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Aboriginal councils and coalition to call on Government to account for stolen process on stolen wages

3 September 2002 - Aboriginal Co-ordinating Council - Media Release - Government asked to account for itself over the recent "consultations" with communities concerning reparations for a century of missing wages and savings belonging to Aboriginal people.

- Representatives from the Aboriginal Coordinating Council, FAIRA and historian Dr Ros Kidd will call on the government today to account for itself over the recent "consultations" with communities concerning reparations for a century of missing wages and savings belonging to Aboriginal people.

The ACC, the 15 former mission and reserve or DOGIT (Deeds of Grant in Trust) communities across the state, is having its Full Council Meeting in Townsville this week to coincide with the North Queensland sitting of Parliament.

Historian Dr Ros Kidd (author of 'The Way We Civilise' - a history of the governance of Aboriginal people in Queensland) will tell the ACCs Full Council Meeting recent 'consultation' process carried out on behalf of the Government was full on contradictions.

"Not only was the process itself a contradiction - was it an offer or not?" Dr Kidd said, "but both Premier Beattie and Minister Judy Spence have been consistently inconsistent in their explanation of what the terms and conditions are for the eligible and precisely what kind of legal indemnity the offer involves."

"Mr Beattie may well say there is no time for court cases and litigation over this matter and I know the Councils and the coalition agree with that.

"But if it comes to people taking the matter to Court the blame for that rests fairly and squarely with the Government for making this 'offer' and process so inadequate and confusing as to be completely unacceptable to the people it was intended for.

"Long gone are the days when Aboriginal people will just accept whatever crumbs are tossed from the table at them - this money is theirs, they worked for it and they are simply asking for what is owed - and the Government's own records and legal advice confirm that."

Source: Aboriginal Co-ordinating Council

Further information: stolen wages issues page - includes news index and external links

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