Abstract This paper uses the incident of the boat containing asylum seekers that sank off the shore of Australia to discuss the issue of public trust in government. It looks at the role John Howard's administration had in misleading the people of Australia about the disaster and how the Australian people responded.
From the Paper "One of the most disillusioning things that can happen to a citizen of a democracy is to discover that one's own government ? the legal and political extension of oneself ? has lied to one. This is far more damaging both to an individual's belief in his or her government and in the end to that government itself than is a citizen's disagreement with that government. This does not, of course, only happen in Australia. Many Americans (to look across the Pacific) believed that their government should not go to war with Iraq, but even as they disagreed with their government's actions approval for American President Bush remained high. However, after it was discovered that the Bush administration lied to the American people about its claims for the necessity of going to war and going to war quickly, more and more Americans have begun to have an unfavorable opinion of their government ? and rightly so. If there is a single obligation that a democratic government has to its people it is to tell them the truth. The Australian government has itself recently failed to do this and as a result deserves to lose the confidence of the people that it claims to represent."
Abstract In this article, the writer explains that the Kaurna language is one of the main languages spoken by Indigenous peoples in and around the Adelaide region of Southern Australia. The writer notes that after the colonisation of South Australia in 1836, the population of the Kaurna people declined rapidly as they suffered from the effects of disease and displacement. Subsequently their language and culture experienced serious hardship. The writer looks at the importance of the Kaurna language to its people and by studying the techniques used to awaken the language from its dormancy. The writer points out that the revival of the Kaurna language is still an ongoing process, though much progress has already been made. Kaurna is now taught at all levels of education throughout Southern Australia. The writer concludes that whilst many steps have already been laid out to ensure the survival of Kaurna, it is up to future generations to take them and keep the language alive.
Outline:
Why Revive a 'Dormant' Language?
The Kaurna Language Revival
Resurrecting the Kaurna Phonology
Kaurna for a New Generation
From the Paper "These texts were essentially a written record of the language of the Kaurna people for the English speaking colonists to read. Whilst there was little public interest in the text at its time of publication, even more so when the use of Kaurna was forbidden by government bodies in subsequent years, this publication has become a major tool in the revival of Kaurna for today's generation."
"The reclamation of the Kaurna language began around 1990 with the writing of six songs in a National Aboriginal Languages Program (NALP)
funded songwriters workshop. This was the first time the language had been used again in a creative manner and these songs were subsequently published into a songbook.
"Several workshops on the Kaurna language were held over the following years along with the introduction of Kaurna to some South Australian schools, helping the language to gain recognition once again."
