the organisation has determined that Perth needs help to develop
opportunities for Aboriginal teenagers. World Vision made the assessment
after being approached by the Armadale Aboriginal community through the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission [ATSIC].

Youth Affairs Council executive officer Midge Turnbull said the arrival of
World Vision reflected poorly on the entire community and showed young
people had been left out of community services.

"I think emotionally and spiritually young people are feeling pretty ripped
off and when you add to that the layer of race and culture for Aboriginal
people - they've got a lot to deal with," she said.

* * * *

Indigenous Affairs Minister John Kobelke welcomed World Vision's involvement
and said the project's goals complemented Government policies. The
Government also relied on ATSIC for policy advice.

http://www.thewest.com.au/20040305/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto120999.html




















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