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By Mark Klusener in Durban
Indigenous Australians have told the World Conference Against
Racism that their government has tried to commit genocide against
them.
Ms Monica Morgan, of the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal
Corporation, told a special forum for victims of racism that the
rights of Australia's indigenous people continued to be violated
by the passing of new "racist legislation". She cited
the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act contained in the
Native Title Act as an attempt by the Australian Government to
reduce indigenous peoples rights.
"The passing of this racist legislation has reduced
indigenous people's right of negotiation over future acts
regarding development and mining exploration on our lands."
Ms Morgan said the law was applied by a Federal Court judge in
a 1998 ruling against the Yorta Yorta. After assessing evidence
from 56 indigenous witnesses and more than 500 respondents, the
judge ruled that there was no evidence to support findings that
the original inhabitants had occupied the land in the relevant
sense since 1788.
During the trial, the evidence of an English squatter who
seized the land from the Yorta Yorta was taken above that of the
tribe, Ms Morgan said. "The fact that the oral evidence of
the Yorta Yorta witness was not given equal weight can only be
interpreted as an act of genocide."
She said Australia had adopted an apartheid system by
separating indigenous people from mainstream society and had
legalised the forced removal of children from indigenous
families. The Government "should say sorry".
Posted on 2001-10-03
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