PRIf'IE. PI, 1STER'S QUEENSLAND BROADCAST HO, -23
ABORIGINALS
SUNDAY 17 AUGUST 1975
THIS WEEKEND I HAVE BEEN IN THE NORTHERN
TERRITORY, WHERE I ATTENDED A UNIQUE AND HISTORIC
CEREMONY YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. I HANDED TO REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE GURINDJI PEOPLE A LEASE CONFERRING UPON THEM
UNDISPUTED RIGHTS TO THEIR ANCIENT TRIBAL LANDS AT
IWATTIE CREEK. FOR THE FIRST TIME, ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN GIVEN RIGHTS TO THEIR OWN LAND LAND WHICH
THEIR ANCESTORS FIRST INHABITED MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS
AGO, AND WHICH WILL HENCEFORTH BE THEIRS IN PERPETUITY.
YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT A DEEPLY EMOTIONAL
EXPERIENCE THIS WAS FOR EVERYONE CONCERNED FOR THE
ABORIGINALS THEMSELVES, FOR ME AND MY MINISTERS, FOR
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND FOR REPRESENTATIVES
OF OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES WITH A CONCERN FOR OUR
ABORIGINAL PEOPLE. W'E GATHERED NEAR WAVE HILL STATION,
WEST OF THE VICTORIA RIVER, SOME 200 MILES NORTH-WEST
OF TENNANT CREEK, ALL OF US HAD A VERY KEEN SENSE OF
HISTORY IN THE MAKING, OF SOMETHING CRUCIAL TO OUR
NATIONAL SPIRIT AND IDENTITY, OF A PROCESS WHOSE ORIGINS
STRETCH BACK TO THE VERY BEGINNINGS OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT ON
THIS CONTINENT. I KNOW THAT AS QUEENSLANDERS YOU WILL HAVE
A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THIS CEREMONY, BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE
ABORIGINALS IN YOUR STATE THAN IN ANY OTHER, AND MORE CONTACT
BETWEEN ABORIGINALS AND OTHER AUSTRALIANS. / 2
2.
As QUEENSLANDERS YOU WILL UNDERSTAND BETTER
THAN ANYONE ELSE THE DEEP IMPORTANCE OF LAND RIGHTS TO
THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE. IT IS ONLY WHEN WE MOVE AMONG
ABORIGINALS, AND LIVE CLOSE TO THE LAND OURSELVES, THAT
WE CAN BEGIN TO FEEL THE ENORMOUS SIGNIFICANCE ALMOST
A SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED
THIS WEEKEND. IT ISN'T JUST A MATTER OF ABORIGINES
WANTING LAND FOR PROFIT OR SECURITY OR PASTORAL
DEVELOPMENT THOUGH CERTAINLY THE LAND IN QUESTION,
.1250 SQUARE MILES, WILL BE USED AS A CATTLE STATION.
THEY RECOGNISE AND I THINK MOST AUSTRALIANS HAVE
COME TO RECOGNISE THAT THE WHOLE QUESTION OF LAND
RIGHTS GOES TO THE VERY ROOTS OF THE ABORIGINALS'
RIGHTS AND DIGNITY AS A PEOPLE, THEIR CLAIMS REST ON
A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN INSTINCT THE YEARNING TO BELONG
TO THE LAND OF THEIR ANCESTORS, TO FEEL PART OF THEIR
TRIBAL AND RACIAL ORIGINS, TO KNOW THEY HAVE A REAL
AND LIVING STAKE IN THE LAND WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT
TO THEIR CULTURE AND MYTHOLOGY. 1 1/ 3
UNFORTUNATELY IT HAS TAKEN US A VERY LONG TIME
TO RECOGNISE THESE RIGHTS AND BEGIN TO RESTORE THEM
TO THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE, IT IS JUST NINE YEARS AGO
THIS MONTH THAT THE GURINDJI ON WAVE HILL STATION
WALKED OFF IN PROTEST AGAINST THEIR LIVING AND
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS, EXACTLY SEVEN YEARS AGO ON
BUDGET DAY IN AUGUST 1968 I RAISED THE PLIGHT OF
THE GURINDJI AS A MATTER OF URGENCY IN THE NATIONAL
PARLIAMENT, THEIR CLAIM FOR LAND RIGHTS WAS DEBATED IN
PARLIAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE INITIATIVE OF THE
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THERE FOLLOWED YEARS OF
NEGOTIATIONS TO SECURE FOR THE GURINDJI A TITLE
TO THEIR LAND, VESTEYS, THE LONDON GROUP OF
COMPANIES WHICH HELD THE LEASES TO THE LAND, OFFERED
TO SURRENDER SOME OF THE LAND TO THE GURINDJI. THE
PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT DID VERY LITTLE ABOUT IT,
AGREEMENT WAS FINALLY REACHED BETWEEN VESTEYS AND MY
GOVERNMENT LAST DECEMBER, WE ARE PROVIDING MORE THAN
HALF A MILLION DOLLARS TO HELP THE GURINDJIS MOVE THEIR
CATTLE AND IMPROVE FACILITIES ON THEIR LAND, I SHOULD
SAY THAT VESTEYS HAVE COOPERATED FULLY WITH THE
GOVERNMENT AT EVERY STAGE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS, I HOPE
THEIR EXCELLENT EXAMPLE WILL BE FOLLOWED BY OTHER
HOLDERS OF LEASEHOLD LAND TO WHICH REASONABLE CLAIM
BY THE ABORIGINES CAN BE ESTABLISHED, / 4
QUITE CLEARLY OUR OBLIGATION TO THE ABORIGINAL PEO,.
DOESN'T END WITH THIS ONE GRANT OF LAND AT WIATTIE CREEK,
THE WHOLE ISSUE OF LAND RIGHTS IS VAST AND COMPLEX, AND THERE
ARE NUMEROUS CLAIMS BY ABORIGINALS FOR LAND IN OTHER PARTS
OF AUSTRALIA, ALL THESE CLAIMS WILL HAVE. TO BE EXAMINED,
ONE OF OUR FIRST ACTS AS A GOVERNMENT WAS TO APPOINT A
ROYAL COMMISSION TO ADVISE ON WAYS IN WHICH ABORIGINAL LAND
RIGHTS MIGHT BE RECOGNISED, THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF
MR JUSTICE WOODWARD'S FIRST REPORT IN JULY 1973 WERE ACCEPTED,
IN PRINCIPLE BY THE GOVERNMENT AND TWO REGIONAL LAND COUNCILS
WERE ESTABLISHED, WE HAVE PREPARED LEGISLATION, WHICH
WILL BE INTRODUCED IN THE COMING BUDGET SESSION, TO GIVE
EFFECT TO THE 10OODWARD REPORT AND PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE
JUST AND ORDERLY TRANSFER OF LAND TO ABORIGINALS WHEREVER
THEIR TRIBAL RIGHTS CAN BE PROVED.
I HOPE THERE WILL BE NO RESISTANCE OR OBSTRUCTION
TO THIS PROCESS, WE ARE DOING SOMETHING TO REDRESS THE
LONG HISTORY OF INJUSTICE AND REPRESSION FROM WHICH ABORIGINALS
HAVE SUFFERED, YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT A REFERENDUM WAS
CARRIED IN 1957 TO GIVE THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT POWER
TO LEGISLATE FOR THE WELFARE OF ABORIGINALS, QUEENSLANDERS,
LIKE ALL OTHER AUSTRALIANS, VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY FOR THAT
REFERENDUM, THE SAD TRUTH IS THAT FAR TOO LITTLE HAS
BEEN DONE TO IMPLEMENT THE SPIRIT OF THAT DECISION, IT IS
NOT JUST A MATTER OF GIVING MORE MONEY FOR HOUSING, HEALTH
AND EDUCATION THOUGH CERTAINLY WE HAVE GIVEN MORE MONEY,
MUCH MORE MONEY, THAN ANY PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT,
S HE REAL PROBLEM IS TO OVERCOME DEEP-SEATED PREJUDICES,
OLD HABITS OF DISTRUST AND DISCRIMINATION. I'M AFRAID THAT
HERE IN QUEENS_ AND DISCRIMINATORY LAWS REMAIN ON THE STATUTE BOOK,
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS PASSED LEGISLATION TO OUTLAW
ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND LAST YEAR WE BROUGHT
IN FURTHER LEGISLATION IN THE NATIONAL PARLIAMENT TO
OVERRIDE SPECIFIC DISCRiMINATORY LAWS IN QUEENSLAND, IWE DON T
GET ANY PARTICULAR PLEASURE FROM ACTING IN THIS WAY, BUT THE
RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AND
AUSTRALIA'S REPUTATION AS A NATION ARE TOO IMPORTANT
FOR THESE OBJECTIONABLE LAWS TO BE TOLERATED, WE MUST USE
OUR POWERS TO OVERRIDE THEM POWERS CONFERRED UPON US
IN THE REFERENDUM, AFTER ALL, VWE ARE NOT THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT TO FIGHT THESE LAWS. MiR GORTON'S GOVERNMENT DID
ITS BEST TO GET THEM REMOVED, AND THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT
DEFIED , IR GORTON'S EFFORTS JUST AS IT'S DEFYING MINE,
So THE STRUGGLE IS STILL GOING ON THE STRUGGLE
TO GIVE ABORIGINALS FULL EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW, TO
IMPROVE THEIR RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES, TO RAISE THEIR
STANDARD OF LIVING, TO GIVE THEM TRUE DIGNITY AS A PEOPLE,
TO HELP. THEM RUN THEIR OWN AFFAIRS AND MAKE THEIR OWN
DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE AND THE CONDUCT OF THEIR LOCAL
COMMUNITIES. IT'S A TASK FOR WHICH WE ALL HAVE A PARTICULAR
RESPONSIBILITY AS AUSTRALIANS AND IT'S A TASK WHICH
VARIES FROM PLACE TO PLACE, FROM STATE TO STATE, FROM
COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY, THERE ARE NO SIMPLE, ALL-EMBRACING
POLICIES FOR ABORIGINAL ADVANCEMENT.
WE HAVE TO WORK STEADILY AND PATIENTLY AND DO WHAT
WE CAN, AS BEST WE CAN, WHEREVER IT 1S POSSIBLE TO
TAKE ACTION. I AM SURE THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF
QUEENSADRS WILL SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS AND SHARE
MY PERSONAL SATISFACTION WITH EVERYTHING THAT WAS
ACH IEVED, AND SYMBOLISED, BY YESTERDAY'S CEREMONY
AT WArTIE CREEK,