Big Aboriginal rally uneventful

Press, 27 September 1982, Page 1

Big Aboriginal rally uneventful

NZPA-Reuter Brisbane About 3000 Aboriginals and their white supporters marched through the streets of Brisbane yesterday in a big demonstration aimed at using the . Commonwealth Games to focus international attention on their demands. The three-hour rally and procession was one of the biggest Aboriginal demonstrations held in Australia and was part of a concentrated campaign organised to coincide with the presence of hundreds of journalists for the Games.

The demonstrators, waving banners and the black, red, and yellow Aboriginal flag, chanted, “What do we want — lafid rights,” and “Joh must go,” a- reference to Queenlands’ Premier, Mr Joh Bjelke-Petersen. The Aboriginals want perpetual freehold title to the reserves where most of them live in the state and where they have no security of tenure, and a dismantling of what they say is racist and discriminatory legislation.

There were no incidents apart from a dispute with the small number of police on duty when the marchers took a wrong turning. The police, using special temporary powers given to them for the Games period, have banned all marches during the sports events themselves from September 30 to October 9. But' one prominent speaker, Mr Charles- Perkins, the senior Aboriginal public servant in Australia, called on the demonstrators yesterday to defy the police ban during the Games. The police have warned they will step in to stop unauthorised marches. Mr Perkins accused Queensland of being the most racist, fascist state in Australia and said Aboriginals were very disappointed with the lack of support from black nations present for the Games.

Commenting to Reuter later about statements by Dr Abraham Ordia, head of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, that Aboriginal prob-

lems were an internal Australian problem, Mr Perkins said, “The black nations never really cared about us. They have a. big -enough problem with South Africa.” “If black nations’ support is not forthcoming, that is their problem. They have to live with their consciences.”

Other speakers at the rally attacked the Federal Australian Government for not overruling Queensland legislation, and the country’s churches for paying lip service to the Aboriginal cause but not doing enough to support it financially. Senator Susan Ryan, spokeswoman on Aboriginal affairs for the opposition Labour Party, pledged that it would give Aboriginals freehold title to all their reserves as soon as it won power.

Aboriginal organisations will meet today to decide whether they will defy the police ban on marches dur-' ing the Games, a ban justified by the authorities on the ground that demonstrations would disrupt traffic.