Canberra was the site of an historic four days of Aboriginal rights activism in Australia.
From January 31 to February 3, hundreds of Aboriginal activists and their supporters converged on the Aboriginal Tent Embassy for workshops, a large public meeting and culminating in a protest on the first sitting day of parliament. (See article page 11.)
Taking place 12 months after PM Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generations, a focus of the four days was the Labor government's continuation of racist policies of the previous government — most notably the NT "intervention".
On February 1, Indigenous people from Alice Springs — members of the Prescribed Area People's Alliance (PAPA) and the Intervention Rollback Action Group (IRAG) who'd travelled for days to attend — shared stories of their lives under the controlling, racist intervention.
On February 2, the focus was on the High Court, to witness findings handed down in the case taken against the federal government by traditional owners from Maningrida in Arnhem Land.
Traditional owners Reggie Wurridjal and Joy Garlbin challenged the government's compulsory five-year lease acquisition of their land, taken as part of the Intervention legislation and a emergency response measures.
It is within the total 90,000 square-kilometre land grant held under the NT Land Rights Act — land able to be compulsorily acquired under the NT Intervention.
Wurridjal, Garlbin and the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation, which manages Maningrida, lodged the case in the High Court in October 2007. The February 2 judgement rejected their argument by a six to one majority, because the law provides for adequate compensation in return for acquired land.
Minutes after the disappointing judgement was announced, dozens of people stormed into the High Court to protest, chanting "Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land".
Later that evening, in Albert Hall, a public meeting to discuss the NT intervention, and the struggle against it, attracted 500 people.
Speakers included those who had travelled from the NT — Barbara Shaw from IRAG and PAPA, Elaine Peckham from Iwupataka Land Trust, Irene Fisher, CEO of Sunrise Health Service in Katherine, and Valerie Martin and Harry Jakamarra Nelson from Yuendumu community — as well as human rights lawyer George Newhouse and John Altman from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research.
Like many people, Shaw said she never sought to become an activist, preferring a peaceful life with her family and free enjoyment of her homelands.
Only, like many Aboriginal people, the state continues to intervene in so many aspects of her life that "peaceful enjoyment" escapes Shaw and her people.
Organised by the Canberra Working Group for Aboriginal Rights together with the Intervention Rollback Action Group and Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney, the public forum was called "NT intervention: Living with a racist policy".
Former chief magistrate of Alice Springs, Charles Gardiner also spoke, emphasising the racism inherent in the intervention.
"It would never happen to white people. If we look at Australian history of treatment of Aboriginal people from 1788 to 2007 it's all negative", he said.
[Lara Pullin is a Gundungurra descendent, a long-time supporter of the Tent Embassy, member of the Working Group for Aboriginal Rights Canberra and the Socialist Alliance.]