This is a story of what a voice can achieve and how easily it is undone by external forces.

The indigenous voice has always been there, sometimes weak, sometimes strong, but rarely listened to for any length of time. Australia has a sad record of taking indigenous programs that work, and defunding them. The Canberra and NT bureaucracy, despite their best intentions, simply do not listen, or provide funding certainty, to the multiple voices that are already in place in health, education, alcohol and domestic violence management. Or they are constrained in what they can do by a raft of ‘white tape’ like Sydney design and environmental planning standards for a family home to suit 3.5 residents instead of 10 to 15.

Source: Smothered indigenous voices – Pearls and Irritations