Goodooga NSW.
April 24th, 2009.
Michael Anderson, co-founder of the Aboriginal Embassy and leader of the Eauhalyi Nation, wants Jenny Macklin, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, to resign. He explains why in the following statement:
“Jenny Macklin runs a very close second to a former Labor Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Clyde Holding, who under the Hawke government closed down the only nationally elected Aboriginal body, the National Aboriginal Conference, because they were too politically minded and very pro-active with their treaty negotiations, while the more conservative Federation of Aboriginal Land Councils were prepared to adopt a more moderate approach to Aboriginal advancement in this country which was more to the liking of Holding and his Labor people.
“Here today we have a repeat of Labor policy, using the advice of the conservative and moderate Aborigines to take away Aboriginal family welfare if they fail to comply with government strategies developed by the Warren Mundines and Noel Pearsons.
“Now the federal government is rolling out this absolute racist policy that if the Aboriginal communities fail to lease their lands to them, they will not provide any infrastructure and housing funding. Instead they threaten the communities with ‘oh well, we will give it to the state government bodies and they will acquire land on the open market and they through their respective departments can provide the service or housing’.
“Talk about contradiction! By doing this the federal government are themselves creating a greater welfare dependency approach to Aboriginal people.
“This smacks of totalitarianism, but I’m suspicious of the fact that the governments may be doing their sums and are realising that the Aboriginal community organisations are developing wealth and in the not so distant future the Aborigines, if they are clever, could use this wealth to become independent of government welfare need.
“I believe that what the federal government are doing is illegal and flies in the face of the recent announcement by Jenny Macklin that the federal government now endorses the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This announcement is as empty as the sorry statement.
“Moreover, if the Aboriginal people are signing over their lands for services then the contracts surely must be illegal, because the people are doing it under extreme coercion. This is just not right.
“How can our people sell their souls like this? I understand that pride doesn’t live with us any more, but this and our people are agreeing to it, you have to be kidding.
“Living in this 21st century is like living in a nightmare and no matter where I look we are like mats at the door, everyone is walking over us.
“We need our national organisations, if we have any, or state bodies to walk with us and organise against this – surely they can see the wrong being done? Stand up people, this is not right, surely this can be seen. Stand up for your rights and fight back against this dictatorship.”
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Michael Anderson can be contacted at 02 68296355 landline, 04272 92 492 mobile, 02 68296375 fax,ngurampaa@bigpond.com.au
28 protesters were arrested this morning at Barrick Gold’s mine operation in Lake Cowal, central western New South Wales. They were authorised to enter the mine site by Wiradjuri Tradtional Owners of Lake Cowal and its surrounds.
“The supporters were authorised by us, the Traditional Owners,” said Neville Chappy Williams, Traditional Owner, Mooka/Kalara United Families within the Wiradjuri Nation, Lake Cowal, who have been in the courts against the world’s largest gold miner, Barrick Gold, for the past 10 years.
“Before going onto the mine this morning I looked at some recent
Protesters overheard security telling the police that the mine would shut down in the next year or so because Wiradjuri and their supporters would win against Barrick Gold.
“Damage to water and water resources is the worst environmental consequences of gold mining. Water systems around mines are contaminated by cyanide, other process chemicals, and the acid mine drainage that runs off the exposed rock.”
