Resistance against racism: walkout on August 28
By Sarah Peart
Despite claims to the contrary, the Howard government's latest plan to overhaul funding to Abstudy and tighten the definition of "Aboriginality" is a blatantly racist one. While the life expectancy of Aborigines is 18-20 years lower than that of other Australians, while 64% of indigenous people earn an income less than $12,000 and while 38% of indigenous men are unemployed compared to 9% of non-indigenous, it is clear that Aborigines are the most disadvantaged section of Australian society.
This latest plan to cut funding to Aborigines is yet another example of the Howard government's attempts to implement a racist agenda that includes cuts to migrant welfare, the 10-point Wik bill, cuts to immigration and cuts to ATSIC. The government continues to blame Aborigines and migrants for the problems of unemployment and poverty.
The secondary school walkout against racism and One Nation on July 24 was a huge demonstration of young people's willingness to stand up and say no to a dangerous and cruel system based on racism.
July 24 was only the beginning. The second walkout, called by Resistance for August 28, will be even broader than the last — calling on all young people who oppose racism to join in. The South Australian United Trades and Labour Council has already unanimously passed a motion calling for a two-hour stop-work on the day, enabling workers to attend the anti-racism rally.
The August 28 walkout is targeting not only the racism of One Nation, but also the racism of the Howard government. The Howard government is implementing parts of One Nation's policies. For these reasons, the walkout of August 28 will place specific demands on the government:
- Repeal the Native Title Amendment Act.
- Reverse the $470 million cut from Aboriginal services.
- End the two-year waiting period for social security for newly arrived migrants.
- Close the Jabiluka mine on Mirrar land in Kakadu National Park.
On July 8, the Senate passed John Howard's Wik bill. This bill contained amendments to the 1993 Native Title Act that add to a long history of Aboriginal dispossession. Aborigines' rights to negotiate on sea and waterway claims and on expanded "pastoral" activities were removed. The right to negotiate on intertidal zones, public facilities and infrastructure developments, and developments on reserves like national parks was also removed.
The act is an attempt to extinguish native title by removing bit by bit the right of Aborigines to control over their land. A strong element of the campaign against racism should be support for Aboriginal land and a call on the government to repeal the Native Title Amendment Act.
Aboriginal people are feeling the effects of the $470 million cut, in the 1996 federal budget, to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission over four years. ATSIC is responsible for providing Aboriginal services. This has severely affected the ability of ATSIC to fund housing, education, health and employment.
There is an estimated $4 billion deficit in housing and infrastructure in indigenous communities across Australia. Without extra funding, this will only get worse. While Aborigines remain disadvantaged, funding for their basic needs is crucial in attempting to alleviate inequalities and should be a basic right. On August 28 we will demand that the government reverse the $470 million cut to Aboriginal services.
In the 1996 budget, another racist measure was the extension of the six-month waiting list for migrants for social security (instituted by the Labor government) to two years. This means newly arrived migrants have no right to carer pension, disability wage supplement, unemployment benefits or the mature age, sickness, maternity, child disability and youth training allowances.
The argument used by the government to justify such attacks is that reducing welfare benefits will force the unemployed to work for low wages and thereby reduce unemployment.
This is an attempt to blame disadvantaged sections of society such as migrants for unemployment, while the government continues to cut jobs in the public service. It is also an attempt to lower the working wage for all workers.
Implicit in the argument that migrants should wait two years before receiving social security is that migrants are second class, that they shouldn't have the same rights as those who were born here.
Denying migrants social security will cause great hardship for those who arrive with few resources or job prospects. An important demand of the anti-racism movement should be to end this racist and bigoted two-year waiting list.
The government has approved a uranium mine at Jabiluka in the Northern Territory. This mine is being built on land excised from Kakadu National Park and is strongly opposed by the Aboriginal traditional owners.
Uranium mining in the region has done nothing to improve the living standards of the Aboriginal community. In fact it has made them far worse off, exposing them to uranium tailings that retain 99% of their radioactivity even after 300 years, causing lung cancer, leukemia, birth defects and other health problems.
Howard and his big business mates in Energy Resources Australia are content to completely disregard the needs and wishes of the Aboriginal community. It is for these reasons that we want to send a strong message to the government to close the Jabiluka mine.
Join the national walkout on August 28 — for more details, contact your local Resistance centre or the Resistance National Office on (02) 9690 1230.