Compromising with racism
When Senator Brian Harradine caved in and agreed to passage of the government's Native Title Act amendments through the Senate, he argued that this was necessary to avoid a "race-based election". The Labor Party, in justifying its support for something like 80% of Howard's 10-point plan, used the same argument.
Green Left Weekly contended throughout the debate on native title that it was necessary to confront the government and its threats head on, rather than attempting to compromise with a bill that was racist in both intention and effect. For example, the lead article in these pages in early July pointed out:
"The attempt to avoid a 'race-based' election by making concessions to the government will not help defeat racism. And the next election, whenever it's held, will have racist parties campaigning in it.
"The Coalition government's policies are thoroughly racist. Its 10-point Wik bill, its cuts to ATSIC funding, its cuts to immigration and its cuts to migrant welfare are racist."
As the federal election draws closer, the folly of seeking to avoid a "race-based election" through compromise is already apparent. Having succeeded with its racist native title bill, the Coalition government has been emboldened to step up its attacks in the hope of winning back some of the racist following of Pauline Hanson.
Two years ago, immediately after coming to office, the Howard government launched a hue and cry about alleged rorts of funding by Aboriginal organisations. No significant charges were ever laid against anyone, but the allegations were so useful in encouraging an anti-Aboriginal political climate, and covering for a massive cut in ATSIC funding, that the government has decided to repeat the exercise.
On August 7, Senator John Herron, the Aboriginal affairs minister, announced that he had directed ATSIC to stop funding any Aboriginal group that refused to open its books for inspection. ATSIC pointed out that it knew of no funded group that was refusing such inspection, but Herron's announcement wasn't intended to relate to reality; it was simply a thinly veiled appeal to the prejudices of the redneck right.
On the same day, minister for transport Mark Vaile foreshadowed special legislation being rushed through parliament to acquire land for an Alice Springs-Darwin railway if Aboriginal landowners have not "agreed" with the Northern Territory government by next month.
The Sydney Morning Herald on August 8 reported that the Coalition government is also planning to "overhaul" the Abstudy program and "may tighten its definition of Aboriginality to make it tougher for some people to claim benefits".
Both of these measures would be a direct accommodation to the vicious fantasies of One Nation. Pauline Hanson has attacked Abstudy as too "generous" even though it is only marginally higher than Austudy and Aborigines are only one-tenth as likely to complete tertiary education as the rest of the population. She has also claimed, "Everybody's out there wanting to claim to be an Aboriginal and jumping on the gravy train".
Surely, no further evidence is needed. The strategy of compromising with this government in the hope that it would moderate its racism has led to the exact opposite. Every opponent of racism should treasure this lesson.