Australian Aborigines say the federal government continues to ignore their needs in the face of high rates of unemployment and domestic violence and low rates of educational achievement and health status.

Prime Minister John Howard last week abolished the an elected council of Aborigines that sought to promote self-determination. One leading newspaper said the move would "take Aboriginal governance back 30 years."

A minority in their own country, Aborigines suffer from the highest rates of domestic violence. In some areas, Aboriginal men are 25 times as likely to go to prison as whites. Among Aboriginal youth, only 20 percent meet reading standards and less than 30 percent meet writing standards.

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Aborigines Say Australia Pushes Their Plight to Sideline (The New York Times 4/18)
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