Gawad Kalinga: The currency of caring

Bagong Silang, a former slum on the outskirts of Manila. (IMAGE: CHRIS GRAHAM)

I’VE BEEN taken out of my comfort zone more in the past few weeks than I have in the past few decades, and all of it occurred on the other side of the equator. 
In late January and early February, I was part of a small group of French and Australians, including NSWALC CEO Geoff Scott and Councillor Anne Dennis, touring slums and villages throughout the Philippines. 


Grog is a killer, but it’s far less dangerous than politics

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin… the Close the Gap strategy is failing, but it’s the politics behind it that’s doing the real damage.

THERE’S no question that grog kills a lot of Aboriginal people, and destroys a lot of Aboriginal lives. It’s a major problem in many communities around the country.

But for all the damage grog can do to an Aboriginal community, it’s nothing compared to the damage wrought by politics.