The Guardian 7 May, 2008
The choice:
assimilation or recognition?
Peter Symon
One of the 10 streams at the government’s 2020 Summit was called "Options for the future of Indigenous Australia". One hundred selected representatives attended each of the 10 forums and the Indigenous representatives made their demands loud and clear. But when these were written up in a summary of the ideas raised, the main wishes of the Indigenous people were watered down considerably. What came forward in the summary was not so much the demands of the Indigenous people but the program favoured by the Rudd government.
The items that topped the list submitted by the Indigenous representatives were for a Treaty for Indigenous Australians, a new representative body (to replace the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission that was disbanded by the Howard government), a "Future Fund" for Indigenous children and a government accountability watchdog.
Instead of reflecting the clear call for a treaty the summary posed it as a call for the "establishment of a new philosophical framework … and how we might define it in the Constitution or Treaty or settlement". Government ministers have already declared that they do not support a Treaty between Indigenous Australians and the Australian state and would go no further than including some words in the Constitution. This is an idea already put forward by John Howard.
The third alternative, a "statement", is so vague as to be meaningless and would almost certainly amount to no more than a collection of motherhood statements.
What the summary claims was a "top idea" was a call for "a continuation of a bipartisan commitment". This is hardly likely to be at the forefront of the minds of Indigenous representatives as it is intended to continue agreement between both Labor and Liberal Parties so that a united front is shown on Indigenous matters. It already exists in many respects. Apart from some variations, the Rudd ALP government has continued those policies implemented by the preceding Liberal government. For example, the police intervention in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory continues.
Private enterprise promoted
But some of the most revealing points in the summary are those aimed to promote private enterprise in Indigenous communities. There are the following statements:
"Improvements in business partnership arrangements between Indigenous enterprises and Australian corporates could significantly enhance the economic development of Indigenous communities …"
"Greater corporate participation and partnerships with Indigenous business is necessary. Increased levels of private enterprise could be encouraged in Indigenous communities through incentives such as tax concessions".
"… high quality education, including to attend boarding schools or hostels, enabled by a combination of ABSTUDY, private school scholarships and government funding."
This is the Noel Pearson agenda that promotes private ownership of homes and businesses which would break down the community, cooperative and collective character of ownership of the land and the social life of Indigenous people that has sustained their existence for tens of thousands of years.
The government fanatically holds to the belief and is strongly pushing private ownership and individualism as the pinnacle of ownership of land, houses, and enterprises against the philosophy of community and collective ownership. Community sharing of economic and social activity is anathema to the private profit making of the few while exploiting the work of the many. It is the hallmark of capitalism — a system which is now in serious crisis around the world.
It is of passing interest that Noel Pearson, who was invited to the Indigenous forum, did not bother to attend the second day of the Summit. Perhaps this was because his private ownership agenda was not widely supported by other Indigenous representatives and that his attempt to implement his ideas in the communities of North Queensland are not proving very successful.
The federal government is continuing the Howard policy of freezing a part of welfare payments conditional on children attending schools, medical checks and so on. This patronising policy is a put-down of the whole Aboriginal civilisation that has survived and protected the environment in the harsh conditions of the Australian continent for 60,000 years. It has taken only 200 years for western "civilisation" and occupation to inflict many environmental disasters on the same landscape.
We are told in the summary that trachoma, a contagious blindness-causing eye disease, could be eradicated within five years at a cost of less than $25 million. That this is true and has not happened before this time is a condemnation of the criminal neglect of Indigenous health.
Jobs
One item entirely missing from the summary is that of jobs. This remains the key to the solution of many other health, educational, housing and social problems. What is the purpose of education if there are no jobs available by which to make use of education received? What are families, particularly young people, to do with their time if there is no work with which to occupy themselves? How is it possible to get out of the welfare cycle if there is no wage being earned and something useful being done? This is self-evident but was ignored at the Summit.
Every Indigenous community should be provided with electricity, running water and communications — basic services taken for granted in the non-indigenous community. If minerals exist under the ground of Aboriginal communities it should belong to the Indigenous owners and be exploited by them if they decide it should be so. This does not exclude private enterprise partnerships provided final ownership of the land and its resources remains in the hands of the Indigenous people.
Why are such programs not developed? The underlying reason is the refusal of successive governments to accept the Indigenous people as the prior occupiers and owners of the land and its resources. For the first century and more of white settlement it was hoped and expected that the Aboriginal people would die out — with an official helping hand.
Assimilation
Then the idea of assimilation was advanced. Assimilation meant that the Aboriginal people would be absorbed into the white community. The community and collective philosophy and the culture of the Indigenous people would be destroyed. They were to be overwhelmed by the private enterprise system and the culture of capitalism, of individualism and profit worship.
This remains the objective of the present government and the summary of the 2020 Summit confirms this aim.
"Reconciliation" is a soft word which carries with it a doubtful meaning. The word "Recognition" is more the watchword.
Implementation of recognition consummated in a Treaty between the Indigenous people and the Australian state plus the reformation of an elected, independent and representative Indigenous body would bring with it substantial and real steps forward.