A statement from Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on 21 September 2014, International Day of Peace
On World Peace Day 2014, I pray for the rights of the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia to determine their own destiny.
It is a severe indictment on Australia that many of its indigenous people still feel that their culture and dignity are being eroded, and that they continue to be treated as second class citizens – 42 years after the country signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Aboriginal elders say that although the Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976 transferred control of much of the Northern Territory to Aboriginal peoples, the people never had the opportunity to draw true advantage from the land. They were ill prepared to deal with complex Western bureaucracies, and their efforts have been undermined by under-development and neglect.
The imposition of legislation generally known as the Northern Territory Intervention, in
2007 virtually stripped them of their voice. Continue reading