CONGRESS TO RECOGNISE ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NATIONS
Released as Congress Official Statement for Invasion Day, 26 January 2015
The National Congress of Australia's First Peoples proposes to formally
acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations and governments
in Australia.
The Board of Congress is reviewing its structure to include those
community-based governance institutions sustained by the peoples for
community decision-making and self-governance.
Congress is taking a leading role internationally and nationally by
developing structures and procedures for the accommodation of
self-determination and development.
Recognition and promotion by Congress of these governments and nations
will lead to greater autonomy and culturally-appropriate political
development, thus ensuring stronger and more effective voices at community
level.
Importantly, Congress respect for our nations and governments coincides
with United Nations General Assembly interest in creating a special status
for Indigenous Peoples governments at the UN.
Congress believes the recognition of governments and nations can rapidly
advance the exercise of self-determination throughout communities and will
strengthen community-based governing institutions as effective voices at
local, national and international levels.
Congress has been highly successful in working with the United Nations for
these developments, and is now heavily focussed upon changes within
Australia to replace decision-making by highly-centralised administrations
with self-governing communities.
In September 2014 the UN adopted a significant resolution* whereby Member
States commit themselves to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples.
Australia actively participated in the adoption of this resolution, so now
Congress intends to take immediate steps to foster political development
by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
The UN resolution also called upon the Secretary General to submit a
recommendation to the General Assembly on the recognition of Indigenous
Peoples' governments.
Congress will continue to lobby at the international level to ensure this
significant recommendation is strongly supported and adopted at the
General Assembly.
Meanwhile Congress also will keep reminding the Australian Government it
is duty bound to act following this latest UN resolution supporting
Indigenous Peoples rights.
Congress accepts that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have
maintained effective institutions for governance of our traditional lands,
territories and resources, and for the wellbeing of our community members.
The strength of our traditional systems of governance comes from the
culture, languages and the laws of the people.
While successive administrations in Australia have made every effort to
destroy these systems our Peoples have adapted and survived to the present
day.
The challenge for our Peoples now is to restore the capacity and health of
these political and legal institutions so that they can effectively
promote and protect the rights of their constituents.
Congress ultimately believes a national agreement, achieved through with
the free and informed consent of our Peoples, is necessary to achieve
redress following efforts to colonise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples and our lands, territories and resources.
Congress continues to have the strong support of its members to campaign
for a Treaty.
Only through a constructive agreement can equality and non-discrimination
be confirmed for all peoples in Australia.
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*15 September 2014, A/RES/69/2, Outcome Document of the UN World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples;
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Mahala Strohfeldt 0457 877 408
Les Malezer 0419 710 720
