Essays reflect Coombs' angerBook Review: SHAME ON US! by N. H. Coombs In 1991, after more than 50 years of exemplary and extraordinary public service, H C (Nugget) Coombs was given an opportunity to write nine articles for Business Review Monthly (BRM) on any topics he chose of economic or other importance to Australia. Nugget is now in his 90s. He was a Treasury economist when the Second World War broke out. He went on to become Director of Rationing (1942), Director General of Post War Reconstruction (194349), Governor of the Commonwealth Bank (194960) and Governor of the Reserve Bank (196068). From 1968 to 1976 he was Chancellor of the ANU. Since 1976 he has been a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES) in Canberra and the North Australian Research Unit (NARU) in Darwin. It is not often that a former, very senior, government adviser feels free to take up such an opportunity, but this was one that Nugget could not resist, especially as it came with an assurance from BRM's editor, Bruce Stannard, that there would be no changes of style or substance without consultation. Nine articles written by Nugget were published during 1992 and 1993 and are now reproduced in this book. In the event, there were a few changes suggested by BRM, but for this book Nugget's original manuscripts have been used. In some ways Shame on Us! is an angry little book. Nothing overt, no bitterness or rancour, but nevertheless an anger that grows from Nugget's deep frustration with the tide of public affairs which seems to be moving away from the ideals he has promoted throughout his life. Ideals such as a strong, independent, debt-free, Australian economy, providing employment for all and not dominated by foreign economic interests, a just Australian society especially for Aboriginal inhabitants and a public administration that is environmentally sensitive and truly meets community needs. The nine articles (described as essays in this book) fall naturally into two groups: five dealing with government and the economy, and four dealing with Aboriginal affairs. The economic essays include two which provide an insightful historical perspective on current economic predicaments (Promises of a New World Order and The Betrayal by the Intelligentsia) and two dealing with contemporary economic issues (Banana Republic? No, Banana Colony! and Independence or Bust). The last essay in this group (Towards a New Federation) gives Nugget's vision as to how the Australian Federal system might work better. If you prefer a tidy approach, start with the two historical essays (numbers 6 and 8), then go to the current issues (numbers 1 and 7) and finish with Nugget's views on a future model for the Australian federation (number 4) and you will get a much better view of the breadth and depth of Nugget's thinking than reading them in the order presented. Nugget's style does not make for easy reading, but the quality of his insights and the force of his arguments are compelling. The four essays on Aboriginal affairs cover Nugget's views on black deaths in custody, Aboriginal owned national parks, Mabo, and relations with the mining industry. The subject matter in his Aboriginal essays is diverse and provides Nugget with grounds for some optimism but also considerable pessimism. His essay on Black Deaths in custody is perhaps where he is at his most pessimistic. He considers the Commonwealth's and States' response as: " . . . a disaster. It adopts a procedure designed to guarantee that only marginal change will occur, effectively excluding Aboriginal-controlled organisations and their ideas from the debate, denying the basic principles which the Royal Commission itself says should underlie all action arising from its reports." What he wants to see is a bottom up approach where Aboriginal communities are empowered to apply their own traditional justice mechanisms. In contrast, in the last essay in the book, on Mabo, Nugget is at his most optimistic. He sees the High Court's Mabo decision as a "competent and wise judgement" that gives an opportunity to negotiate lasting, just and sound agreements between black and white Australia. A powerful little book - difficult to read, but well worth the effort. An important insight into the mind of one of the great living Australians. John Schooneveldt | |