Humbugging

It's not often that the government will look at issues in indigenous communities and implement a tailored solution. Most of the time government policies are one-size-fits-all and involve handing out vast quantities of money for programs that may or may not benefit those in need.

Even identifying issues unique to indigenous communities is fraught with problems as it may be seen as racist. That's why I like this article.

It talks about the practice of humbugging. Where indigenous people call on relatives and friends to lend them money. Now that sounds like a reasonable practice, after all we teach our kids to share as soon as they can talk.

Humbugging however extends the concept of sharing, or the indigenous concept of demand sharing. Demand sharing is the practice of sharing whatever you have with anyone who is without. A custom practiced over thousands of years that ensured communities survived. With the arrival of welfare, gambling and alcohol however demand sharing becomes perverted.

Individuals who spend their welfare benefits unwisely, turn to more responsible relatives for a 'loan'. Those responsible relatives havent wasted their income. And the relative is obliged to share what they have. Of course this is where demand sharing breaks down. The 'saversw' never manage to save any money, and those addicted to gambling or alcohol continue to waste their income as they have access to alternative sources of money.

But now the federal government are listening to communities that actually want their money attached to 'Basics' cards so responsible citizens don't have 'surplus' cash to share or lend money to humbuggers. What a great idea.