Indigenous issues – do the major parties really give a damn?

Media Release, August 18, 2010

While the media follows Julia Gillard looking under a car or Tony Abbott playing soccer with school children, indigenous issues have gone missing in this campaign, say the Australian Democrats.

Senate candidate for Victoria, Rick Westgarth, who recently worked with indigenous people instructing in tertiary education at Fitzroy Crossing in northern WA, says that with so little coverage on indigenous issues during this election, he has to question whether the big parties really give a damn.

“Merely saying ‘sorry’ to Aboriginal people does not right wrongs: action is needed to match the rhetoric.

“What is missing, as shown in the Northern Territory intervention, is a lack of cultural respect. We should be working in partnership with, and not at cross-purposes to, Aboriginal people.

“It was always extraordinary that both major parties agreed to suspension of parts of the Racial Discrimination Act. The Australian Democrats call for the full restitution of these rights for Northern Territory Aboriginal people.

“Greater indigenous involvement is needed at local levels of decision-making across Australia and this applies in all aspects of their society from health to education.

“We will not make headway unless the services provided are culturally appropriate.

“Our policies recognise the fundamental importance of education to indigenous students, and we advocate a schooling system which is more appealing to them, offering indigenous language, history and culture.

“With research showing that learning in a child’s mother tongue increases their chances of success at school, we support UNESCO’s position that children have a right to learn in their own language. And yet the state and territory governments thrust newly graduated teachers out to these schools without the appropriate training.

“When so many Aboriginal and Islander people continue to live in developing world conditions in a developed nation, why are the major parties silent on this issue?”

Further comment: Rick Westgarth 0400 885 905

rick.westgarth@vic.democrats.org.au

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