By Ben Reid
MELBOURNE — An estimated 3000 people rallied on March 21 at the GPO to oppose the Howard government's 10-point plan. The rally was organised to promote a statement endorsed by a coalition of groups calling for the abandonment of the Wik bill and the convening of a national summit on native title.
Richard Franklin of the Mirimbark Aboriginal community explained to the protesters that Aboriginal people had welcomed native title because "we believed it was a tool that could bring people to the table to talk and Aboriginal people could establish some measure of equity, justice and above all respect and recognition as indigenous people.
"Instead, the Howard government has ... used indigenous people as a political tool so it can hand 42% of Australia over to pastoralists who earn more money than I will see in a lifetime. Under the terms of the Wik bill, Aboriginal people now have to justify their culture to a non-indigenous judicial process."
Other speakers included the National Union of Students' Lisa Wallenburg, Australian Democrats senator Meg Lees, Australian Greens senator Bob Brown and Labor's Daryl Melham.
Melham made no mention of the ALP's support for most of Howard's 10 points and claimed that if the bill was passed it could still be challenged in the courts.
The rally and statement was endorsed by Australian Conservation Foundation, Ethic Communities Council of Victoria, Friends of the Earth and the Catholic Diocese of Melbourne. Defenders of Native Title, one of the main groups organising support for native title in Victoria, did not endorse the rally.