Fed: Democrats rule out cross trading on reconciliation

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2000
Fed: Democrats rule out cross trading on reconciliation

CANBERRA, April 23 AAP - The federal government should not have to be dragged kicking
and screaming towards reconciliation with indigenous Australians, the Australian Democrats
said today.

Democrats deputy leader Natasha Stott Despoja ruled out making deals with the government
on unrelated legislation to win its support for reconciliation or for an apology to Aboriginal
children taken from their families by white authorities.

Senator Stott Despoja said the Democrats should not be forced to use their bargaining
power in the Senate to convince the government to act.

"I don't think we need to cross-trade," Senator Stott Despoja told the Ten Network.

"I don't think we need to cajole or bribe this government into doing what is the right
thing - respecting human rights, including overturning mandatory sentencing laws that
have been proven to discriminate against black Australians.

"I think that this government shouldn't be dragged kicking and screaming. We're looking
for some leadership, some vision from our prime minister."

The senator said rescuing the reconciliation process should not be left to the Democrats alone.

Reconciliation has been derailed by a series of government moves this year including
Prime Minister John Howard abandoning a December 31 deadline for reconciliation and Aboriginal
Affairs Minister John Herron's denial that there was a generation of stolen children.

"I don't know if we can single-handedly in a political party sense rescue this process,"

Senator Stott Despoja said.

"But we're certainly doing our best, we're certainly hoping to hold this government
accountable to some of its misleading claims that it makes, such as Senator John Herron's
outrageous statements in relation to the stolen generation."

She denied that Democrats senator Aden Ridgeway, the only Aboriginal member of parliament,
had weakened the campaign for an apology to the stolen generation with his compromise
with Mr Howard on the constitutional preamble, defeated at last year's republic referendum.

She also rejected claims by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie that plans by the Democrats
to reject Queensland native title laws in the Senate were a threat to reconciliation.

"What we're concerned about is the threat to the right to negotiate for indigenous
people," she said.

AAP mfh/sk

KEYWORD: RECONCILE DESPOJA

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