No other group of children in Australian society stands in greater judgement of the ability and willingness of this society to deal with their problems than aboriginal children.

The challenge that faces all of us in the nineties, including aboriginal community-controlled organisations like SNAICC, is whether we are going to be able to break the cycle of disadvantage, poverty and racism that keeps our children and our community at the very bottom of this society.

The 20th century history of Australia will be seen as the millennium of a great expansion of wealth in Australia. It will be regarded as a period of gigantic advances in science and productive technology. It will also - if historians record accurately - show the plight of aboriginal people as the single glaring blight on the record of this country.