200 years of indigenous policy failures

By Simon Lauder

Related Story: Aurukun rape the tip of the iceberg: Pearson

Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie says the legal system's treatment of a young girl who was pack-raped in a Cape York Aboriginal community is a disgrace.

In a speech to the Fabian Society in Sydney last night, Mr Beattie said the rape was just one example of problems in Indigenous communities which the new federal Labor Government needs to tackle.

And he warned that the states risk becoming irrelevant unless there is a constitutional convention to work out, once and for all, who has responsibility over what.

As the guest speaker at the left-leaning think tank's dinner, Mr Beattie called on new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to take federalism to a new level.

He said the gang rape highlighted problems which had been caused by "two centuries of dreadful policy" towards Indigenous people.

"What I'm saying to you is that I have a great deal of faith in Kevin Rudd," he said.

"I'm in a position these days where I don't have to be generous to anybody and I can say what I like.

"Because we have all-Labor states in a Labor Federal Government, we have the most unique opportunity since Federation to make a real change."


Blame game

Cape York Indigenous leader Noel Pearson would also like an end to the blame game between governments.

Mr Pearson wants a scheme where parents' income support payments are tied to child welfare to begin in time for the next school year.

He told ABC TVs The 7.30 Report the Commonwealth has provided the money for a trial in four communities including Aurukun but that the Queensland Government has not laid the framework.

"The challenge involves Queensland acting quickly to create the necessary commission, and in my view the urgency of the Aurukun case really begs the question as to whether Parliament in Queensland should urgently resume to create the necessary body that we need - this Family Responsibilities Commission," Mr Pearson said.

Mr Beattie was still the premier of Queensland when the Commonwealth did its part to set up the Commission and he says Indigenous affairs should be the sole responsibility of the Federal Government.

"A lot of people in Indigenous communities end up not being sure whether they go to the local council, the state or the Commonwealth on these matters," Mr Beattie said.

"This is an international disgrace and we need a national response that's not about victimising, it's not racist, but is actually a cooperative partnership with Indigenous communities.

"To say, 'this is going to take a decade, but let's start now'."


Generational change

Mr Beattie defended his government not fixing the problems, despite being alerted to the crisis in the Fitzgerald report in 2001.

"The reality is this: that we started the alcohol management plan, said we're going, for some time, to be dealing with this abuse," he said.

"We said at the time this would take a generation. I said that openly and transparently. And it will take a generation.

"One thing I know, though - we're going to get better cooperation if we have a national approach.

"Instead of having the passing between the State and the Commonwealth, we're going to have a national approach."

Dave R.