IT'S now a year since John Howard described the situation of children in remote Aboriginal communities as so serious that he announced a campaign of direct action by the Federal Government.

Has the intervention been worthwhile?

It certainly had an initial impact, although critics say that after the first flush of success interest has waned and there's still a huge amount of work to be done.

There are real contrasts. In one Northern Territory village the intervention seems to have had little success but in a neighbouring village (certainly a long distance away) the women are enthusiastic about its success, particularly the idea of holding back dole money to ensure their children are fed and educated.

One Aboriginal official said since the intervention health checks of 773 children in 73 communities had detected 42 cases of suspected abuse and neglect.

But, then again, there is the recent case of the Victorian and South Australian governments struggling to establish how a 28-year-old woman who lived in both states failed to provide food, shelter and medical care for her seven children. The woman who had been staying with a relative who had 12 children.

The court case will surely produce a very sad story of a woman with a myriad of problems.

So child abuse is not restricted to Aboriginal communities but it does seem that these isolated communities promise little hope for the future - for the children or the rest of the people who live there.

Surely the big question that has to be asked is - is there are real future for these isolated and troubled communities?

Should our government commence a program to gradually bring these people into the more populated areas where there is a greater potential for the adults to find suitable work and for the children to realise how education can have a positive effect on their lives.

The children could see how they, too, could enjoy more of the good things of life if they had an education.

Yes, it would be criticised as a 'stolen communities' scheme, something like the 'stolen children' criticisms but is there any alternative?

Maybe one alternative would be to set up some sort of industry to provide employment but whole groups of people sitting around doing nothing is a real recipe for bigger problems in the future.