Aborigines In Aust. Treated Inhumanly’

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31907, 7 February 1969, Page 1

Aborigines In Aust. Treated Inhumanly’

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) CANBERRA, February 6. Four New Zealand trade union officials have said they are appalled by the “inhuman treatment” meted out to the majority of Aborigines in Australia.

In a written statement yesterday, they said that in the Northern Territory there appeared to be “total exploitation by vested overseas interests, with acquiescence, if not connivance, by successive Federal Governments.” The officials are Messrs R. Hannan, president of the New Zealand Public Service Association, P. Potiki, an executive councillor of that association, D. Jacobs, of the Auckland ClericalWorkers’ Union, and E. Simmonds, national secretary of the New Zealand Educational Institute.

They are attending a national school on industrial and labour studies arranged by the Australian Council of Salaried and Professional Associations.

Mr Potiki, a Maori, said later that Aborigines in the Northern Territory now formed the largest pool of cheap labour in Australia. He described their situation as “economic exploitation, with Government backing." He said that although everything was not rosey for the Maoris in New Zealand, they were “in a box seat” compared with the Aborigines. He urged special programmes in Australia siinilar to those which had been operating for years to help bring Maoris into the New Zealand community.