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Murrawarri people declare independence and statehood
Murrawarri Peoples Council Convenor Fred Hooper [right] says decisions must come “back to the grassroots”. IMAGE
By Callum Clayton-Dixon Nganyaywana A tribe whose boundaries stretch across northern New South Wales into southern Queensland has declared their “continued independence and statehood”.
The Murrawarri Republic borders covers around 81,000km and stretches across northern NSW into southern QLD
& NSW) governments have been put on notice and given 28 days to respond and that “they need to show us that our people have signed away our lands away to them”.
The Peoples Council will be responsible for developing policy on areas including education, employment and potentially “civil defence”.
“Now that the high court has Mr Hooper said the Murrawarri ruled against the principle of terra Republic would be seeing both nullius [1992 Mabo decision], show recognition and assistance from the The fledgling Murrawarri us where they obtained ultimate title international community. Republic has its own flag, to Murrawarri country. It’s Time Constitution and is in the stages of “We’ll be asking the United establishing a system of government. for the Crown to smell the roses, to admit to the rest of this country and Nations to give guidance in how we Convenor of the Murrawarri the rest of the world that this country can develop our country.” Peoples Council Fred Hooper said was built on a lie.” the push for independence followed years of Australian government The Murrawarri policy “failing Aboriginal people”. Republic will offer “It’s about time we stood up and citizenship rights to both “ancestral the decision making came back to and non-ancestral the grassroots,” said Mr Hooper. “We’ve never given up our identity, people”. we’ve never given up our land, “It’s not a matter we’ve never signed a treaty and of all the whitefellas we’ve never ceded our country.” being kicked out of The Murrawarri Republic borders our country,” said cover approximately 81,000km. Mr Hooper. “We want to work with Mr Hooper said the Crown, The Murrawarri Republic flag Commonwealth and state (QLD those people.” April 4, 2013
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ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Commonwealth has sovereignty over Australia The Federal Attorney-General’s Department responded with the following statements: • We want Indigenous peoples to participate fully in Australia’s democracy. • Australia supports the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the spirit of re-setting the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and building trust. • The Declaration identifies important international principles to which nations should aspire and provides for the right to selfdetermination. • The Australian Government acknowledges that the issue of sovereignty is one of significance for Indigenous people and is committed to an ongoing process of reconciliation and constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. • The Australian Constitution recognises the Commonwealth and the states and territories as the only constituent entities in the federal polity. • Apart from the establishment of new states as part of the Commonwealth or the acquisition of new territories there are no constitutional means available for the
Tent Embassy cofounder Michael Anderson claims the Attorney-General failed to understand the extent of the ‘92 Mabo decision. IMAGE: Callum Clayton-Dixon
establishment of separate political communities in Australia. • As a matter of international law, the Commonwealth of Australia has sovereignty over the continent of Australia and all Australian residents are subject to the laws of Australia. Tent Embassy cofounder and Euahlayi man Michael Anderson told First Nations Telegraph “Aboriginal people aren’t part of that democracy”. “How can they say we’re a part of it when they introduce racially discriminatory laws like the Northern Territory Intervention and the Native Title Act where they suspended our right to be compensated?” Mr Anderson, Convenor of the Sovereign Union, claimed “the
Attorney-General has failed to understand the extent of Mabo [decision]”. “While their High-Court has not said that we maintain sovereignty, they’ve basically given it to us by saying that our law and custom is what gives us our claim to the country.” He also shunned the idea that First Nations people are bound by the constraints of the Australian Constitution, saying the Murrawarri people were “exercising right of selfdetermination under international law”. Mr Anderson said the Australian Government and the Crown won’t be able to brush this under the carpet. “We’re not going to let them.”
click here to listen to audio interviews April 4, 2013
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