Participation in the prepatory work of the World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

Madam Chair

The decision by the United Nations General Assembly that a World Conference to Combat Racism should be held during 2001 is the culmination of the International Decade to Combat Racism and arises from the frustration felt by many that efforts to combat racism are are not working.

Madam Chair, the Indigenous Peoples in Australia share this frustration. No other group in Australia suffers racial discrimination to the same extent as that suffered by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Since 1996, the Australian Government has significantly reduced the budget of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission and has signalled its intention to change the nature of the Commission so that no single Commissioner will have responsibility for racial discrimination - neither will there be a Commissioner with specific responsibility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice.

The Australian Government has also deferred decisions about funding projects to combat racism - monies which were originally budgeted for an anti racism campaign in 1996/97 were not allocated until 1998/99, and when it finally allocated funds, not a single dollar went to applications from Indigenous organisations.

Furthermore, the Australian Government has passed legislation which the CERD Committee has determined to be racially discriminatory and, instead of heeding the advice of the Committee, has sought to undermine its credibility. The Australian Government says that there had to be a balancing of interests. This obviously means that it no longer considers the elimination of racial discrimination to be absolute but something which can be compromised if it, in its wisdom, sees fit.

It is the intention that the regions of the world conduct preliminary regional conferences leading up to the World Conference; indeed, I understand Europe has already organised such a regional conference.

I also understand that, for the purposes of these regional meetings, Australia is considered part of the Asia/Pacific region. To date, Madam Chair, there has been no indications from the Australian Government that it intends either to facilitate or participate in such a regional meeting. We strongly urge the Australian Government to actively promote, organise and participate in a regional meeting with an emphasis on Racism against Indigenous Peoples.

Madam Chair. We recommend that the organising body, the Human Rights Commission, include as a theme in the World Conference: the Elimination of Racial Discrimination against Indigenous Peoples.

Madam Chair. The media, including the internet, is identified as being a vehicle for the dissemination of racist ideas and incitement to racial hatred. As we know, much of the world's media is controlled by a few multi-national corporations. We recommend that the World Conference to Combat Racism studies the role of the media in this era of mass communication, particularly as it affects Indigenous Peoples - not just how the media and the internet is used to incite racial hatred but, conversely, how Indigenous Peoples can be assisted to use media and the internet to eliminate racial discrimination.

Madam Chair. I mentioned earlier this week that the Special Rapporteur on Racism, Xenophobia and related matters was due to visit Australia in 1998 - the same year that the Australian Government legislated to racially discriminate against Indigenous land holders in its amendments to the Native Title Act. The Government advised the Special Rapporteur that he should not visit because a Federal election was due and that racial discrimination was no longer a problem - totally misleading the Special Rapporteur. Needless to say, his visit did not proceed.

Following the CERD decision in March this year that the amendments to the Native Title Act were racially discriminatory, the Special Rapporteur amended his report on Australia to the Human Rights Commission. We strongly urge the Special Rapporteur to reconsider his decision not to visit and express our hope and the hope of all Australian Indigenous Peoples that he is able to visit next year.

Thank you

FAIRA Aboriginal Corporation
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