EMBASSY CAMPERS SETTLE IN FOR WINTER MONTHS.
"And at the Tent Embassy today, tonight, in the cold and during
the last months, people committed to land rights and a solid
future for our culture, our children, our future generations, have
come in and supported the embassy."
>From poet and activist Kevin Gilbert at the tent embassy.
Our Tent Embassy was re-erected on January 26, 'Invasion Day' to
front Australia with the fact that, on this day, 20 years ago,
four young Aboriginal men put up the first tent demonstration on
the lawns in front of Parliament House.
The demonstration said, in effect "Your Prime Minister Billy
McMahon declared that 'Aborigines have no special privilege or
place and the Government will only give Aborigines a special 25-
lease on missions and reserves they now occupy, to give them time
to come into the mainstream'."
The Prime Minister's statement meant a death cry to our Land
Rights struggle. Our mob was so wild, and of course we had no
political or economic muscle, and no overseas friends to help us.
"The little tent, our people joining it, with courage putting
their heads against the police battons, changed the tide. It got
media coverage, public and student support, and brought in more,
powerfully, the international media and attention.
All of this set the scene, so that when Labor swept to power,
using land rights as one of their platforms of policy, Gough
Whitlam and some good men of the day, brought in the NT Land
Rights Act, and the first glimmer of hope that we would one day
find land rights justice, and the first glimmer of hope that we
would one day find land rights justice.
So, 20 years, and many deaths and much suffering later, we still
haven't got land rights justice, nor even our basic human rights
in this country.
To bring this matter to international attention, and to get a
settlement in the World Court on our sovereignty right to land, a
big mob of us walked into the old Parliament House and delivered a
statement of our sovereignty right, and a declaration of
independence to the Government.
We didn't want Old Parliament House as a flash gunyah for our
embassy. No, we were claiming the land on which it stood - our
land. Always was, always will be...
Four of our people volunteered to step forward and be arrested for
trespass so the case could be made, Isabell Coe, Sonya Laughton,
'Crow' Williams, and Bindi Williams, enabling the push for the
case to go to World court.
Paul Coe and Charles Kilduff stopped the trespass case at the
Magistrates Court and called for a stay of hearing, claiming as we
are sovereign people and the magistrate could not try us for
trespass on our own land.
It had to go to for examination at the High court.
The High Court sent us back to theMagistrates Court. The case will
come up for trial on September 22, 23.
In the meantime and right until 1993, the tent embassy will stay
camped outside told Parliament House.
Our orgainsations should raise the fares and send some sort of
tucker money with some of our young people, representing them, to
join us. Say, a couple from Queensland for a month, then they go
home and two more come down. Same with the North Coast, South
Coast, inland, and other States. We like support and we like good
company, but everything hasn't been easy and happy...
You can help us out by not sending anyone down who hasn't the fare
and return ticket and your continued support, or who is not
prepared to camp in the tents in front of old Parliament House.
And please, only send someone who is prepared to straighten up the
tents, and build up a warm camp, otherwise, instead of helping, it
just makes our struggle harder.
Please don't give cash donations to individuals for the tent
embassy. Get your organisation to run an appeal, hold a dance,
then send a chegue or postal order to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
Account with the Commonwealth Savings Bank.
If you believe in land rights justice, human rights and our
heritage, put in the price of a packet of cigareetes, or $2.50
each dole say, and send it down through your organisation to
support us.
Anyone carving artifacts, digeridoo, beads or paintings or badges
we can sell to raise money, send to the chairman, Laurie Johnson,
Aboriginal Tent Embassy, GPO Box 1101, Canberra. ACT 2601.