Hands-on vow by Beattie
01.11.1999
PREMIER Peter Beattie yesterday promised Aboriginal and Islander people that he would personally take charge of a radical reform programme which aims to rescue them from welfare dependency and hopelessness.
Mr Beattie spent Saturday afternoon with more than 300 Aboriginal elders and traditional owners who had met for five days at Wujal Wujal community, west of Cooktown.
The elders presented Mr Beattie with a declaration of their unequivocal support for the programme which is based on a commitment from them that they would accept responsibility for their own lives and the upbringing of their children.
The reform proposals were developed by Aboriginal lawyer Noel Pearson who spent the past few days explaining to his own people the commitment required to save themselves from a continued life of misery.
Mr Beattie said he would form a small committee comprising several senior ministers, Mr Pearson and some key Aboriginal people, as well as prominent business leaders from the private sector.
The first meeting would take place within three weeks, and ministers would report progress directly to him. He would attend a Cape York seminar organised by local people where business initiatives, job and investment opportunities would be discussed and developed.
The Pearson plan also involves indigenous people agreeing to deductions from their welfare cheques to provide for the education of their children, the provision of housekeeping money for mothers to buy food, and savings for groups to buy necessary household goods, motor vehicles and boats.
Mr Beattie said it was far too early to be talking about specific Government initiatives or funding for the Pearson plan.
``However we have agreed to establish a mechanism in Government to work through this plan with Pearson and other leaders to ensure we get an outcome,'' he said. ``It will be accountable to me and to my Cabinet.''
Mr Beattie said the Federal Government clearly had a major role to play. He had not approached them yet because he expected Mr Pearson would be doing so.
The Premier was bombarded with criticisms of the plan by Aborigines at a community Cabinet meeting in Cooktown yesterday.
Injinoo Land Trust chairman Bruce Gibson and some Aborigines from the Cape York communities of Hope Vale and Coen told him Mr Pearson had imposed the plan on Aborigines without consultation.
But Mr Beattie said he was impressed with the consensus at Saturday's summit.
Mr Pearson pointed out at the weekend meetings that Russians and Australian Aborigines were the only populations on Earth whose life expectancy was declining. It was folly for well-meaning governments to identify health, justice, education, housing or other problems in Aboriginal people and then provide people to fix the problem.
``We have to do it for ourselves,'' Mr Pearson said. ``If, for example, we wish our children to be properly educated, it is incumbent on us to make sure they attend school.
``At Lockhart River just a few weeks ago, where 160 children are enrolled, there were 13 teachers at the school, and only 11 pupils.''
A critic of the Pearson plan, ATSIC commissioner Terry O'Shane also attended Saturday's meeting. ``My only concern has been about the consultation process -- making sure everybody knows what is required,'' he said.
``Meetings like this are the first step in that process.''
