9th October , 2003

Report confirms Government derailing of reconciliation

Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) today called on the Government to abandon its spoiling role in reconciliation, following a damning report released today.

The report, Reconciliation: Off Track, is the culmination of a year-long Senate committee inquiry into national progress on reconciliation.

"Here is confirmation of what we have known all along - that the Government has abused its powers in order to evade scrutiny and accountability and to abrogate its national leadership responsibilities in relation to reconciliation", ANTaR National President, Phil Glendenning said.

"The Government has effectively derailed reconciliation as a national process and imposed its own politically-motivated template complete with a name any spin-merchant would be proud of - 'practical reconciliation'.

"'Practical reconciliation' is anything but reconciliation and even its practical outcomes for Indigenous people have been abysmal. The health and life expectancy of Indigenous people have grown worse in comparison to non-Indigenous Australians in the seven years the Government has been in power!

"Importantly, the report confirms that the blueprint developed by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation over its ten year term is a sound one and should be followed by the Government - by all governments.

"The report also confirms that the Government needs to significantly increase its funding of reconciliation, particularly the 'peoples movement'. Current funding levels are totally inadequate and have impeded progress on reconciliation.

"People are more than ready to work with the Government if it in turn is prepared to offer real national leadership.

"We desperately need cross-party support back in the process. How can we ever achieve the goals of reconciliation if the process is reduced to a political battleground?

"This is now THE test of this Government. Will it accept its responsibilities and become a catalyst for real progress on reconciliation? Or will it shirk its responsibilities and continue its ultimately futile but highly damaging crusade to try to turn the clock back on Indigenous affairs?

"ANTaR has a simple answer: call off the dogs, Mr Howard, and send in the doves. We need dialogue, not doublespeak", Mr Glendenning concluded.

Contact: Phil Glendenning, 0419 013 758 or David Cooper, 0418 486 310.