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key indigenous australian issues
| home | news lNew Indigenous political party announced10 May 2004
- MEDIA RELEASE
ANTaR Victoria
- "It's time that we as indigenous Australians put the onus of equity back on non-indigenous Australians and ask them straight out, 'is this a racist society'? Would you like to see indigenous Australians in the halls of Parliament? Do you believe in an equitable voice in this society?" Richard Frankland said today. "Your voice - make it heard." The new party hopes to contest every seat in Victoria and may spread nationally. Richard is going to New York on Wednesday and participate in the reading of his play, "Conversations of the Dead" at the UN. Richard will be approaching the UN to raise issues for the next sitting of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva in August. ANTaR Victoria is supporting Indigenous efforts to regain Voice and Say in the context of the Government's decision to abolish ATSIC. Source: ANTaR Victoria "Your Voice" Aboriginal political party email news The "Your Voice" political party was launched on the steps of Parliament House on Monday the 10th of May 2004 by Richard Frankland in front of a large audience of indigenous and non-indigenous people. It's website says that "Your Voice" wants people to contact them to make this new party a reality.
The contact address for information is yourvoice@goldenseahorse.com.au. Your Voice's slogan is "Your voice - make it heard." Source: Golden Sea Horse website Democrats support New Indigenous Political VoiceAUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS 10 May 2004 - The Australian Democrats have congratulated Richard Frankland on announcing the establishment of the "Your Voice" political party in Melbourne today. Democrats Senator for Victoria, Lyn Allison, and lead Senate candidate for Victoria, Jess Healy, joined with NSW Senator Aden Ridgeway in stressing the importance of more Indigenous people being involved with the political process. "Indigenous people have now become so marginalised from mainstream politics as the two major parties are seemingly united in a bipartisan desire to remove national elected Indigenous representation altogether," said Senator Ridgeway. "Richard Frankland and "Your Voice" have a hard road ahead in these volatile times but the impetus is now on Indigenous people to stand up and be counted." Senator Allison said the Democrats have a strong record of raising Indigenous issues in the Federal parliament. "If the Government goes ahead with its proposal to abolish ATSIC, there will be a greater need for more elected Indigenous people in Parliaments across the country," said Senator Allison. Australian Democrats lead Senate candidate for Victoria, Jess Healy, spoke in support of the party at today's launch. "I was born on Wurundjeri land and grew up hearing of the persecution of Indigenous people in this country," said Ms Healy. "I grew up watching people like John Howard continue these actions and I support any moves that will strengthen Indigenous voices in Victoria and right across Australia," concluded Ms Healy. Source: Australian Democrats Aborigines launch political party 10 May, 2004 - Australia's aborigines have formed their own political party. Organisers said the party, to be called Your Voice, was born out of frustration at government policies and the continued marginalisation of indigenous people. The new party is yet to be officially registered but it is planning to field candidates in the next federal election, expected later this year. Those behind the new party hope it will be a seed from which the campaign for greater rights for indigenous Australians will grow and flourish. Your Voice is thought to be the country's first national Aboriginal party. Black Australians have for many years complained about a lack of political representation. Very few have ever been elected to state or federal parliaments. Your Voice was launched at a rally attended by around 500 people in Melbourne. Among the crowd were members of ATSIC, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. ATSIC, Australia's biggest and most important indigenous body, is to be scrapped by the government. Ministers have insisted it has failed to address the problems of native communities. But critics of the move have said ATSIC's abolition leaves indigenous people with no effective voice to help shape national policy. A recent parliamentary report said Aborigines are the most socially and economically deprived group in Australia. It found that half of all indigenous people relied on some form of welfare payment to survive. Source: BBC Black Voice catches ear of world By Larry Schwartz May 23, 2004 - The initiative by Aboriginal writer, director and musician Richard Frankland to form a political party for indigenous Australians has attracted international attention. In New York last week, Mr Frankland was approached by indigenous people of various nationalities interested in ties with the party he recently co-founded. Mr Frankland said he had spoken about the plight of Aborigines at a performance at the United Nations of a play based on his experience as an investigator with the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and had called for an international indigenous media monitoring organisation to help convey shared concerns. "When I was over there, indigenous people were saying: 'What chance of this (the party) spreading to our country?' " he said. "So it would be interesting to see a worldwide indigenous movement come out of this." He said he had met Professor Erica-Irene Daes, former head of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations and principal author of the UN Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, who is due in Melbourne on Thursday. In 1997, then federal Aboriginal affairs minister John Herron was forced to try to rebut a damning report by Professor Daes on treatment of Aborigines. Mr Frankland said representatives of Aboriginal groups in New York had told him Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials had made inquiries about him and he suspected they might have intervened to stop him speaking to the third annual Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues last Monday. A department spokeswoman last week sought clarification from "our UN people here" but said she could not obtain a response. Mr Frankland, who is co-founder of the new party Your Voice, said he had spoken to representatives of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and urged that it resume its investigation of rights breaches in Australia. He said about 180 people had attended last Tuesday's performance at the UN by actor Aaron Pedersen of his play Conversations with the Dead. He had been told he could not speak at the forum on indigenous issues because he was not formally representing an accredited organisation. "There was quite an extensive list of people speaking and they tried to make room for me to speak under other banners, but weren't able to," Mr Frankland said. He said he had told the play audience about issues including deaths in custody, homelessness, a "relentless attack" on indigenous Australians by the Howard Government and a heroic rights struggle by indigenous and non-indigenous people. ATSIC NSW metropolitan zone commissioner Cliff Foley told delegates at the forum of the decision to scrap the Aboriginal body and "our deep anger and regret that indigenous Australians will no longer be represented by elected leaders at international forums". Source: The Age
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'Your Voice' political party was launched on the steps of Parliament House Melbourne today by Victorian Indigenous Film-maker and musician Richard Frankland in front of a large audience of indigenous and non-indigenous people.
