ELECTION 2001: QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES AND POLITICAL PARTIES

ANTaR has put the following list of questions on Indigenous issues to the major parties. Where available, answers have been used in the kit document: Summary of the Indigenous affairs record and policy priorities of the major Parties. If you are interested in lobbying your local candidates you may wish to use the questions as the basis for your community campaigning.

When framing your approach, please keep in mind the final recommendations of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR). These recommendations cover many of the issues covered in the questions, including a call for a process leading to an agreement or treaty. A copy of CAR’s final recommendations is included as a separate document in this kit.

Reconciliation

1a.	Do you / does your party fully support the final recommendations of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR)?

  b.	Does your party propose to implement all the recommendations of CAR?

  c	If your party does not intend to implement all the recommendations which ones will it support?

Treaty

2a	Do you / does your party support a formal negotiation process between the Commonwealth and Indigenous Australians to deal with ‘unfinished business’?

  b.	Do you / does your party undertake to conduct a public education process to inform the community as a whole on the proposal for a formal negotiation or treaty process?

  c.	Will you / your party support the outcome of the proposed plebiscite of Indigenous Australians on the Treaty proposal?

Stolen generations

3a.	If elected to Government, do you / does your party intend to offer an apology to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the nation, or to support such an apology if your party would not govern in its own right?

  b.	Do you / does your party support the establishment of a Reparations Tribunal to provide a mechanism for compensating Indigenous Australians who suffered from the policies of forced removal from their families?

Native Title

4a.	Will you / will your party undertake to amend the Native Title Act so as to remove racially discriminatory elements of the Act as identified by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and ATSIC?

  b.	Will you / your party undertake to ensure the availability of ‘right to negotiate’ provisions equivalent to those in the original Native Title Act 1992?

  c.	Will you / will your party undertake to ensure that increased and sufficient funding is available to support negotiation processes under the Native Title Act to expedite the achievement of native title outcomes based on the principle of co-existence?

  d.	Will your party undertake to increase funding to Native Title Representative Bodies to enable them to properly fulfil their statutory functions under the Native Title Act?

Mandatory sentencing

5a.	Do you / your party oppose all mandatory sentencing policies?

  b.	Do you / your party oppose mandatory sentencing policies for juveniles?

  c.	Will your party undertake to introduce legislation to abolish ‘mandatory sentencing’?

Indigenous disadvantage

6a.	Will your party undertake to provide adequate funding and resources to properly address Indigenous disadvantage, in particular in areas such as health, housing, education and employment opportunities, and community infrastructure?

  b.	Will you / your party undertake to address the findings of the recent Commonwealth Grants Commission report into Indigenous funding, including the recommendation for increased Indigenous control over funding?

Indigenous heritage

7a.	Do you / your party support access to Commonwealth heritage legislation as a ‘last resort’ option in all cases?

  b.	Do you / your party support the provision of strong minimum standards for state/territory heritage regimes (as recommended by Evatt Report)?

  c.	Do you / your party support the provision of Indigenous involvement in decision-making at all levels in heritage protection?

  d.	Do you / your party support provision for an independent Indigenous-controlled heritage body at the Commonwealth level?

Self-determination

7a.	Do you / your party recognise the right of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders to self-determination?

  b.	Do you / your party support the principle of negotiating with Indigenous stakeholders on the basis of ‘informed consent’ concerning legislation affecting their rights and interests?