Media ReleaseMonday 6 February 2006 Commission Launches Stolen Wages Petition Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, in collaboration with social justice bodies and groups in other Queensland dioceses, has launched a petition calling on the Premier, Peter Beattie, to change his position on what has become known as the “stolen wages” issue. For much of the twentieth century, many Indigenous people were forced into employment contracts which saw them work as stockmen, nursemaids and domestics. Most of their wages were placed in a special Queensland Aboriginals Account and this money was never returned to them. It is estimated that around $500 million was placed in this account between 1905 and 1972. The Queensland Government
recognised that a serious injustice had occurred and established a $56.5
million reparations package in 2002. The Brisbane
Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that many Indigenous
people are very unhappy with the terms of the reparations package offer
which closed on 31 January this year. “Eligible Indigenous workers are only entitled to claim an amount of $2000 or $4000 which is a small fraction of the unpaid wages,” Mr Arndt said. "To get the payment, the Indigenous worker must agree to indemnify the Government against any legal action to claim the full amount of wages owing,” he said. “Family members of deceased workers cannot claim anything either,” he added. The release of the petition follows the publication of an Australian Catholic Social Justice Council (ACSJC) background paper dealing with unpaid and underpaid wages for Indigenous workers around Australia. Mr Arndt said the Commission is urging Catholics around Queensland to read information about this issue and to sign the petition. “The practice of taking the wages of Indigenous workers over much of the twentieth century is one of the causes of poverty within much of our country’s Indigenous population,” Mr Arndt said. “Many Queenslanders do not realise that some of the funds taken from Aborigines were used to pay for hospitals and other infrastructure in the State,” he said. “We acknowledge that the Queensland Government has taken a big step in establishing this reparations process, but it is not sufficient,” he said. “The fact that only a small fraction of the $56.5 million offer has been paid out shows how unhappy most Indigenous people are with the package,” he said. “Our Commission wants the Premier to re-negotiate a fairer settlement with Indigenous people and that is what the petition asks of him,” he said. Copies of the ACSJC background paper and the petition can be obtained from links on the front page of the Commission’s website The petition, along with background information, is also being sent to all parishes. For more information, please contact Peter Arndt on (07) 3336 9173 or 0409 265 476. NB This release is
issued under the provisions of the Commission’s Charter which enable it
to speak in its own right. The
views expressed in it do not necessarily represent the views of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane. |