I had assumed community policing meant the People of Palm Island would work in their own community, without any external influence–that is, altogether separate from and independent of Australia.

But what you posted compelled me to look a little deeper, and I see that it is (I’m a little embarrassed for not seeing it before) obviously advocating the assimilation of the People of Palm Island through, for starters, the channel of law and it’s enforcement.

I also see alot more worth talking about from this article, particularly the apparent cause of imprisonment — but there’s another, it seems closely related article I’ll be posting in a few days , and I’ll be getting into all that there.

Thanks for sharing this Anne.

I’m intrigued as to what it means in this context of Palm Island- considering that the article advocates a consensus from the local community- the basis of local consultation.

However the name of the thinktank this woman writes for immediately makes me suspicious. The CIS is of the hard right. It has campaigned against indigenous land rights and the like. It advocates private property rights in opposition to land rights.
Here is the article on Sourcewatch about the CIS, and here is a speech by Damien Cahill to the Sydney branch of the labour history society about the CIS.

Even though their ideas have become more accepted by the mainstream, they still remain crazily attached to fundamentalist capitalism, disguised by reasonable language.