The following Statement was issued at the close of the second annual Indigenous Union Conference in Brisbane on September 10 & 11, 2002.
Over 65 Indigenous Unionists from across Australia proclaim the Beattie State Labor Governments proposed reparation offer to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Queensland in regards to stolen wages an affront to the dignity and collective interest of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia.
Delegates call on the Beattie State Labor Government to sit down and negotiate in good faith utilising appropriate and culturally accountable consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Queensland to ensure a just and dignified outcome consistent with the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples affected by the reparation proposals.
This is union business – and to this end delegates call for urgent and immediate action in bringing public pressure to bear in a campaign declaring support for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Queensland affected by the Beattie State Labor Government’s proposed reparation settlement.
Delegates call for solidarity by the trade union movement and call on the ACTU and all affiliates, in particular the Queensland Council of Unions, in supporting the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Queensland to ensure a just reparation settlement for wages stolen.
