Stories Of Discrimination
Story #1
Where were the Aboriginal people we invited?
Elizabeth Jones, an intern working at Reconciliation Australia, remembers how a day during Reconciliation Week had gone wrong .
“I remember one day in 2007 when I had just started university my parents were going over the events of that afternoon during the Reconciliation Week.
As it turned out, my mother, who had been organising a community meeting with a local Indigenous group, had come home disappointed — none of the expected guests had shown up.
On enquiring as to why this was my mother was surprised to hear someone respond ‘I am sorry but we did turn up, a whole mob of us, and after only a few minutes someone had called the police concerned there was a bunch of black people congregating in the park and we were asked to move on’.”
Elizabeth Jones, an intern working at Reconciliation Australia, remembers how a day during Reconciliation Week had gone wrong .
“I remember one day in 2007 when I had just started university my parents were going over the events of that afternoon during the Reconciliation Week.
As it turned out, my mother, who had been organising a community meeting with a local Indigenous group, had come home disappointed — none of the expected guests had shown up.
On enquiring as to why this was my mother was surprised to hear someone respond ‘I am sorry but we did turn up, a whole mob of us, and after only a few minutes someone had called the police concerned there was a bunch of black people congregating in the park and we were asked to move on’.”
Story #2
Joan Martin vs. Homewest
In March 1997 public housing provider Homeswest evicted Aboriginal Yamatji artist Joan Martin from her home in Paris Way, Karrinyup (north-west Perth, Western Australia), where she had lived for 17 years. Neighbours had filed racially motivated complaints about her son’s alcohol problems and her grandchildren ‘terrorising the neighborhood’.
Joan fought the eviction all the way to the Western Australian Supreme Court which upheld her complaint in March 1998, finding that Homeswest had indirectly discriminated by evicting on the grounds of overcrowding. This was the first time that the WA Supreme Court had found in favour of an Aboriginal person on the grounds of racial discrimination.
Joan’s victory made international headlines. Sadly, the court’s decision was overturned later by its Full Bench.
Joan Martin died on 6 October 2008, aged 67
In March 1997 public housing provider Homeswest evicted Aboriginal Yamatji artist Joan Martin from her home in Paris Way, Karrinyup (north-west Perth, Western Australia), where she had lived for 17 years. Neighbours had filed racially motivated complaints about her son’s alcohol problems and her grandchildren ‘terrorising the neighborhood’.
Joan fought the eviction all the way to the Western Australian Supreme Court which upheld her complaint in March 1998, finding that Homeswest had indirectly discriminated by evicting on the grounds of overcrowding. This was the first time that the WA Supreme Court had found in favour of an Aboriginal person on the grounds of racial discrimination.
Joan’s victory made international headlines. Sadly, the court’s decision was overturned later by its Full Bench.
Joan Martin died on 6 October 2008, aged 67
Story #3
Membership refused based on race
In July 2006 Aboriginal Elder Matilda House and her daughter-in-law Antoinette House applied to join the radio station QBN-FM 96.7, near Canberra. Their application was refused because they ‘lived at different addresses’.
Leaked draft minutes from the station’s board meeting told a different story.
The minutes recorded the station manager as saying that the women ‘wanted to take over the station’ and that ‘the Aboriginals were fighting on street corners’. A board member was minuted as having suggested to ‘kick them all out’.
A complaint to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission was unsuccessful because there was no prospect of settlement by conciliation. It took the Federal Magistrates Court to decide in February 2007 that the two women were unlawfully rejected membership.
The court ruled AUD 12,000 in compensation plus court costs to be paid by the radio station.
In July 2006 Aboriginal Elder Matilda House and her daughter-in-law Antoinette House applied to join the radio station QBN-FM 96.7, near Canberra. Their application was refused because they ‘lived at different addresses’.
Leaked draft minutes from the station’s board meeting told a different story.
The minutes recorded the station manager as saying that the women ‘wanted to take over the station’ and that ‘the Aboriginals were fighting on street corners’. A board member was minuted as having suggested to ‘kick them all out’.
A complaint to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission was unsuccessful because there was no prospect of settlement by conciliation. It took the Federal Magistrates Court to decide in February 2007 that the two women were unlawfully rejected membership.
The court ruled AUD 12,000 in compensation plus court costs to be paid by the radio station.