Aboriginal Law Bulletin --- "Qld Government & 'Slave' Labour" [1986] AboriginalLawB 29; (1986) 1(20) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 2

• Qld Government &Amp; ‘Slave’ Labour

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Qld Government & ‘Slave’ Labour

In an AboriginalLB article last October, by Mr Jeremy Long, the Commissioner for Community Relations, wrote on the Queensland Government's unwillingness to pay award wages to Aboriginal workers. [1985] AboriginalLB 70; 1(16)pg14

In Mr Long's article he described the situation where Aboriginal nursing aides, with the support of the Queensland Nurse's Union, took the matter up with the Queensland Health Department. That department provided an interim response in March 1985 that the matter was being discussed with the Department of Community Services.

'The exploitation of Aboriginal labour was highlighted in early 1979 by the Arnold Murgha case before the Industrial Court of Queensland. Yet it still goes on. Now Warren Fisher, a Cherbourg cranedriver, has had his case taken up by the Federated Engine Driver and Firemens Association (FEDFA). Legal action was instigated by the FEDFA and nine other unions.

'An organiser with the FEDFA Mr Barry Day has accused the Queensland Govemment of trying to bury the issue. An accusation that they cannot dodge considering the 1979 Industrial Court hearing. Their action or inaction would also be in conflict with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Queensland Discriminatory Laws) Act of 1975.

‘It is pathetic’, Mr Barry Day said (SMH, 29.5.86), ‘that the Minister (Mr Kafler, Minister for Community Services) and the Governmentare behaving as though they only learnt of the under-payment of Aborigines on reserves within the past fortnight when it has been going on for three decades’.

For the Minister to be now making these obscene and spurious threats about cutting jobs and public works on the communities when these same communities experience 70 per cent unemployment is contemptible; he said.

Initially, Mr Katterclolmed that the govemment could not afford to pay the workers their entiflements unless one-third were sacked to offset the cost.

He supposedly changed his tactic several days after his statement. However, he put forward that five months was needed to implement the movement to legal award wages. This would take the matter into the post-election agenda where it may once again be forgotten.

The government is adamant that no back pay will be forthcoming. 'There is no way,' said Mr Kafer (Tribune, 28.5.86, p. 4)'I can justify to Queensland tax payers paying that money out. There is going to be a whole lot of money blown away here'.

An application to gain federal coverage forworkers inAboriginal communities is now before the Arbitration Commission.