Noel Pearson, Up From the Mission (2009)
“
We have to get rid of the passive welfare mentality that has taken over our people. Our traditional economy was a real economy and demanded responsibility (you don’t work, you starve). The whitefella market economy is real (you don’t work, you don’t get paid).
— Indigenous Australians
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "We have to get rid of the passive welfare mentality that has taken over our people. Our traditional economy was a real economy and demanded responsibility (you don’t work, you starve). The whitefella market economy is real (you don’t work, you don’t get paid)." in the context of "Noel Pearson, Up From the Mission (2009)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Indigenous Australians" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are members of groups that existed in Australia and the surrounding islands prior to European colonisation. The term is therefore somewhat broad in scope, including such ethnically diverse groups as Tiwi people, Noongar people, and Torres Strait Islanders, and does not generally imply a close relationship or common origin of all included groups.
About Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are members of groups that existed in Australia and the surrounding islands prior to European colonisation. The term is therefore somewhat broad in scope, including such ethnically diverse groups as Tiwi people, Noongar people, and Torres Strait Islanders, and does not generally imply a close relationship or common origin of all included groups.
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