Australia PM Tony Abbott Under Fire For Remarks On Aborigines 'Lifestyle Choice'

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has attracted criticism for claiming that Aborigines living in remote communities were making a “lifestyle choice.” His remark sparked anger among Australia’s Aboriginal leaders who declared their ties to the land went back about 40,000 years.

Mr. Abbott has refused to apologise for the comment he made while expressing support for the removal of subsidies to 150 remote communities in Western Australia. He told ABC that Australia cannot continue to “endlessly subsidise lifestyle choices” if those choices are not compatible with the full participation in society everyone is expected to have.

“Fine, by all means live in a remote location, but there’s a limit to what you can expect the state to do for you if you want to live there,” said the Prime Minister. Mr Abbott has already described himself as a prime minister for indigenous affairs. In 2014, he spent a week governing the country from a tent in a remote community, reports The Telegraph.

Warren Mundine, Mr. Abbott’s Aboriginal affairs adviser, said the Aborigines living in remote communities were in a more complicated situation than the people who simply choose to live in isolated areas. He said the remote Aborigines do not see it as a lifestyle choice since it is all about their culture and religious beliefs.

Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson said the Aborigines had once been rejected from living in towns and cities but now the government is trying to move them again. Australia has about 670,000 Aborigines and 20 percent of them live in remote areas.

Mr. Abbott stood by his remarks and said people have to be realistic. “If you or I chose to live in a very remote place, to what extent is the taxpayer obliged to subsidise our services?” said the Prime Minister.

In reaction to the Prime Minister’s comments, Labour party leader Bill Shorten said Mr. Abbott seem to be “stuck in the 1950s.” Greens MP Rachel Siewart remarked that the comments only reflected “gross deep-seated racism.”

Northern Territory Cabinet minister and Indigenous politician Bess Price said Mr. Abbott needs to apologise for his comments. She added that she was disappointed with the comments because he spent time with the Aborigines when he previously spent time with them.

Although Price did not believe Mr. Abbott’s comments were racist, she said his words only showed a lack of understanding of why the Aborigines live in remote lands. She urged the prime minister to reverse the cuts previously made on indigenous services including legal aid.

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