Olympics showcase Aborigine gripes

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In a country governed by a party that actually tabled a law empowering authorities to shoot protesters who might mar the Sydney Olympics, Australia's Aborigine leaders are hoping to make the world take a close look at the tragic history of Australia and the suffering experienced by Indigenous people in the time since the colonizers arrived.

At the same time, the country's approximately 400,000 Aborigine people don't want to put too much of a damper on "Cathy's games."

The games were golden for Aborigine Cathy Freeman who not only lit the torch during opening ceremonies, but took first place in the 400-metre sprint on Day 11 of the Sydney Olympics in Australia.

Freeman, an Aborigine woman who delivered the goods on Day 11 of the games by winning the gold medal in the 40-metre sprint.

"It'd be hard to find an Aboriginal person in Australia who wasn't profoundly affected by Cathy's win," said Mindy Thomas, spokesperson for the National Indigenous Media Association of Australia. "We are all very proud of her and feel like she really is 'one of us.' There was some concern before the 400-metre sprint final that all of the expectations placed on her would prove too much, but there was a big sigh of relief when she won. Some Aboriginal people now want Cathy to get involved in politics and Cathy herself has hinted that she might become a politician after she retires from competition. As Aboriginal people say when someone is really good, Cathy is 'deadly.'"

The word deadly has another meaning, however.

In August, news agency AAP carried a story about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission chairman Geoff Clark describing as 'chilling' the Australian government's decision to review its participation in the UN treaty committee system, Thomas said. "Australia had come under heavy criticism from UN committees over treatment of Aborigines and asylum-seekers. The story said Clark said the decision reflected the siege mentality of the Australian government. It quoted Clark as saying: 'They are looking at restricting the involvement of those committees' participations and capacity to visit Australia to look at the implementation of the international conventions. This is worrying when you see that there is a new legislation that gives the army the power to remove you from the street and even sort of shoot to kill. I think this is a siege mentality by this particular government in this country, which I think puts a chilling warning to Australians.'"

Extremists are frustrated that protests must be licensed, but knowing the brutal history of Australia's dealings with its original inhabitants, only the most daring would seek to mount a genuine, unapproved act of civil disobedience.

Thomas said the licensed protests are achieving the goal of attracting the attention of the world's press.

"There are four main Aboriginal protest sites in Sydney during the Olympic Games, including a tent embassy at Victoria Park and the Metropolitan Land Council at Redfern Park. All of the protests are trying to draw attention to the situation facing Aboriginal people," she said. "Ironically, there seems to have been an orderly approach to the protests. The local city councils have granted permits for the camps and marches through the streets, the cops have been given cultural awareness training, etc. Everyone is talking about rights to protest - that they're all big and ugly enough to face up to criticism. The Aboriginal community's overall response to the various protests has been one of overwhelming solidarity and support. There've been marches from the protest sites to Parliament House, the prime minister's office, and SOCOG, the Sydney Olympic Games Organising Committee. The international media has picked up on the protests. For example, following the Opening Ceremony, the Los Angeles Times ran an article headed 'Original Sin?' which said that while Australians were getting behind Cathy Freeman's gold medal bid, they kept their ditance from most of her fellow Aborigines. The paper's sports columnist Bill Plaschke wrote: 'Today, although Aborigines account for two per cent of the country's 19 million residents, they are eerily invisible.'"

The issues faced by Australia's Aborigines make you want to check the calendar; it's hard to believe it's the 21st century when you see what the people are facing.

#"The protests are drawing attention to the big issues faced by Aboriginal people, including: We never ceded our sovereignty to Australia but have been dispossessed of much of our lands. We want constitutional reform - at least a mention in the preamble to the Australian Constitution.

Waneek Horn-Miller(left), a Mohawk from Kahnawake, Que., took to the pool to help teammates take fifth in water polo competition.

"We want reparations for the stolen generation, Australia's version of the sixties scoop, and land rights, including Native title as provided for under the Native Title Act 1993," Thomas told Windspeaker.

One issue seems to be straight out of Charles Dickens.

"Australia's northern territory has legislation that requires a jail sentence to be imposed for any third offence, regardless of the offence. This has seen Aboriginal kids thrown in jail for stealing a couple of pens, a packet of biscuits and other trifling items," Thomas said. "Even though Aboriginal people make up less than two per cent of Australia's general population, we are over-represented in jails. On average about 26 per cent, but far higher in some places."

Debate over the wisdom of this practice continues in parliament even though Australia's newspapers frequently feature stories about young Aborigines committing suicide while in custody.

As in Canada, health statistics reveal that something is desperately wrong down under.

"Aboriginal people generally die 20 years younger than Australia's broad population. We suffer diseases like diabetes, kidney failure and heart problems at alarming rates," Thomas said.

Als similar to Canada, Indigenous peoples are often excluded from the economy and left to live in poverty, or offered token work.

"Generally-speaking, the Aboriginal employment rate is comparable to broader Australia's unemployment rate - around 10 per cent. Even in government departments, which have EEO [employment equity] policies, Aboriginal people might get employed, but generally only in lower level positions," she said.

Unlike Canada, the Australian government has refused to address its history by attempting to reconcile with its original inhabitants.

"The failure of Prime Minister John Howard to say sorry for the stolen generation and related government policies and practices has been a major source of discontent and distress for many Aboriginal people, including stolen generation members," Thomas said. "Amongst others, Cathy Freeman criticized the government's handling of the issue earlier in the year. Howard has moved a motion of 'regret' about what happened to the stolen generation, arguing that he can't actually say 'sorry' because the current generation isn't responsible. Of course, this is not true, because child removal was happening 20 and 30 years ago. Some people say it is still going on. However, some Aboriginal people like the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Dodson have suggested we should let the matter drop because even if Howard did now say 'sorry,' it would be disingenuous."