The Age July 8, 2013
On July 12 my people will be observing National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Day, part of NAIDOC, an annual ritual celebrated through a series of week-long events by indigenous peoples in Australia. The irony of this is that despite its popularity it is not an official day in Australia's calendar.
NAIDOC grew out of an Aboriginal protest and national meeting held in Sydney on Australia Day in 1938 denouncing the lack of rights for indigenous peoples since the country's invasion by the British in 1788. The meeting called for all race based laws and for the mistreatment of Aboriginal peoples to end and drew up a statement of demands for the Australian government.
During this time Aboriginal people were not classified as citizens but rather were held in a category with national flora and fauna. The Australian constitution did not recognise the rights of the first peoples and our continuing ownership of lands and waters. The prevailing legal doctrine of ‘terra nullius’, or simply translated ‘country belonging to nobody’, was the premise for which the British colony and later the Australian federal constitution was constructed.
The theme for NAIDOC in 2013 is ‘We value the vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963’ and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the presentation of two bark petitions to the Federal Parliament. This petition was from the Yolgnu of north-east Arnhem Land who were protesting the proposed mining development that had been approved by Parliament without their knowledge and consent. They felt aggrieved by this action by parliamentarians to mine their country, destroy sacred sites and important dreaming tracks and called for them to change the decision to mine……..
The protests in 1938 and the Yirrkala bark petitions in 1963 remind us that the issue of recognition of the rights of first peoples is still to be addressed. This must be provided through both a process of constitutional change and through a statement of recognition or treaty with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples. Only then can Australia truly say that reconciliation and recognition have been fulfilled in their lifetime.
Monica Morgan is an indigenous rights campaign manager.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/more-must-be-done-for-the-rights-of-first-peoples-20130708-2pm15.html#ixzz2YVCFBGr4
