Aboriginal Veterans Commemorative Service

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. K.J. Maher:

That this council—

1. Commends Reconciliation SA and Aboriginal Veterans SA on the ANZAC Day service at the Aboriginal War Memorial;

2. Acknowledges the contribution of Aboriginal service men and women; and

3. Recognises that their sacrifice often did not result in equal treatment to their non-Aboriginal brothers and sisters in arms.

(Continued from 26 July 2018.)

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (17:55): I rise to commend this private members' motion which acknowledges the contribution and sacrifice of Aboriginal service men and women and to reflect the support for the motion by the Liberal joint party room. As many will know, Reconciliation SA is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes the movement for reconciliation at a state level. That body was formed in 2002.

In addition, the motion notes the work of Aboriginal Veterans of South Australia (AVSA). AVSA has collected almost 500 names of Aboriginal servicemen and servicewomen from the Boer War to the present day. These names and their stories are on a register hosted by Reconciliation SA on its website. The goal is to improve and extend the information available on the register by, firstly, linking names to the individual service records in the Australian War Memorial and the National Archives; secondly, finding out the identity of service personnel in the 'Seeking further information' section of AVSA; and, thirdly, the service of Indigenous Australians.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a very long and proud history of serving in all sectors and units within the Australian Defence Force through the wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations that Australia has participated in, from the nation's first engagement in the Boer War in 1899 through to present-day conflicts.

Like their male counterparts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have also made an important contribution to the defence of the nation through their service with the armed forces and civilian organisations such as the Women's Land Army, or work in wartime industries, and of course that very much includes primary industries. When the workforce for food production, etc., was in short supply, many women, including women of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, were very much involved in that.

Many of these men and women pushed through adversity to enlist and serve their country. Their contribution is all the more significant when viewed against their lack of citizenship rights and early policies that discouraged and limited their enlistment. In particular, many Indigenous Australians volunteered to fight in the First and Second World Wars at a time when they did not enjoy the same rights as their fellow Australians. This commitment has continued post-service.

Many of today's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ex-service men and women work tirelessly in the ex-service community to assist others in need. That has been demonstrated to me with the interest shown by members of that group in the work that I do in suicide prevention. I have been very grateful for that support, which was demonstrated to the Hon. Mr Maher and myself at a function in the parliamentary complex after the Hon. Mr Maher moved the motion.

In recent years, the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans have become more widely acknowledged. In 2017, Indigenous veterans and their families led the national ANZAC Day march in Canberra for the first time. In 2018, the Australian War Memorial's exhibition For Country, for Nation has become a national tour that will last until June 2021. The exhibition will be at the Samstag Museum of Art at Adelaide University from 26 April to 19 July 2019.

The exhibition highlights stories of service by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and explores themes of remembrance and tradition through family histories, objects and photographs from across Australia, drawing inspiration from cultural traditions and symbols of discipline, knowledge, leadership and skill.

At least 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander soldiers served in World War I, and they were present in almost every Australian campaign of that war. It is estimated that about a third of the Indigenous soldiers who served overseas between 1914 and 1918 were killed in action or died of wounds or disease. After the war, however, Indigenous veterans found that their war service counted for little. Very few of them were granted a soldier settler block. They were not given full citizenship and rights and still had to live under the so-called protection acts that imposed strict control over many aspects of their lives.

As many as 8,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may have enlisted during World War II, although the exact number is not known because there was no Indigenous identification process in the Defence Force until the 1990s. A Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was formed in 1941 primarily to protect Torres Strait. Indigenous troops usually received less than half the pay of non-Indigenous troops and, unless they served overseas, did not have access to many veterans' benefits. It took more than four decades of campaigning for some of these anomalies to be rectified.

Indigenous Australians continued serving after World War II. This included involvement in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, Borneo, the Vietnam War, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Australian Defence Force now actively recruits in Indigenous communities for reserve and regular forces.

In 2013, an Aboriginal War Memorial was unveiled at the Torrens Parade Ground by the then Governor-General Quentin Bryce. The bronze sculpture shows a World War I male soldier and a World War II female nurse standing above a coolamon, a traditional Indigenous Australian holding vessel. The rainbow serpent surrounds the two figures. This creature is part of the Indigenous Australian creation story and the Dreamtime. A walkway of honour leads to the memorial bearing the names of those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have given service.

Veterans and their families received $100 million in additional funding in the recent federal budget. This funding is in addition to ongoing funds allocated to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. I think there is much more that we can do to work with veterans from an Indigenous background. They have demonstrated, in my mind, that they are proactive in their recognition of the service of people who have gone before them and those who have come after them. I commend them for that.

I am very pleased to support this motion. I note the Hon. Mr Stephens is also going to speak on this matter. I commend the motion to the chamber.

The Hon. C. BONAROS (18:03): SA-Best wholeheartedly supports this motion acknowledging the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women and particularly recognising that their sacrifice for our country did not result in equal treatment with other servicemen and women. It is a great shame the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women served at a time when they did not enjoy full constitutional rights. Many made the ultimate sacrifice, offering up their lives for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

As the Hon. John Dawkins just alluded to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women enlisted and served with distinction in every conflict in which Australia has been involved with, starting from the Boer War. It is astonishing that the actual number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women who enlisted might never be known because many were not able to declare their Aboriginality when enlisting because of legislative barriers.

At the commencement of World War I, commonwealth law, under the Defence Act, prevented the enlistment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders into the Australian armed forces, yet despite the legal prohibition a significant number did enlist and see active service. Estimates suggest that up to 800 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men were able to enlist, while over 500 saw active duty. To get around the legislation, they were forced to use false English names and birthplaces or say that they were Maori. This is a blight on our past that cannot be erased.

Although Indigenous enlistment was legally prohibited, there are examples of government officials in SA consciously ignoring the Defence Act, with at least 61 Aboriginal men from South Australia known to have enlisted. Indigenous military service, during World War I at least, was greatly respected. At times, it was even used to embarrass and shame Australian men evading military service. Yet, while Indigenous soldiers were treated equally on the battlefield and in the trenches, sadly, upon returning home, they faced continued discrimination and prejudice.

The Defence Act was not the only piece of legislation that discriminated against Indigenous Australians during the Great War. It was during this time in Australia's history that Indigenous Australians could not enter a pub. They could not vote. They could not marry non-Aboriginal partners and they could not buy property.

Historians suggest that the reason why so many Indigenous men fought against the legislative and structural barriers to enlist was the hope that fighting for Australia would in turn change the way they and other Indigenous Australians were treated: to no longer be discriminated against and to be treated equally. Sadly, many ex-servicemen of Indigenous background found they were treated with the same prejudice and discrimination as before.

Discrimination of course continued through to the Vietnam War when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continued to face discrimination at home. It was during this time of upheaval, social change and activism that the significance of the fight for Aboriginal civil rights emerged as a key social movement, and for that I think we are all very grateful.

Whilst equality for our First Peoples has come a long way since this time, we all know there is still much to do. The Aboriginal War Memorial will stand as an enduring symbol of respect and dignified salute to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women. We solemnly honour the sacrifice and acknowledge the contribution of our First Peoples during times of war.

Whilst I do not want to politicise this motion, I do want to make reference to the recent appointment of Tony Abbott as envoy for Indigenous affairs. I think it is a sad indictment that the Prime Minister's own hand-picked Indigenous Advisory Council was not consulted on the appointment and only found out about it through the media. However well intentioned the appointment may have been, to reiterate the words of Senator Pat Dodson, 'The First Nations people have asked the government for a voice and we get Tony Abbott.'

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (18:08): I rise to very briefly associate myself with remarks and commend the mover for bringing this motion before this place. Indeed, on behalf of the Greens in this council, I commend Reconciliation SA and Aboriginal Veterans of SA on the ANZAC Day service at the Aboriginal War Memorial, and I certainly recognise that their sacrifice often did not result in treatment equal to their non-Aboriginal brothers and sisters in arms.

In one of my first speeches in this place, I acknowledged the contribution of Aboriginal service people to our nation. In fact, they have, as has been mentioned, been involved in campaigns since the Boer War to the present day. I remember learning at Camp Coorong that some of those who fought in the Boer War not only sacrificed for this country but of course, to add insult, were not allowed back into this country, their country, their nation. Our First Nations people were not recognised as citizens and were denied entry back into the very place they had fought for.

There is much unfinished business when it comes to reconciliation in this nation. I think the need for that is stoically drawn when you look at the way we have treated our Aboriginal service men and women. With those few words, the Greens commend the motion.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (18:09): I rise to support the motion. This motion from the Hon. Mr Maher commends Reconciliation SA and Aboriginal Veterans SA on the ANZAC Day service at the Aboriginal War Memorial and acknowledges the contribution of Aboriginal service men and women, and recognises that their sacrifice often did not result in equal treatment to their non-Aboriginal brothers and sisters in arms.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a long and proud history of serving our nation. Their involvement ranges throughout all sectors and units of the Australian Defence Force in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. This extends from Australia's first engagement in the Boer War in 1899 through to present day conflicts. Sadly, only in recent years have the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans become more widely acknowledged.

I was extremely honoured to represent the Premier earlier this year at the Point Pearce War Memorial, where the Point Pearce Aboriginal Corporation and Aboriginal Veterans SA commemorated over 100 years of military service by Aboriginal veterans from Point Pearce and surrounding areas. This was an extremely moving and respectful service with a very large number of people in attendance, including the federal member for Grey, Rowan Ramsey MP.

Services like these act as a reminder of the great contribution of Aboriginal veterans in service to this country. I would like to acknowledge and thank the veterans and their families who have sacrificed and courageously fought to protect our freedoms. I am pleased to say that the 2018 federal budget has provided veterans and their families with $100 million extra in funding, allocated to the Department of Veterans' Affairs, which in 2018-19 will total $11.2 billion. It is absolutely vital that we take care of our veterans and acknowledge their sacrifice, bravery, hardship and determination. I commend the Hon. Mr Maher for bringing the motion to the house and I am proud to support it.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (18:11): I wish to thank all members who have contributed to the debate on this motion. I think the fact that we have had so many people speak on this motion and the words that people have used when they have spoken shows that we have come a long way—a long way from days gone by when Aboriginal veterans returned home not being able to return to the land they had occupied for thousands of years, and not only not to be able to return to their land but to have their land given away to other people who were returning under soldier settlement schemes. I think it speaks volumes as to how far we have come, and I thank members for their contributions.

Motion carried.