Fore months they have promoted violent protests and a boycott of the Sydney 2000 Olympics - now they are promoting protests against the "racist" Liberal Party.

Media release from Campaign Against Racism

November 21, 1997

Campaign Against Racism is backing a picket of Liberal Party headquarters on Tuesday, November 25, between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.

The picket at 104 Exhibition St in the city has been called by Community and Public Sector Union members at the Victorian state office of ATSIC.

Tuesday is when the federal government's Wik legislation will be presented to the Senate. The picket is being called in solidarity with a protest in defence of native title in Canberra that day.

CAR spokesperson David Glanz said: "John Howard's Ten Point Plan will crush the very minimal rights enjoyed by indigenous people.

"It will transfer millions of hectares of publicly owned land into the hands of billionaire pastoralists.

"More and more people around the country are disgusted at this racist land grab. The picket on Tuesday is an opportunity for unionists and anti-racists to show their concern."

* CPSU members at ATSIC have also endorsed a Rally Against Racism called by CAR at the GPO at 2pm on Saturday, December 13.

Speakers at the rally include Jacqui Geia and Margaret Gardiner from the Mirimbiak Nations, Leigh Hubbard from Trades Hall, and Sid Spindler from Defenders of Native Title (DONT).

The rally is being supported by the Jabiluka Action Group, Carlo Carli, Labor state MP for Coburg, the Victorian TAFE Students and Apprentices Network, and green and socialist groups among others.

I have written to both The Queensland Times and The Courier Mail today with the following response:

Will the Ipswich and Brisbane City Council’s now ban Liberal Party meetings in city buildings?

The extreme left wing of the Australian Labor Party have announced, through their on-line organisation Left Link, their intention to picket outside the Liberal Party headquarters in Melbourne this Tuesday.

This picket will be followed up by a rally in December, according to the posts by Left Link on the Internet, during which the protesters will march from the GPO in Bourke Street to the Liberal Party offices.

One Nation has been targeted by this same group (Campaign Against Racism - CAR) since the launch of the party in April this year. This led to the ‘decision’ by the Ipswich and Brisbane City Council’s to effectively ban all meetings by Pauline Hanson’s party in council owned buildings.

We now have a very interesting situation arising where the councils, to be unbiased, will have to ban Liberal Party meetings ‘because of the threat of damage to council property’.

If they don’t they will run the risk of being seen to be undemocratic as CAR are the ones who co-ordinate protests at One Nation meetings.

If they do the only major political party who will be able to use these council buildings will be the Australian Labor Party. Strange irony that this party is behind the traditionally violent CAR protests and that both councils involved are dominated by the Australian Labor Party.

If this is democracy in Australia then I think we better go back and re-write the Australian constitution.

Scott Balson, Karana Downs

You Say:

Dear Sir,

I received this e-mail from a friend in the States. He is also a concerned citizen and is worried about the welfare of his own country.

Maybe you already have this info but I thought it may be of assisstance to you if you haven't.

Regards from
S.E. Wagger

Subject: Dinosaurs!

dear sir,

i must admit i have not studied the wik proposals in depth , but i am still trying to find what our indigenous people want! If they believe the clock is being turned back, either they are "dreaming again" or the country has lost its collective senses.Handing over 75% of the country after 200 yrs is lunacy!

I, like my father, grandfather and greatfather was born here. i know no other land . I am part of this land and it is part of me. why do i not have land rights? the fact that one or more of your antecedents was born here does not seem a reason to claim special treatment. i dont see why , unless the claimant is full blooded they have an argument. the white or chinese or malay ancestry effectively means you wouldnt exist in a utopian aboriginal australia. does it mean that the white grandfather ripped off the black grandfather?

It would seem that once one has mixed aboriginal /european/asian ancestry , one ceases to be indigenous. If a child of mixed parentage and foreign nationality was born overseas, does that mean they are still aboriginal, or a national of the country of birth? I am tired of hearing about land rights, the entire world, tribal and national boundaries have been conquered, reconquered, amalgamated and divided. what is so special about australia?

the exclusive occupation of this continent was lost long before 1770, long before botany Bay. it was lost thousands of years before when the first homo sapiens built a crude boat to see what was over the horizon.like the dinosaurs, their days were numbered!!

perhaps the aborigines should look to the future instead of forever living in the past. If they had have created a progressive society in all those years of nomadic wanderings, maybe the First fleet would be lying at the bottom of the harbour. I also think there is a lesson in the Aboriginal experience for us all in contempory australia! letting other cultures to set up in this day and age is equivalent to the "european invasion", and we will all live to regret it! New australians.YES new nations ....NO!

Subject: Aboriginals Changing the rules

Dear Sir,

It seems ATSIC changed the focus from culture preservation to 'maximum benefit' in NOV 1995.

Excerpt Native Title Branch

"The Native Title Branch is within the Social and Cultural Division of ATSIC. The Branch was established in November 1995. Previously it had been a section of the Land Heritage and Culture Branch.

The Native Title Branch aims to ensure maximum benefit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the recognition and protection of native title."

Tony Hancock

Guess what... on last year's budget of over Au$830 million ATSIC did not spend one cent on health or education for the indigenous people... tens of millions were spent on native title related issues.

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Have a good one.

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