By Chris Martin
SYDNEY — Walking in silence through a light rain, more than 200 people, black and white, came together in Sydney on March 9 to retrace the steps of one of Australia's first protest marches by Aboriginal people.
This early act of Aboriginal political protest, which became known as the "Day of Mourning" march, took place on January 26, 1938, as white Australia celebrated 150 years of settlement. Through streets choked with revellers, risking government penalty and public reprisal, the group walked with quiet dignity to Australia House, where they convened the first national conference of Aborigines.
The site is now at the centre of a growing dispute over Aboriginal heritage. The NSW minister for planning, Craig Knowles, has released a revision of state heritage legislation, which, while promising to protect sites of "natural and movable Aboriginal heritage", maintains a loud silence on sites in the built environment. He has continued to be unavailable to receive the 1000 petition letters activists have collected which call for the preservation of the Australia House site.
Social justice commissioner Mick Dodson has said he believes the building's "significance in the history of our struggle for recognition of our rights is beyond dispute".
The Day of Mourning conference is remembered for a number of resolutions in support of Aboriginal freedom and equality, which were published as a manifesto entitled "Aborigines Claim Citizen Rights". Later, leaders of the conference, including William Ferguson and Jack Patten, led a delegation which met Prime Minister J.A. Lyons to present the manifesto.
"Through their action, these activists influenced the course of government policies towards Aboriginal people", said the organisers of the March 9 action, the Aboriginal History Committee, in a leaflet distributed at the march.
The committee is calling on the state government to place a permanent conservation order (PCO) on the Australia House site, currently under threat of demolition. Its argument that the site has historical significance is supported by the Australian Heritage Commission, the National Trust and the Sydney City Council, all of whom have registered the site as a heritage location.
The site's present owners have wanted to sell the building to developers since last year. So far they have been blocked by an interim conservation order issued by the Department of Planning, pending further investigation.
This followed a commission of inquiry in May last year to hear submissions on the heritage value of the site. Of the 22 submissions presented, 17 supported a PCO, including that of the government's own advisory body, the Heritage Council of NSW.
The Aboriginal History Committee also presented letters endorsing a PCO from more than 200 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community groups around the country. The committee points out that such an order would represent the first use of the state's heritage legislation to preserve a site of Aboriginal historical significance. By contrast, 629 PCO's have been issued protecting sites of white heritage.
The committee wants Australia House made into the first museum devoted to Aboriginal history. It argues that the issue is a challenge to the idea that Aboriginal history ended in 1788. It sees a museum as a chance to valorise Aboriginal history makers, events and places.
"We believe the building would be the ideal locale for a much needed Aboriginal History Centre", the committee has said. "This centre could include a museum of Aboriginal heroes and facilities for researching, documenting, teaching and promoting Aboriginal history and heritage."
The planning minister has allowed almost a year to pass without announcing a decision. His reticence has been taken as a sign that the decision will be unfavourable, prompting the committee to ask, "Why is Mr Knowles ignoring his own advisory body?".
The group has made freedom of information applications for access to reports prepared by the commission of inquiry but never released, which are also believed to endorse preservation. Committee spokesperson Ronald Briggs says that the group has not ruled out a legal challenge and will take the issue to the United Nations if necessary.
Funding was recently made available by the Australian Heritage Commission for the committee to stage a national forum on Aboriginal heritage issues, planned for July. The forum will bring together community leaders to establish a formal framework for identifying and preserving historic sites.
The Day of Mourning marchers called on white Australia to pause in its celebrations and consider its treatment of Aboriginal people. Asking if our collective conscience was clear, their manifesto concluded, "Remember, we do not ask for charity, we ask for justice". If the site of their historic conference is lost, it may well be asked if much justice has been forthcoming.