Indigenous Australians face global gag

Statement made at the UN by Aboriginal and Torres Strait 
Islander Commission (ATSIC) NSW Metropolitan Zone Commissioner 
Cliff Foley

* * *

It has been my sad duty to inform the United Nations this week 
that Australia is marking this final year of the International 
Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples by robbing Aboriginal 
and Torres Strait Islander peoples of their democratic right to 
be heard.

As ATSIC's representative at the third annual meeting of the UN's 
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues I have informed delegates of 
our deep anger and regret that Indigenous Australians will no 
longer be represented by elected leaders at international forums. 
I have made recommendations to the UN Permanent Forum with regard 
to the effect of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States 
on Indigenous peoples.

I have also made recommendations on self-determination including 
that the UN Permanent Forum conduct technical workshops in the 
near future with regard to the self-determination of Indigenous 
peoples. ATSIC will continue to make further contributions to the 
Forum as the meeting progresses until the end of this week (last 
Friday).

When the UN Permanent Forum concludes on Friday in New York it 
will mark the end of ATSIC's strong and effective role as an 
international advocate as well as its official UN status as the 
true representatives of the Indigenous peoples of Australia.

These disgraceful events come only two years after the UN 
Secretary-General, Kofi Annan told the world's Indigenous 
peoples: "You have a home at the United Nations."

ATSIC is sorry to inform Mr Annan that this is no longer true. 
The Australian Government has evicted its nation's Indigenous 
peoples from the premises. It is very unfortunate that there will 
be at least some Australians in powerful positions who will 
welcome this development.

The same people who have applauded the proposed overnight 
elimination of self-determination for Indigenous peoples in this 
country will no doubt welcome the fact that they will also be 
gagged on the international stage.

These people have always hated the fact that Indigenous people, 
through ATSIC, have had a regular opportunity to tell the truth 
to the world about Australia's shameful treatment of its first 
peoples.

The Federal Government has also resented being made 
internationally accountable and continues to ignore the findings 
of the UN's Committee for the Elimination of Racial 
Discrimination that its native title laws are racist and 
discriminatory.

All right thinking Australians should be concerned that elected 
representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 
will no longer be heard or seen in international forums.

This is a national and international shame which has been 
engineered by both the Federal Government and the Federal 
Opposition. Both major parties are committed to abolishing ATSIC 
and its democratically elected leadership although at least the 
Opposition is promising a new national Indigenous representative 
body.

The government's own $1 million ATSIC Review acknowledged the 
widespread support among Indigenous Australians for ATSIC's 
international advocacy and its essential roles of informing all 
Australians about global human rights issues and providing a 
voice for our people overseas.

The Review also recognised ATSIC's contributions to international 
standard-setting with its involvement in the UN's Draft 
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and its leading 
participation in key UN Indigenous forums.

We have already had a taste of the future of Indigenous 
Australia's representation overseas with the speech made by the 
Australian Delegation last week at the Permanent Forum.

The Australian Government Delegation presented the Permanent 
Forum with fictional claims of "steadily improving" education, 
income and employment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait 
Islander peoples and barely hinted at the reality of life for 
most Indigenous Australians.

This government has actively opposed international standard-
setting on human rights and human rights monitoring for 
Indigenous people. It has proven this with its opposition to the 
continued operation of the UN's Working Group on Indigenous 
Peoples and the original text of the UN's Draft Declaration.

Now it expects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to 
cop having a government hostile to their interests deciding for 
them who will speak on their behalf both nationally and 
internationally.

We are witnessing a blatant attempt to turn back the clock about 
30 years when Indigenous peoples all over the world were 
virtually invisible at the UN and other international forums. I 
have witnessed at this Forum the goodwill of many other 
governments towards the real self-determination of their 
Indigenous peoples.

The Australian Government is a glaring omission to this trend 
with Australia moving to put its Indigenous people back where it 
seems to want them — out of sight and out of mind. How many more 
years or decades will we have to wait before we find a similar 
level of goodwill from an Australian Prime Minister?

Why should the Australian people also be denied?