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British Responsibility

"The truth is sometimes difficult to accept, but we must all accept responsibility," Anne Clewyd MP 'sorry book' 1998

The question of whether a British responsibility still remains today, continues to be raised both in Australia and the UK.

If a responsibility does remain

• is it a legal or a moral one?
• what could Britain and the British people do?
• should there be a British apology?

why should britain be involved?

Because Australia is one of our largest trading partners, a fellow member of the Commonwealth and a long time ally.

• Because it is shameful that in the rich lucky country of Australia Aboriginal people are suffering and dying in third world conditions.
• Because it is wrong that the special status and rights of the original inhabitants are not recognized in the Australian constitution.
• Because as the colonial power, Britain failed to recognize and respect the lives and rights of the original inhabitants.
• Because Britain granted full independence to Australia in 1900/1901 without any recognition or safeguards for Aboriginal people.
• Because Aboriginal people answered Britain's call to arms in the First and Second World Wars and many died in Europe. They helped us then - we should help them now.

what's ENIAR doing?

• Raising awareness by:
  • producing fact sheets
  • distributing the ENIAR email updates
  • promoting media coverage
  • producing eniar.org
• Lobbying the EU, UK and Australian Governments to take action.
• Fostering contacts between EU, UK and Aboriginal people and organisations.
• Supporting indigenous delegations to Europe.

british responsibility news index

external links

Demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, 5 July 2001, to coincide with the visit of Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, to Prime Minister's Question Time. more photos

• Why did the British Government decide to establish a colony in Australia?
  No one ventured to question the propriety of sending a corps of kid-glove starvelings to act as mediators between the ruthless cannibal (sic) and the prompt-handed pioneer of civilization. An enterprise more foolish it would have been hard to plan, as it would have been impossible to invent a more mischievous way of transacting it.
• The Time Immemorial Ngarrindjeri DOMINIUM
  The Ngarrindjeri is an Aboriginal nation of 18 tribes called Lakalinyeri who occupied (and still occupy to some extent) the Lower Murray and Lakes area of South Australia. Campaign for Indigenous Treaty, Australian Bill of Rights, Justice & Peace.
• Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
  Non-partisan independent international non-governmental organisation. Human Rights education and advocacy are at the core of all CHRI’s activities, and the aims and ends of its reports and investigations. CHRI was born out of an awareness that although Commonwealth countries have shared legal principles and values, little had been done to set human rights standards within the association itself or to promote a culture of human rights. CHRI aims to raise awareness of and adherence to internationally recognized human rights instruments and declarations made by Commonwealth Heads of Governments, and most particularly those embodied in the Harare Principles
• British Nuclear Testing in Australia
• Maralinga - Our Own Shame
• John Pilger's website
• 1990 Trust
• National Assembly Against Racism

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