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[1997] AUJlHRights 18
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Editors --- "Strategies Against Racism Forum: Statement of Participants" [1997] AUJlHRights 18; (1997) 4(1) Australian Journal of Human Rights 120
Strategies against Racism Forum: Statement of Participants
Ethnic Communities Council of NSW Inc and
Australian Human Rights Centre, University
of NSW
Waterloo, 16 June 1997
Belatedly, migrants who have come to Australia have recognised that Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples possess unique
identities, histories and
aspirations. Non-indigenous Australians are beginning to comprehend the prior
occupation and ownership
of Indigenous Australians, their continuing
dispossession, and their special place in the life of the nation.
Within non-Indigenous Australia, there is a growing desire to apologise to
Indigenous Australians for the hurt done to them, their
ancestors and their
lands over the last 209 years.
Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are committing themselves to
reconciliation and better relationships, so that we can constitute
a united
Australia, respecting the land, valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
cultures and heritage, and providing equity
and justice for all.
As values of reconciliation and coexistence are being affirmed, there is also
growing appreciation of the extraordinary cultural,
linguistic and religious
diversity that migrants and refugees have brought to Australia. This diversity
constitutes an invaluable
contribution to the life of the nation. As we
approach the Centenary of Federation, Australians from all walks of life are
wanting
to affirm a sense of nationhood which encompasses all ethnic and
religious groups.
At the same time, there is growing concern within the community about current
trends promoting intolerance, discrimination and inequality.
Increasing
manifestations of racism pose a serious threat to fundamental human rights and
to social cohesion. Voices of protest
are calling for action to address racism
and to affirm the principles of tolerance, non-discrimination and equality as
fundamental
values in our society.
On 16 June 1997, representatives of community groups from across Australia met
in Waterloo, Sydney to discuss strategies to combat
racism and promote racial
harmony. The participants agreed upon the following statement:
- The Forum calls on parliaments, local governments, institutions and
organisations to offer their own form of apology for the treatment of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples so that we can all move forward
to share the responsibility for
the future.
- The Forum affirms that the protection and promotion of human rights is a
matter of legitimate international concern. The advocacy of human rights
and non-discrimination can be considered neither disloyal nor an encroachment
upon national sovereignty.
- The Forum calls on the Australian Parliament to follow the example of the
European Parliament and organise an Australian Year Against Racism. The
objective of such a year should be to allow a comprehensive debate reaching all
levels of society and with the active participation
of the citizenry.
- The Forum calls on Australian governments to maintain adequate levels of
funding to anti-discrimination and equal opportunity bodies
so that they can
deal with complaints promptly and undertake comprehensive community education
programs. The Forum considers the
reduction of the budget of the Human Rights
and Equal Opportunity Commission by 40% to be unacceptable and to reflect a
disturbing
down-grading of human rights by the present Federal Government.
- Any changes to the structures and procedures of the Human Rights
and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) must be designed with a view to
strengthening its capacity to deal with
complaints of discrimination and
conduct community education. The Forum emphasises the importance of
safeguarding the independence
of HREOC and retaining distinct portfolio
commissioners.
- The Forum calls on the Federal Government to facilitate consideration of
the inclusion in the Australian Constitution of an explicit
prohibition of all forms of discrimination, including racial
discrimination, at the Peoples' Constitutional Convention scheduled for late
this year.
- The Forum affirms that there must never be any diminishment of the
protection afforded by the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) or
equivalent State and Territory laws. The Forum rejects as unacceptable the
Federal Government's "ten-point plan" in response to the decision of the
High Court in Wik. The ten-point plan proposes to take away common law
native title rights and upgrade the rights of pastoral lease-holders. Such
discriminatory interference with the rights of Indigenous Australians is
morally repugnant, contrary to Australia's international
obligations and
diminishes our nation.
- The UN Plan of Action for the Decade for Human Rights Education calls for
the completion during 1995 of action-oriented national plans for human
rights education to be transmitted to the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Forum urges the Federal Government to
endorse the objectives of the UN
Decade for Human Rights Education and, in consultation with relevant NGOs and
community organisations,
to catalyse the elaboration of a national action plan.
As affirmed by the August 1996 Sydney Workshop of Asia-Pacific Human Rights
Educators, human rights education is itself a human right.
- The Forum affirms the urgent need to strengthen existing
capacities for anti-racism and human rights education in Australia, as
well as to develop new capacities, at national and local levels. There is
particular need to strengthen the capacity
of NGOs and civil society
institutions to play a central role in the planning and implementation of
anti-racism and human rights education.
- The Forum affirms the importance of non-formal community education
about anti-discrimination and anti-vilification laws, and international human
rights law, including general public information, education
within trade-unions
and women's and youth organisations, and education in rural and remote
communities.
- Appropriate and effective strategies for anti-racism and human
rights education should emphasise popular and participatory education.
Such education must be rooted in the lives of learners, especially
those most
marginalised and vulnerable, and build on local concepts, cultural
specificities and language needs.
- The Forum calls on education authorities to work with community groups and
educators in the formal education sector, including early childhood,
primary and secondary schools, higher education, teacher training, to:
incorporate anti-racism values and awareness as a key element in education in
schools;
revise school curricula to integrate anti-racism and human rights
education into the curriculum at all levels, produce training and
educational
materials, and develop in-service teacher training courses;
promote the
teaching of human rights in universities, including in schools of law,
economics, medicine, politics and social work.
- The Forum affirms the need to provide anti-racism and human rights
education to personnel in law enforcement and the administration of
justice. Public officials and decision-makers in all areas of government,
as well as particular professional groups such as media, health
professionals
and social workers should also receive anti-racism and human rights education.
- All too often, important struggles for racial equality and human rights
have been erased in history books and in national memory.
The Forum affirms the
important role for education in the recovery of human rights history and human
rights truths. An urgent task
for anti-racism and human rights education is to
increase knowledge about the histories, rights and aspirations of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
1. In Australia, some media have tended to trivialise and sensationalise race
issues. The Forum affirms that a media sensitive to
issues of race and human
rights can play a crucial role in raising awareness of racism and
influencing opinions in the direction of tolerance and diversity, including
amongst persons at
all levels of literacy and living in rural or remote
areas.
2. The Forum calls on Australian media, including ethnic and rural media, to
set appropriate standards of editorial policy and accountability in
relation to questions of race.
The Forum urges community groups and NGOs to exchange information on good
practice and effective strategies in combating racism;
and to forge alliances
and coordinate resources and action in lobbying and advocacy.
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