Sydney
27 April 2003
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Govt urged to act on reconciliation
By Chris Lindsay
Federal Government inaction, tardiness and negativity have undermined reconciliation with Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, the Josephite Sisters say in a submission to a Federal Parliamentary committee.
The submission, to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee, is one of a number from Catholic social justice organisations and religious groups that are critical of the Government’s performance on reconciliation, and has been endorsed by the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council.
Sr Kathleen O’Connor, who co-wrote the submission with Sr Jan Barnett, said one of the first things the Government needed to do was reintroduce the concept of a Minister for Aboriginal Affairs with no other responsibilities (the current Minister, Philip Ruddock, also covers immigration and multicultural affairs).
“The second is to increase funding in accordance with needs, and to get down to the grass roots and talk to Aboriginal people and see what their needs actually are,” she said.
The submission says its conclusions are derived from the order’s involvement with Aboriginal communities and families in schools, remote communities and rural areas, in pastoral work in parishes and local communities, in health centres, crisis centres and institutions in prisons and in Aboriginal Catholic ministries.
It is strongly critical of the Government’s emphasis on “practical” reconciliation which is seen “almost exclusively in terms of economics”.
It makes the point that economics is just one aspect of a highly complex situation.
The submission says for reconciliation to be successful, informed opinion within the community pointed to the need for:
• Effective leadership, especially at national level;
• Bipartisan support within the Parliament;
• Long term mandated objectives and strategies, supported by monitoring powers and real accountability;
• Recognition of the need for substantive equality.
“Such elements are essential if any fundamental realisation of meaningful reconciliation is to be achieved,” it says.
“For families and children, strong support from an effective leadership will demonstrate a clear valuing of indigenous culture and its contribution to the entire Australian community.
“Long term mandated objectives and strategies, supported by monitoring powers and real accountability, will facilitate improvements in health, employment, housing, education and rates of imprisonment.
“Substantive, rather than ‘formal’ equality will lead to increased opportunities for families, and especially for young people, who embody our hopes for a united and vibrantly diverse Australia.
“Until these needs are met, our nation will not realise its potential.”
The submission says the Government response to the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation report in 2000 has been “incomplete and inadequate”, indicating its lack of commitment to the overall process of reconciliation.
It refers to a “passionate” speech by the Prime Minister on the night of his election in 2001 in which he committed the Government to ensuring that reconciliation would become a greater priority during his next term of office.
“Throughout this period however, the economic, physical, emotional and spiritual situations worsened for the indigenous people among whom the Sisters have worked.”
The submission welcomes the proposal by the Council of Australian Governments to trial a “whole of government” approach to indigenous problems, but says the fact that performance benchmarks and timelines have not yet been put in place indicates a lack of commitment by the Federal Government.
The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, in its submission, says that human dignity is the starting point and central concern of Catholic thinking about human rights and justice in society.
“Each person is created in the image and likeness of God and so has an inalienable, transcendent God-given dignity,” it says.
“It follows that each member of the human family is equal in dignity and has equal rights because we are all created in God’s likeness, all children of the one God.
“We are not isolated individuals but rather people in community and so we must harmonise our claims to rights with those of others under the common good.”
Sr Suzette Clark, research and project officer, says the council is looking for the Senate Committee to make a strong statement on the lack of progress towards reconciliation.
“Aboriginal affairs need to have a higher priority,” she said. “Reconciliation is of the utmost importance if we want the situation of Aboriginal people to improve. Aboriginal health has not improved in any way.
“We also need to get the emphasis on the rights and dignity of Aboriginal people.”