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- 29 May 2007
Reconciliation
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The Hon. CHRISTINE ROBERTSON [5.36 p.m.]: The past week marks the anniversaries of a couple of very important milestones on the journey to reconciliation with Australia's original peoples. The first of these is the fortieth anniversary of the referendum that finally gave the Government the power to implement special laws to benefit Aboriginal Australians, which goes a small way to undoing past wrongs against the first Australians. Whilst indigenous people were made citizens in 1948 and already had the vote through State laws, until this point the Constitution did not allow for special laws to be made, and thus gave successive governments an excuse for not fixing the vast problems that Aboriginal people face. It was this referendum that paved the way for land rights legislation, as well as the first Racial Discrimination Act which overrode discriminatory State legislation.
The other key outcome of the referendum was largely symbolic. Until that point indigenous people had less official recognition than livestock and were covered by the flora and fauna legislation, but when more than 90 per cent of the Australian electorate voted in favour of the proposition an important line was drawn about what was and was not acceptable in our treatment of Aboriginal Australia. The path to reconciliation and resolving the disadvantage they suffer is long and there is still much to be done, but 40 years ago Australia overwhelmingly said no to the Government being able to avoid its responsibilities in this important area.
The second occasion is the tenth anniversary of the "Bringing Them Home" report by Sir Ronald Wilson into the stolen generations. The forcible removal of indigenous people from their parents is one of the most shameful episodes in Australian history that not only destroyed families and created massive social problems but also resulted in the loss of Aboriginal culture and language. It is widely recognised as one of the most catastrophic policies ever forced on our indigenous peoples. Of course the "Bringing Them Home" report itself does not solve all the problems this policy created, but the acknowledgment that a wrong was done is the first step to fixing these problems. As an aside, I suggest that an apology from the Federal Government to match that already made by this Parliament would be a good second step.
In the face of these two anniversaries, it is timely to reflect upon where the journey to reconciliation with our indigenous people will take us next. I have spoken previously about health conditions and a whole range of other social problems that Aboriginal Australia has had to endure since European settlement began, and for which we have done far too little to help. Life expectancy for Aboriginal people is 20 years lower than for other Australians, and this gap has widened over the last few years. While other comparable countries such as New Zealand, the United States and Canada have been closing the gap, we have not. Clearly indigenous health has to be a priority for all of us as a practical measure for reconciliation.
Education, which is so fundamental for success in life, is another area where more work is needed. The proportion of adults who did not attend school yet have post-school qualifications has decreased relative to the rest of the Australian population, while the number having left school under the age of 15 has increased relative to the rest of the community. Measurements of home ownership, employment and income show that indigenous people are far worse off than are other Australians. While there are small improvements, these indicators show no signs of the gap being closed at any time soon.
The story is not all doom and gloom. There are various programs working with specific communities that have worked and are working. However, more funding and willpower is needed to turn these small successes into greater successes, and eventually an outcome that we can all be proud of. It is too easy to throw our hands up in the air in resignation when a setback occurs. Rather, we should be looking at the next solution, and not using this as an excuse to take funding away or to lose interest in something so important.
In more than 200 years, we have travelled only a short distance on the path to reconciliation. There are practical and symbolic steps that still have to be taken. Members of this and other parliaments will debate the best way forward, with different solutions being put on the table. But one thing is for certain: we still have a long way to go to get to a time and place where the first Australians enjoy the same living conditions and respects as the rest of us. I call on all honourable members to join together to work so that Aboriginal Australians can enjoy the same benefits of being an Australian that the rest of us do—so that our national shame can one day become our national pride.
Yesterday, Sorry Day was celebrated by the Tamworth Regional Council, local Aboriginal people and other members of reconciliation groups as a part of this important week. We heard from elders and our young people from the Tamworth area about good things happening. Tamworth had the first reconciliation group in the whole of Australia, which is something they are very proud of. I am thankful and recognise that I live and work on Gamillouoi land. I am very grateful to the Gamillouoi people for being such an important part of Tamworth and for showing us that great things can happen for and with Aboriginal persons. [ Time expired.]
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