The Federal Government is still failing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples despite gaining power to make laws for indigenous Australians in a referendum forty years ago today, says the ACTU.
After eleven years of office, the Howard Government should admit that its policies for indigenous Australians are a monumental failure.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said today:
“Today marks the 40th anniversary of the 1967 referendum where over 90% of Australians voted to give the Federal Government power to make laws for indigenous Australians.
The referendum was a major milestone in the long struggle by indigenous Australians for justice and paved the way for equal rights and equal pay for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers.
I congratulate the many people who helped achieve such a tremendous victory in the 1967 referendum.
But it must be acknowledged that the high hopes that accompanied the referendum have not been realized, despite the best efforts of the many indigenous leaders since that time.
The continuing high level of disadvantage among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is a national disgrace.
The 17 year gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians is probably our nation’s most shameful statistic.
After eleven years in office, the Howard Government has no one else to blame for the inadequate health services, poor community infrastructure and lack of education and employment opportunities that still beset indigenous communities,” said Ms Burrow.