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Media Release

Sunday 10 December 2006

 Commission Calls for Support on Indigenous Rights Declaration

 Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission has expressed its disappointment at the decision by the United Nations General Assembly to defer consideration of adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for up to a year.

The deferral decision resulted from a Namibian resolution on 28 November.  This decision was taken despite the adoption of the Declaration by the UN Human Rights Council in June this year.

The Commission also urged the Australian Government to engage in discussions about the Declaration with Australian Indigenous representatives and to advocate for substantial Indigenous participation in action to resolve disagreements on the Declaration at the international level.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that Australia must play a constructive role in any processes which will emerge over the course of the coming year.

“Negotiations on the Declaration have been taking place for over twenty years and it is high time that there was some resolution on the document so that we can focus on action to overcome Indigenous disadvantage around the world,” Mr Arndt said.

“Australia was among a small handful of nations who opposed the adoption of the Declaration,” he said.

“It supported most of the articles in the Declaration, but there were a few articles which were seen as obstacles to its support,” he said.

“It is immensely important that our Government listens to Australian Indigenous people and engages them as partners in the process of working towards resolving problems which are getting in the way of adoption of the Declaration,” he said.

In September this year, the Commission’s Social Justice Assembly focused on the Declaration.

A commitment to raising awareness about the Declaration and advocating its adoption emerged from that Assembly.

Mr Arndt said that the Commission would issue resources in the New Year to provide information on the Declaration and to encourage action to promote its adoption.

For more information, please contact Peter Arndt on (07) 3336 9173 or 0409 265 476.

NB  This release is issued with the authority of the Commission or its Executive under the provision of its Charter which enables it to speak in its own right.  Its views do not necessarily represent the views of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.