Michael Anderson, who has just returned from a Deaths in Custody Rally in Brisbane, calls upon Aboriginal people to make 2012 the Year of the Last Stand for Justice.
Michael said, “The forthcoming 40th Anniversary of the Aboriginal Embassy in Canberra is a milestone in the Aboriginal struggle. The fact that the Embassy has now been standing continually since 1992 is a testament to our determination to fight against all odds and the tyranny of the majority to gain that which is ours. The Mabo (No.2) judgement 1992 affirms the biased legal judgement against our Peoples, when the full bench of the High Court concluded that the adverse possession of Australia by the colonial governments and administrators was somehow legal, through their assumption that British sovereignty over Aboriginal Peoples arrived in Australia in 1788.
"Recent legal research raises some serious questions about these legal dicta because adverse possession only remains until the true owners reclaim their land. The dicta of the High Court secured the rights of the squatters. Unfortunately the confrontation that we now have is that we have a multiplicity of sovereignties on one continent, that is, the imposed colonial society’s sovereignty, which they say is an ‘Act of State’ under the existing law at the time, and the sovereignties of the diverse Aboriginal nations that were in existence in 1788 and continue to exist.
"The challenge that we now face is to resolve the ambiguities of history. It is my opinion that we pursue the credo of Kevin Gilbert’s book “Because a Whiteman’ll Never Do It” - a quote by long time Aboriginal rights campaigner Alice Briggs of Purfleet Mission, Taree, NSW. Also as Uncle Ray Peckham says, “This is the last leg of my journey,” when he referred to our stand against British colonialism.
"As part its 40th Anniversary, the Aboriginal Embassy will have three days of workshops to finalise declarations and a peace package that will be offered up to the British government and the colonial Australian administrators.
Contact: Michael Anderson 0427 292 492 & 0421 795 639
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Michael is the last survivor of the four young Black Power men who founded the embassy in 1972. He is the leader of the 3,000 Euahlayi of northwest NSW and southwest Qld.
The agenda, a flyer (the picture at the top), a radio ad (which you might get a station near you to play) and an especially composed rap song for the 40th anniversary can be requested from aboriginaltentembassy@hotmail.com.
Comments
After 224 years of invasion policies we are worse off than ever
by ray jackson, president, indigenous social justice association
i, and i know many others also will, strongly support michael in his call and demand to "make 2012 the year of the last stand for justice" and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the tent embassy that was set up by michael and his compatriots on invasion day 1972.
from the 26th to 28th of january 2012 the discussions will continue on the best way to strengthen our demands that we must obtain our rightful sovereignty of the traditional owners, brought about by treaties with each aboriginal nation. included, of course, will be the demand that social justice issues, such as deaths in custody, among many others, must be honestly and openly addressed by the relevant authorities.
whilst there are many social justice issues that need to be addressed, the nt intervention/invasion, the ongoing health and education problems, the over-policing and consequent over-gaoling of our brothers and sisters but especially that of our youth who are the tragic victims of a racist custodial system, we must not lose sight of the most important issue - that of our sovereignty.
the latest abs figures show that as at the end of the june quarter 2011 the continuing racist horror of the government's custodial systems of this country. nationally, that there are 28 964 inmates in full time custody whilst there were 54 609 in the community-based custody system. the number of aboriginal and torres strait islanders in gaol at the june 2011 quarter were 6 997 males and 624 females. we make up 26% of the total national gaol population but we make up only 2% of the australian population.
nsw has 2 270 aboriginal and torres strait islander inmates, wa has 1 775 and qld. has 1 671 making up some 75% of the national figure. the figures for juvenile justice, though not given by the abs, is at least 50% of the jj system.
the current racist custodial system does not work for our people and we need to accept the responsibility for their rehabilitation by assisting them in a cultural manner. their system works on the method of penal punishment, our cultural system is built on respect, love and salvation. we had no gaols but we did have a form of very strict laws that enabled our civilisation to continue for 60 000 years or more. we need to minister to our own in our own way. the first nations of canada/america do this as do the maori; why shouldn't we?
in nsw, corrective services set up what was described as being an 'aboriginal' gaol that would take only aboriginal inmates and be mostly staffed by aboriginal officers and workers. the gaol would use the local brewarrina aboriginal community and its aboriginal services. the gaol even employed an elder to mentor the inmates. with no great surprise the work structures were eroded over time. the local aboriginal medical service was banned as were nominated individuals. the aboriginal officers were eventually replaced by mainstream officers and 'yetta dhinikal' became just another gaol.
after 224 years of invasion policies we are worse off than ever!
the clarion call for sovereignty, treaties and social justice must be answered to our collective satisfaction.
fkj
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