the 45th anniversary of the wave hill walk-off and 9 year strike, the longest in australia i believe.
back in 1966 we were into the 17th year of the menzies (pig iron bob) federal government and there was no government sympathy for aborigines and land claims nor workers on strike. the only message from the liberal government was to return to work for lord vesty and a promise of one pound per week (1966 = $2) to be paid at some future date.
the progressive left-leaning unions supported the gurindji and they finally won their fight in 74/75 and their land claim as well.
way to go!!!!!!!!!!!
fkj
ray jackson
president
indigenous social justice association
isja01
(m) 0450 651 063
(p) 02 9318 0947
address 1303/200 pitt street waterloo 2017
we live and work on the stolen lands of the gadigal people.
sovereignty treaty social justice
Ian Curr Blinky says – The tent embassy did not start the land rights movement, it was a flashpoint that brought together the already existing movements in Victoria, NSW and Queensland and NT to become a national movement. The Palm Island strike was in 1957. The Gurindgi strike was in 1966 – which wasn’t for workers rights as the Left has misrepresented it, it was for land rights. The Brisbane contingent at the tent embassy was the biggest and most vocal because it had been fighting for years already including street marches and occupying DAA offices. You were at the launch of Kawanji’s biography, it was all laid out there.