ASU Indigenous Members share unique interests and have special needs. There are many indigenous members working in industries covered by the ASU around Australia.
The ASU is encouraging the formation of an ASU Indigenous network across the Union to caucus and advise the Union on advocacy of indigenous issues.
The ASU is active in Indigenous Issues within the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the various State and regional Trades and Labour Councils. Read more about the ACTU's Indigenous Committee
Large concentrations of ASU indigenous members work in the Social & Community Services Industry, Local Government and Aboriginal Community Councils and Organisations. In these industries ASU general industry awards cover the conditions of indigenous members in the same way they cover non-indigenous members. Some general industry awards cover particular Indigenous issues such as cultural leave.
There are other ASU Awards, which specifically cover employees of Aboriginal Organisations. For copies of these awards, please contact your ASU Branch:
AS the ASU stated in our statement in support of the Australian Parliament's apology of February 13 (see below), we believe the importance of the symbolic gesture needs to be followed up with concrete measures to ensure our indigenous people are treated with justice. That's why we are supporting the "Close the Gap" campaign.
We call on Australian governments to take action to achieve health equality for Indigenous Australians within 25 years through:
Increasing annual Indigenous health funding by $460 million to enable equal access to health services
Increasing Indigenous control and participation in the delivery of health services
Addressing critical social issues such as housing, education and self-determination which contribute to the Indigenous health crisis
National Close the Gap Day 2009 - April 2
We also encourage our supporters to participate in events around National Close the Gap Day on April 2, 2009. It is an important event to show governments that we have not forgotten and we don't expect them to forget their commitments either.
The ASU is involved in the "Stolen Wages" campaign. We have lobbied governments to return properly earned indigenous wages they did not pass on during a period when those governments controlled the financial affairs of indigenous people.
The ASU is a signatory to the 2005 "Joint Statement on Stolen Wages". Signatories to the statement call on all governments to act immediately to remedy this ongoing and gross abuse of human rights.
Download the "Stolen Wages" report: "Hard Labour, Stolen Wages" written by leading historian, Dr Ros Kidd, commissioned by Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR).
Information about the "Stolen Wages" issue can be found at the ANTaR website
Information about the "Stolen Wages" issue can also be found at the AIATSIS website
Response from the ACTU Indigenous Committee, of which the ASU is a member, follows.
"You know, the whole aim here is not to condemn people for their problems. The whole aim is to support them, to get back on their feet again and to take charge of their own families again" Noel Pearson - 7.30 Report 19.06.07
No one could deny that there needed to be urgent action taken by the Federal Government on the issue of violence in Indigenous communities. The "Little Children are Sacred" report is the latest in a line of similar official reports, the first being by Professor Judy Atkinson in 1989 for the National Inquiry on Violence. These reports have been added to over the years by tomes of evidence, outlining the crisis occurring in Indigenous communities across Australia.
The announcement by John Howard on Friday 22nd June, 2007 has been seen by various commentators as 'long-overdue'; 'cynical'; 'a wedge'; 'the wrong approach'; 'the right approach'; 'punitive'; 'ill-conceived'; 'Tampa 2007'; 'Howard's rabbit' (in reference to his recent electoral annihilation comment that he had no rabbit o pull out of his hat), plus a number of other views too wide-ranging to summarise here.
Whatever the public commentary, there is no hiding the profound sense of urgency felt by the report's authors, and illustrated in words such as this:
"We have an enormous amount of knowledge and experience about the problems. It should now be applied. There is no more time for us to wring our collective hands. Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians have tended to despair about the difficulties instead of individually or collectively exercising some leadership. We are positively convinced that unless prompt and firm decisions are made and leadership shown at ALL levels of society, real disaster faces Australia within a generation" (Wild and Anderson, 2007, pp 6 & 7).
In reference to the Noel Pearson quote above, the question must be asked - how does this plan from the Howard Government support people to get back on their feet and take charge of their own families?
1965 ACTU files claims to remove the discriminatory clauses in the Federal and State awards relating to the employment of Aborigines.
Pastoral Industry Award
Station Hands Award
Cattle Station Industry (NT) Award
1966 Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission hands down a decision to grant Aborigines on Northern Territory Cattle Stations equal pay with Europeans from 1st December 1968.
1967 A Federal referendum gives a massive "YES" vote for Aboriginal people to gain Australian citizenship and Federal control of Aboriginal affairs. Aborigines thereafter are to be included in the census.
Formal references: Cattle Station Industry (NT) Award (1966) CAR 651; Pastoral Industry Award (1967) 121 CAR 454, 457-458; Australian Workers' Union v Director, Department of Aboriginal and Islander Advancement 1979 AILR, paragraph 250.
NAIDOC - celebrations are held around Australia in the first full week in July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Visit the website for ideas on how to celebrate, along with resources and other information.
A "Why our mob should vote" flyer was produced in preparation for the 2007 federal election to encourage voter registration of Indigenous Australians.
The core issue it raises is still important - voting is an important way to ensure your views are taken seriously by governments. You can download the "Why our mob should vote" flyer to have a look and read more at our "Democracy is up for grabs - enrol to vote!" campaign page.
Close the Gap Day - An easy way you can help end the Indigenous health crisis The ASU is a supporter of Close the Gap Day which occurs on 25 March this year. ASU staff will be gathering to raise awareness of the terrible gap in life expectancy and other health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We encourage our members and friends to do the same!
03 March 2010
Sorry Day still highlights need for ongoing efforts The power and meaning embodied in this year’s National Sorry Day should motivate us to maintain our national efforts to achieve healing for members of the Stolen Generations and their families and to make headway in developing a national compensation scheme, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said today.
26 May 2009
Close the Gap Day 2009 - keep governments accountable on Indigenous health outcomes The ASU believes that ongoing community support for the Close the Gap campaign is vital if the Government is going to be kept accountable on their commitment to close the gap on life expectancy and health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. In that spirit, and as a formal supporter of the Close the Gap campaign, the ASU participated by staging a staff event today.
Authorised and published by Paul Slape,
National Secretary, Australian Services Union,
Ground floor, 116 Queensberry Street,
Carlton South, Victoria, 3053, Australia
