(en) Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM): Australia,
The First Genocide By Pink Panther
Recently Pope Francis caused a stir when he described the mass killing of Armenians by the
Turks in 1915 as the first genocide of the 20th Century. In the context of the anniversary
of World War 1, this was timely and not entirely wrong. Genocide had occurred. His fault
was in labelling it as the first of the 20th Century. Namibians attempted a correction by
referring to the Herero and Namaqua Genocide of 1904 and 1905 as the first of that
century. They were wrong too. The first genocide was already under way in Australia when
the 20th Century began. ---- From the moment white settlers landed in Australia the
indigenous people were ruthlessly driven off their land and hunted down like animals. The
last Aboriginal hunt was in 1910 in Tasmania. By then up to 90% of some tribes had been
wiped out by introduced diseases, particularly smallpox. An indication of how swift the
population decline was, is revealed by the fact approximately 314,000 Aborigines lived in
Australia about the time Cook landed in Botany Bay (though some estimates put the figure
between 500,000 and 700,000 people) but only 74,000 were alive by 1933.
When Australia became a Dominion in 1901 Aborigines were meant to be Australians with full
rights in theory but in reality they were denied the basic rights enjoyed by others. An
indication of how much they had been cut out of mainstream society is the fact it wasn’t
until 1967 that Aborigines were included in the Australian census!
Aborigines were mostly confined to reservations located in remote places where the land
could not be developed, such as desert areas. They faced widespread discrimination in
housing, jobs and access to basic services including education and health care. They were
denied access to social welfare assistance. Their children could be seized with little or
no justification and placed in homes where physical and sexual abuse were common in what
became known as the Stolen Generations.
It wasn’t until 1962 that they were granted the right to vote in federal elections.
Reformists with a vote fetish would do well to notice that this did not noticeably improve
their situation. Even to this day they are subjected to widespread police brutality, high
imprisonment and discrimination in jobs and housing, as documented by various Amnesty
International and United Nations reports. Growing awareness of the ill-treatment through
documentaries made by groups like the Freedom Riders and the growing rural to urban drift
of Aborigines, led to greater awareness of the treatment of first nation people among
other Australians as the 60’s progressed. It also fed the growth of protest movements
including the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy outside Parliament from 1972.
Deaths in police custody, endemic levels of discrimination in every aspect of their lives
and socio-economic deprivation, still continues in the day to day lives of most
Aborigines. An indication of this is that as late as 2005 the Financial Times World
Reference Guide stated that their life expectancy was twenty years below that of other
residents of the continent.
Only for a very brief period of time were first nation people offered any compensation,
land or apologies for their terrible suffering. In 1992 the Mabo Judgment ruled that
Aborigines had the right to land. In 1999 a Motion of Reconciliation, amounting to a
hollow word fest, was passed by Parliament to supposedly recognise the injustices against
Aborigines. Despite such minimal nods in the direction of improving conditions, other
actions such as the 2007 invasion of communities in the Northern Territory, only
reinforced the long standing strong armed approach of the Australian state. In 2008 Kevin
Rudd ‘apologised’ to the Aboriginal people for the Stolen Generations, though
simultaneously it was made clear no compensation would be paid to them. The current
government under Tony Abbott has continued the bi-partisan policy of closing down numerous
communities under flimsy pretexts. In addition they have started whitewashing school
history textbooks to rid them of what he calls “left wing bias”. That has included
downplaying or ignoring the appalling treatment of the indigenous people last century.
Traditionally, Australia Day has been the day to protest against injustices. However, the
“back to the future” attitude of the government has triggered a current wave of
protests throughout Australia. On May 1st for example, 10,000 marched in Melbourne, and
thousands of others did likewise in Perth, Sydney and Hobart. Rallies of solidarity were
held in Auckland, Britain, USA and elsewhere internationally.
The actions of the Australian state are not acceptable and many Australians realise this.
Conservatives in Australia and elsewhere can latch onto the comments of people like
Francis and claim the Armenian Genocide of 1915 was the first in the 20th Century. However
that dubious honour belongs to what happened to the Aborigines – and the Abbott government
chooses to whitewash this despite thousands of protesters throwing light on the fact.
These protests must continue and be extended for as long as it takes to bring universal
recognition of historical truths and the restoration of the material and cultural dignity
of the indigenous people of Australia.
http://www.awsm.nz/2015/05/12/the-first-genocide/
