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Aboriginal challenger for Deputy Prime Minister's NSW Outback seat

Michael Anderson near his property in northwest New South Wales

by Diet Simon

Goodooga, 19 July, 2004 - An Aboriginal sheep farmer and rights activist, Michael Anderson, is taking on the Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, for the seat of Gwydir in the coming federal election.

Michael, 53, of Goodooga, is standing for The Greens and is campaigning on rural and Aboriginal issues.

"Farmers are already contacting me and want to talk. White land investors in the western part of the Hunter region are talking to me about the coming coal mining and that they just bought land there to escape the cities. Now they are faced with being bought out by the coal interests.

"Small farmers are being forced out of this area. The racehorse breeding industry will be severely threatened with the run-off into the river system of the coal dust, etc.

"Out this way the rivers are not running and irrigators are being given ownership of water at the expense of the small farmers and town water. It won't be long before towns have to buy the water from the big end of town."

"I want a big fight, I want this Deputy Prime Minister to take me on in a public fight over the issues," Michael says. "I'm going to get in his face on rural issues that have many farmers and others up in arms. Whilst this is said to be a safe seat, I want to get it or at least make it a very narrow margin one for the next election."

Isn't it a bit of a tall order unseating heavyweight John Anderson, who is also leader of the Nationals and Minister for Transport and Regional Services, and who in 2001 took 64.88% of the votes to the ALP's 35.12%?

"What are you talking about, mate? You should have been with me when as an almost 18-year-old I decided to take on the whole of Australia on the issue of land rights and equal rights. Talk about a stab in the dark!" he recalls. "This is not such a major task."

Michael has extensive knowledge of our national political system, having been responsible for policy advice on matters relating to Indigenous affairs and human rights.

"There are many juicy issues here to fight and the best one to target at this point is the mass exodus of the white population from the bush. And the fact that the governments are in bed with the big end of town, which is resulting in the corporatisation of the rural lands. This also means water ownership being granted to them on land that is semi-arid with irregular seasonal flows." Michael is a leading advocate on water and environment-related issues of the Murray Darling Basin.

Michael and his German wife run an extensive Merino breeding and sheep grazing business for his family in the area of Lightning Ridge and Goodooga. He was born in Brewarrina and raised and educated in his traditional homelands within the region. His education was simultaneously Aboriginal and Western.

He went on to study law and has an extensive legal background, including working for the Office of Public Prosecutions and Clerk of the Peace as an Instructing Officer in the District Court, Criminal Law Division.

Michael, whose Aboriginal name is Nyoongar-Ghurradjong-Murri, Ghillar, also taught Aboriginal studies, political science and society and health at New England and Newcastle Universities for six years. He is one of the ceremonial leaders of his Euahlayi clan of 3,000 and was recently elected facilitator of the 15,000 Gumilaroi people who also live in Queensland.

Ghillar was one of the half dozen activists who set up the original tent embassy outside the old Parliament House in Canberra.

After he and mates gate-crashed a meeting by former Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam with visiting Chinese officials in Aboriginal ceremonial dress, Whitlam hand-picked him for political training by sending him to people he knew internationally. The prime minister took the Aboriginal activist with him on several overseas trips.

Ghillar maintains an active role in human rights advocacy, domestically and internationally. Various Aboriginal groups across the country continue to ask his advice on a range of matters, notably when modern development endangers Indigenous heritage.

In the past five years Ghillar has been active in inter-governmental discussions within the United Nations in Geneva on the elaboration of a draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the world. He continues to be heavily involved in Indigenous land rights matters and is working on dealing with the low socio-economic status of his people.

"We must develop respect and understanding of the Indigenous cultural heritage and work together for its protection and promotion," he says in a leaflet of The Greens.

"We must all work to improve and upgrade the low socio-economic status of our rural population through promoting economic development programs suited to the needs of our rural communities."

The leaflet sets these goals:

• Better service for sustainable and healthy communities
• Sustainable rural economy through the development and improvement of rural industries
• Protection of our fragile natural heritage and environment from corporate destruction

Issues and concerns he sees needing urgent attention are

• The mass exodus of the population from the west of the Gwydir electorate
• The rapid and continuing decline of our socio-economic well-being
• The general decline of the rural industries, in particular sheep grazing
• The lack of understanding of the need for clean and healthy flowing rivers
• Little to no support for ailing small businesses in the rural areas
• High freight, fuel and food costs
• Lack of social programs and entertainment in rural communities
• The rapid decline in the health and well-being of the people of rural communities and the concentration of health care to the eastern region
• The major destruction of our fragile environment by big corporate interests and the profit mongers who do not invest in sustainable and environmental friendly industries for our future
• The continued demise of our native animals through the mass destruction of their native habitats and
• The destruction and drying up of our wetlands and swamps brought about by over-allocating water licences to the big corporate irrigators
• Lack of support for new businesses, eg. tourism and other innovative technologies for the development of alternate industries for job creation
• Coal mining does more environmental damage causing ill health in the population, which cannot be compensated for through the creation of unhealthy jobs and
• We must work to stop the death of our towns, such as Walgett, Collarenebri, Brewarrina and Bourke

Michael's leaflet states: "If you want to get rid of the Howard government, but don't trust Labor, here's how you do it: (1) VOTE 1 for the GREENS and then number Labor ahead of the Nationals (make sure that you number every square). (2) If THE GREENS get fewer votes than Labor, your vote goes to Labor at its full value.

"Make your vote work twice as hard to give Labor a strong GREEN message."

With 185,604 sq km Gwydir is the second largest division in NSW after its neighbour Parkes, and the eighth largest in Australia. Only Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland have bigger electorates. For the 10 November 2001 election Gwydir had a voter roll of 84, 602.

Industries in the area include wool, beef, pork, wheat, cotton, oil seed crops, lucerne, fruit, vegetables, dairy cattle, horse, sheep and cattle studs, timber, coal and opal mining and wine growing.

The main towns in the division include: Aberdeen, Baradine, Boggabri, Bourke, Brelarrina, Coolah, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Gulgong, Gunnedah, Kandos, Mendooran, Moree, Mudgee, Narrabri, Quirindi, Rylstone, Scone, Walgett, Warialda, Wee Waa and Wellington.

The division was named after the Gwydir River, which was named by Allan Cunningham in 1827 after Lord Gwydir. Coincidentally 'Gwydir' is also an Aboriginal name meaning 'river with red banks'.

Michael Anderson can be contacted by phone on 04 27 21 18 28, by email at ngurampaa@bigpond.com and by post at 10 Adam Street, Goodooga, NSW 2831.

More information is available from Hans van Leeuwen, Media Officer, NSW Greens federal election campaign, 02 9519 0877, 0425 310 562.

© Diet Simon, 2004

Michael Anderson for Gwydir

Aboriginal sheep farmer Michael Anderson has a long history as an activist for Indigenous rights and the environment.

Born in Brewarrina, Michael (Nyoongar-Ghurradjong-Murri Ghillar)was raised in his traditional homelands within the region and enjoyed an education that was simultaneously Aboriginal and Western.

He went on to study law and worked for the Office of Public Prosecutions and Clerk of the Peace as an Instructing Officer in the District Court’s Criminal Law Division. He also taught Aboriginal studies, political science and society and health at New England and Newcastle Universities for six years.

Michael is one of the ceremonial leaders of his 3,000-strong Euahlayi clan, and was recently elected facilitator of the 15,000 Gumilaroi people who also live in Queensland.

In the 1970s, Michael was one of the half dozen activists who set up the original tent embassy outside the old Parliament House in Canberra. He came to the attention of Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam after donning ceremonial dress and gate-crashing a meeting between Whitlam and visiting Chinese officials. The PM then took the Aboriginal activist with him on several overseas trips.

Since then, Michael has maintained an active role in human rights advocacy, domestically and internationally. Various Aboriginal groups across the country continue to ask his advice on a range of matters, notably when modern development endangers Indigenous heritage.

In the past five years Michael has been active in inter-governmental discussions within the United Nations in Geneva on the elaboration of a draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the world. He continues to be heavily involved in Indigenous land rights matters and is working on dealing with the low socio-economic status of his people.

Gwydir is held by National Party leader John Anderson with a margin of 14.9 per cent. At 185,604 sq km, it stretches all the way from the Upper Hunter right up to the Queensland border, taking in Bourke and Brewarrina to the West and Scone, Murrurundi and Narrabri (near Tamworth) to the East.

It is one of the country’s more economically disadvantaged seats. The median household income of just $716 a week ranks Gwydir 136th out of Australia’s 150 Federal seats. The unemployment rate of 8.5 per cent is one of the highest in Australia (ABS 2001 census).

The Big issues in Gwydir

• The mass exodus of the population from the west of the Gwydir, and the resultant struggle for survival of towns like Walgett, Collarenebri, Brewarrina and Bourke
• The rapid and continuing decline of the region’s social and economic wellbeing, which is exacerbated by the concentration of health care to the eastern region, and the lack of social programs and entertainment in rural communities
• The destruction and drying up of our wetlands and swamps, brought about by over-allocating water licences to the big corporate irrigators, coupled with a lack of understanding of the need for clean and healthy flowing rivers
• The general decline of the rural industries, in particular sheep grazing, coupled with a failure to support new businesses and industries
• High freight and food costs
• The continued demise of our native animals through the mass destruction of their native habitats
  

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