Below you will find three open letters from the National Indigenous Human Rights Congress Australia. The first is addressed to the President of the Senate Committee Parliament House; the second, to the World Council of Churches; and finally, to all Foreign Representatives Who Reside in Australia.
All letters are regarding “Aboriginal Policy” (recent and current events, as well as the historical and ongoing approach towards indigenous people); however the latter two focus specifically on what Indigenous people in Australia are facing today.
On request from the NIHRCA, please redistribute the letters.
NIHRCA Response to Australian Governments Pre Election Legislation (pdf)
In the past two weeks Aboriginal Peoples in Australia have been subjected to a long awaited trial of a Queensland Police Officer, the first police officer to be put on trial for an Aboriginal Death in Custody, the proposed Nuclear Waste Dumps in the Northern Territory and then the oncoming invasive, inhumane solution to Aboriginal child abuse & Alcoholism in the Northern Territory.
In reality Peoples make laws. All Peoples should be tried publicly, the jury in Australia must consist of Aboriginal Peoples to ensure justice prevails, considering the past injustices exposed in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Ours are elders, who held Law through passages of rights. Celebrated with customary practises that involved other tribes, we acknowledged that what happened in our tribal boundaries would affect the surrounding countries. Our diplomacy was excellent.
In our societies laws were made on the basis of survival. Fundamental requirements, to protect the environment, Peoples and the needs for life recognising that the health of the land reflects the health of the Peoples. A law that contradicted this would not be passed.
That is the true balance of leadership…
The politics that is affecting our Peoples now is in breach of Human Rights & Social Justice. Completely evading the historic issues that bought the race relations in this country to this point.
We are not saying that we do not need police officers. What we want from our police force is integrity. What we want from a justice system is a fair and humane one. We are not saying peadophelia and child abuse must not be addressed in our communities. Currently that is a global concern and should be a national concern for all children.
Most importantly we are saying we want a say in our future of our culture, our land our Peoples. We are saying that we want a say in our destiny and what happens on our land. Self Determination. We want consultation processes to be full fair processes of consultation. We are talking human rights and social justice a necessity not an option for all Peoples.
The Australian Police Forces have lost their integrity, if they had any at all. They are supposed to uphold the Law and keep the peace they are not the law. More importantly they are not beyond reproach of the law. That is constitutional, the constitution was supposed to ensure human rights and social justice of citizens of the commonwealth however the power to make special laws for Aboriginal peoples gives the Commonwealth governments the power to commit genocide.
The results of the Hurley case leaves no room for, tongue in cheek, “reconciliation”. All the non-indigenous organisations that benefit from the coffers of Reconciliation Limited have all the resources and the money to lobby the government for justice reforms and most importantly a NUKE FREE COUNTRY. That is not a Racial issue, it is important for the survival of humanity and the land.
The invasive methods and the biased media sensationalism of the child abuse in the Northern Territory right after proposing Nuclear Waste dumps in the NT on top of the acquittal of a Senior Police Officer for the death of an Aboriginal man on Palm Island is the evidence of the oppression of Aboriginal Peoples in this country. To oppress a race and blame the race for the outcome of that oppression is not only criminal it is fraud.
However it also exposes the fact that Australia has become from 1788 a closed racist society. Denying the fact that this is the aftermath and the failure to recognise that this is Aboriginal Land. That we are the Sovereign Custodians of this country.
As the Queensland and Australian Justice systems, the Northern Land Council, in particular the non-indigenous advocates have done a grave injustice to the Peoples they represent. It is country that we have a responsibility and our future generations and we have no room for mistakes. An injustice that can be rectified with proper consultations with all parties involved in relation to country. This would include Aboriginal representation on the Marine Park Authority.
The Northern Territory should consider statehood now, I have been in Canberra for seven years and it is truly dysfunctional. As the Prime Minister said he is not listening to those advisors that do not live in the community however Mal Brough’s tour is his definition of living on community. Mr Brough is only seeing the aftermath of the Australian governments and the churches influence on Aboriginal peoples since 1788.
The Australian governments have failed to implement humane and just policies for the Aboriginal “citizens” of this country by enforcing assimilation of the First Nations of this Country. Assimilation is an Act of Genocide and the Australian Government has become a global disgrace for their treatment of the Indigenous Peoples of this country.
The NIHRCA would like for the Senate Committee to consider refraining from moving to pass legislation prior to the Federal Election in relation to all issues that affect Aboriginal peoples in Australia. This would include the Agreements currently in process on Lizard Island and the amendment to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act to remove Aboriginal representation.
It has become apparent that the issues that have been put before the Senate have had detrimental affects and full consultations from the Peoples have not been adequate enough to pass these archaic laws. The NIHRCA would like for the Senate Committee to consider advocating human rights & social justice for Aboriginal People in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights and to reconsider the Rights of Indigenous Peoples before the irreversible Act of genocide of the Aboriginal Race is committed by your government.
Thankyou for taking time to read this submission on behalf of the Aboriginal Peoples in Australia. We await your response in anticipation.
Yours sincerely
Wadjularbinna Nullyarimma Lee Anne Nangala Daylight-Lacey
Chairperson Founder
NIHRCA
Addressed To the World Council of Churches (pdf)
Addressed To the Foreign Representatives Who Reside in Australia (pdf)
Human Rights & Social Justice does not apply to Aboriginal Peoples in Australia nor does the fact that we are Citizens of our own Country.
The impact of colonisation by the British Empire perpetuated by the Australian government and their foreign partners is an international disgrace leaving a deep scar on humanity equal to the holocaust of the 6 million Jews that were murdered during the war.
Acceptable mortality rate for sheep being sent overseas as live exports are 2.3% compare that with the acceptable annual mortality rate for Aboriginal Australians is 2.2% whilst non-indigenous Australians have a mortality rate of 0.5%.
To equal the number of avoidable Aboriginal deaths each year we would need one hundred and ten (110) Cyclone Tracey’s, two hundred and twenty three, (223) Port Arthur massacres, eighty eight (88) Bali Bombings, almost three (3) World Trade Centre Attacks, twenty two (22) SIEV-X tragedies, One hundred and four (104) Ash Wednesday Bush Fires, Fifteen (15) Vietnam Wars and Five hundred and twenty, (520) Childers backpacker fires.
The plight of the Aboriginal Peoples in Australia is on Alert.
Recently the Australian Government have moved to entrench genocide into the already archaic policies of the Australian government putting us on the brink of extinction. The placement of Nuclear Waste Dumps near Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory and the inhumane and invasive solutions to child abuse of Aboriginal children are horrifying.
The acts of child abuse and alcoholism are a learnt behaviour and have been a plight of Aboriginal Peoples from the time of dispossession enforced on missions, settlements and reserves. These breaches were inflicted on my Peoples wearing the robes of GOD?
The Pope has apologised and reparation is due. The poverty of my Peoples must be addressed in order to survive other wise it would be an act of Genocide. The Principles of Reconciliation must comply with the conciliation between the Aboriginal Peoples, the Crown, the Churches and the Commonwealth Government of Australia. And they are;
1. To Recognise The Problem
2. To Apologise
3. To Guarantee It Will Never Happen Again
4. To Repair The Society To Condition and Quality of Life prior to colonisation
The NIHRCA observes the past and present actions by the Australian Government as a culmination of perpetuated racist policies directly related to the invasion of the British Empire in 1788. The NIHRCA also deems Australia as being a racist closed intolerant society subjecting peoples of other races and religions to persecution and intolerance…
The National Indigenous Human Rights Congress Australia are humbly seeking international intervention in full consultation with the Aboriginal Peoples in Australia to the Australian governments past and present, treatment of Aboriginal Peoples in Australia.
The National Indigenous Human Rights Congress Australia will be holding the First Human Rights & Social Justice Conference in Sydney 2007 to commence and accept nominations from Aboriginal communities to establish an Aboriginal International Delegation to act as our Aboriginal Diplomats to the Foreign Representatives that reside in Australia.
At present our presence is being ignored in our country and your advocacy of this delegation would be most gratefully appreciated.
I thank you for taking the time to read this letter and we humbly request a response to this correspondence.
Yours sincerely
Wadjularbinna Nullyarimma Lee Anne Nangala Daylight-Lacey
Chairperson Founder
NIHRCA
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