SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON. E. G. WHITLAM, M. P.,
FOR THE OPENING OF THE 17TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE
OF THE FEDERAL COUNCIL FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF
ABORIGINES TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS
CANBERRA, FRIDAY 28 MARCH, 1975
It is taking a long time to redress the long history
of injustice to our Aboriginal people. In no field of
Government are good intentions more easily subverted by
practical difficulties and human failings. My Government
has done a great deal for your people, but I am not going
to pretend that the plight of Aborigines has been removed
or even greatly alleviated. It has not. If increased
Government expenditures, the passage of enlightened legislation
and the creation of new agencies were all that were
needed, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders would now
be enjoying much happier prospects for a full and better
life. The truth is that we.-are dealing with perverse and
intractable things like human nature, deeply ingrained
cultural and social habits, the legacy of decades of neglect
and generations of repression. In recent weeks in parts of
the Northern Territory we have seen a depressing and lamentable
resurgence of the worst strains of prejudice and racism.
Your struggle, our struggle, will be long and difficult. I
can only say this : throughout that struggle the Australian
Labor Government will be on your side.
And for all the difficulties we face the important
thing is not to lose faith in the power of Governments to
bring about change and improvement. True enough, the road
is hard and full of obstacles but when a national Government
is behind you there is hope, and there are real gains.
We should never forget the resounding victory Aboriginal
people secured in the referendum of 1967. That result gave
the Australian Government concurrent powers with the States,
and where necessary overriding powers, in respect of Aborigines
and Torres Strait Islanders. It was an unmistakable affirmation
of the people's will. And it was if you will forgive
the phrase -' very much a victory for centralism. We might
well ponder what the result of such a referendum would be
today. Would the Opposition senators and the States resist
such a referendum in their current obsession with State
rights? Would the referendum be carried so decisively?
The lesson to keep in mind is that reforms of this kindreforms
so crucial to your welfare and crucial to Australia's
reputation can easily be frustrated or set aside even when
the people approve them.
Of course none of us can be content with the progress
of Aboriginal welfare since the referendum was carried. At
least one State is still resisting the clear instruction
given by that result, just as they resisted the efforts of
our predecessors to give effect to the people's verdict.
It is easily forgotten that Queenslanders themselves voted
over'ihelmingly for the referendum. Yet discriminatory laws
remain on the statute book in Queensland. Mr. Gorton did
his best to remove them. The State Government defied him.
And of course they have defied my own Government's attempts.
In November 1973 we first brought in a bill to outlaw all
forms of racial discrimination; it is still before the
Parliament. Our Human Rights Bill had a similar objective
and has met with similar obstruction. Last year we introduced
a further bill to override specific discriminatory
Queensland laws by legislation in the national Parliament.
I find it intolerable that Queensland's discriminatory laws
remain in force eight years after the referendum was passed,
in the face of the people's wishes, in the face of the
expressed policy of the two major political parties in
Australia. I would not want you. to think that we see Aboriginal
affairs as solely a national Government responsibility.
Your own council is organised on federal lines and our
approach requires a good measure of co-operation with the
States. Wh ere the States have constitutional authority in
such matters as health and education, we have sought the
co-operation of State Ministers and their departments.
So what we are doing is enabling Aboriginal communities
and groups to meet their own needs and look after
themselves. This year we are spending $ 13 million to fund
Aboriginal Housing Associations so they can build and buy
houses. We are funding Aboriginal medical services in New
South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
Aboriginal legal services have been established in all
States and the Northern Territory. We have set up the
Aboriginal Loans Commission to provide loans to Aboriginals
for business enterprises, and have prepared legislation to
make it easier for Aboriginal communities and groups to
incorporate for economic and social purposes.
One of the Government's major reforms was to set
up the National Aboriginal Consultative Committee, a
national body to which Aborigines may elect representatives
to advise the minister on policies and programs. We want
the committee to promote the autonomy and independence of
the Aboriginal people and help them maintain distinctive
cultures.
For the same reason we established an Aboriginal Arts
Board within the Australia Council, and it is generously funded
to encourage traditional and developing Aboriginal arts. We
have introduced bilingual education courses in Northern Australia
so that Aboriginal children can be taught in their own dialects.
The Government has recognised from the start that land
rights are central to your aspirations, your dignity and your
place in a just social order. One of the Government's first
actions in December 1972 was to freeze mineral exploration
and land leasing in Northern Territory reserves and appoint
a Royal Commission to advise on ways in which Aboriginal land
rights might best be recognised. After Mr. Justice Woodward's
first report in July 1973, two regional Land Councils were set
up and, largely on the basis of submissions from these Councils,
a final report and recommendations were submitted in May 1974.
The recommendations were accepted in principle by Government.
Legislation is being drafted for introduction in the present
session after further consultations with the Land Councils.
The Aboriginal Land Fund Act was introduced and passed
later in 1974. It establishes a fund for the purchase by
Aboriginal communities of land for economic and social purposes
and for a Commission to administer the Fund. At least two of
the five members of the Commission will be Aboriginal. A
number of large properties have been bought by Aboriginal
communities since 1972 on the basis of funds provided by grant
by the Government.
Arrangements are being made for the surrender fhis year
of over 1,200 square miles from Wave Hill Station for theA
Gurindji community at Wattie Creek in terms of the group's
original request in 1967 so that the Gurindji can raise cattle
on their own land.
On top of that we have provided vastly greater sums
for Aboriginal housing, health, education and employment.
Here's a comparison to bear in mind. In 1971-72 the last
full year of Liberal-Country Party Government, Commonwealth
spending on Aboriginal affairs amounted to 32 million.
This financial year we are spending $ 164 million. But don't
imagine that because-of this we are ignorant of the problems
still facing you. The very generosity of our grants has
brought difficulties of fu nding and accounting for many of
your people. The Department of Aboriginal Affairs has
redeployed its staff to cope with the pressure of demand.
We know, too, that rural areas, where many Aborigines live,
have been hard hit by unemployment and there are special
problems of employment for Aborigines in more remote areas.
All this, regrettably, puts abnormal strains on relationships
with white communities.
4.
I hope your own council will help remove these
sources of tension. Despite the establishment of other
Aboriginal bodies there will always be a need for your
organisation in promoting understanding of Aboriginal needs
and putting forward sound, practical and enlightened policies.
You have campaigned with us on many fundemantal
issues the 1967 referendum, the removal of discriminatory
legislation, land rights for your people. Those battles
are mainly won. You can be sure of our continued support
as we move towards the achievement of our other goals.
Don't be disappointed by inevitable setbacks and delays,
by administrative difficulties, by the problems posed by
your new responsibilities and your new sense of independence.
We are working steadily, patiently and surely towards a better
way of life for the Aboriginal people. In Jim Cavanagh we
have a minister with great common sense and great humanity.
He is tackling practical problems without losing sight of
ideals. There will always be groups with a vested interest
in obstruction and mischief. There will always be those,
in both the Aboriginal and white communities, with a vested
interest in tension, confrontation, even violence. It is
important to resist them, to get on with the job in our own
way, to keep clear and practical goals before us, to be on
guard against bombast and hysteria. I ask the Aboriginal
people to put their faith in a Government with their true
interests at heart, and ultimately to have faith in yourselves.