African Australians: National Consultations
Speech by Abeselom Nega
Steering Committee member and Immediate Past Chair
of the Federation of African Communities Council
‘Everyday People Everyday Rights’
Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s Human Rights Conference
Melbourne Park Function Centre
Melbourne
Monday 16th March 2009
Tom Calma - National Race Discrimination Commissioner and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
Helen Szoke - Chief Conciliator and CEO Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
My fellow African Australian Project Steering Committee members.
It is my privilege to launch the Discussion paper with Tom today. Today is a very important day for African Australians because it’s a day when we are going to start an important process in finding out the facts about the settlement experience of African Australians from a human rights perspective. As you all know, the African project is a very important step in finding the not only the human rights issues facing the African communities in Australia but also the positive contributions and resilience shown by African Australians in building a fairer and harmonious Australia.
African Australians, like any other community, consider a fairer debate about their settlement experience as an important function of a democratic society, however when the debate is one-sided and often negative, it is distressing and concerning. It is for this reason that this project is embraced and fully supported by the community.
As stated in the discussion paper, “this project will work to ensure that a more accurate documentation of the experiences of African Australians is developed, as well as illustrating the multi-dimensional nature of these experiences and related issues. As stated in the project aim, the project will also put forward suggestions and make recommendations.
As an African Australian, it has been an honour to me to have served on the Steering Committee. In this capacity, I have had the opportunity to meet my fellow Australians from African backgrounds from all walks of life throughout our nation. I can assure you they are very positive about this country and their place in our broader society unlike those who claim that they have difficulties integrating into the Australian way of life.
This project will undoubtedly reveal the facts for policy makers and the Australian public. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for attending this event on behalf of the Steering Committee.
