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Qld and NSW governments promote theft from Indigenous communities

Statement by Acting ATSIC Chairman, Lionel Quartermaine

1 March 2004 - First it was our lands that governments stole with no intention of ever returning them, then our cultures and identities — now it’s our hard-earned wages.

Reports today that the governments in Queensland and New South Wales have had long-standing and detailed knowledge of the wages withheld by welfare bodies show they regard theft from Indigenous people as being acceptable.

In both cases, senior ministers who in recent years tried to correct the problem were stopped by bureaucrats and other ministers who preferred to avoid their responsibilities.

In Queensland the courts are hearing claims for compensation for wages withheld from 1,500 residents of the Wujal and Hope Vale communities.

This is in addition to the ongoing dispute with the Beattie government over wages withheld from communities across the state. Altogether, the government’s liability could run to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Meanwhile, the NSW government faces a potentially massive action for compensation for up to 11,500 Indigenous people if it doesn’t hand over the wages it allowed state welfare authorities to withhold for over a century.

The Carr and Beattie governments are showing themselves to be far worse than their predecessors that created these problems — they have the power to make amends but they refuse to do so.

Governments base Indigenous policy on hypocrisy. They promise services that ensure equality and equity but they can’t deliver them. In effect, they obtain funds under false pretences — and continue their organised theft from Indigenous communities.

It’s clear that governments have no respect for Indigenous communities, can’t sit down and talk truthfully with us and refuse to fulfil their obligations to us without the threat of litigation.

The question is why Indigenous people should persist in submitting to processes that do little more than continue to rip us off.

The answer is for governments, especially those in NSW and Qld in this case, to negotiate with Indigenous people to find win-win solutions that let us all move forward.

Lionel Quartermaine
Darwin

Source:ATSIC

NSW Premier should act on the return of stolen wages without delay

Statement by ATSIC NSW East Zone Commissioner Rick Griffiths

March 11, 2004 - I welcome today’s formal apology to the Aboriginal community by NSW Premier Bob Carr for the failure of successive state governments in their handling of tens of millions of dollars held in Aboriginal trust funds.

Mr Carr and his government, however, should be aware that an apology is simply not good enough unless there were swift action taken to make full restitution to Aborigines who have had monies wrongfully withheld from them.

The Premier acknowledges that millions of dollars – the real figure could be as high as $300 million - in wages, pensions, family endowments, inheritances, and lump sum compensation payments was taken over a period of 70 years.

If Mr Carr were genuine about his promise to pay back the money, however, he has to start now.

The Aboriginal communities of NSW will not tolerate a “cheque’s in the mail” approach towards repayment of monies which were rightfully theirs or any backtracking on the Premier’s previous pledge to make that repayment.

I note that the Premier has pledged to work with Aboriginal communities on the identification and reimbursement of people who are owed money.

The ATSIC Board of Commissioners has today unanimously called on Mr Carr to meet with its three NSW Commissioners -- Commissioners Rick Griffiths, Steve Gordon and Cliff Foley – to discuss the immediate return of ‘stolen wages’ to their rightful Aboriginal owners on fair and just terms.

We believe that the way in which the NSW Government deals with this issue will be a litmus test of its real commitment to the rights and entitlements of Aboriginal people in NSW.

And if Mr Carr were genuine about “facing hard truths and making amends”, he must ensure that the restitution of the stolen monies begins straight away.

It may be “a problem that built up over generations” but it can and should be fixed quickly.

And we totally agree with the Premier that “administrative complexities should not over-shadow the need to discover the truth”. Please ensure that they don’t!

The baton has now been firmly passed into the Premier’s hand and it is now up to him to live up to his promise and bring about a decent end to what represents yet another tragic chapter in the history of Australia’s aboriginal peoples.

Source: ATSIC

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

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