Australian South Sea Islanders (ASSI) Receive $50,000 Federal Grant for Community, Cultural and Economic Capacity Building.
Emelda Davis, President of The Australian South Sea Islanders-Port Jackson (ASSI-PJ) announced today that she “would like to sincerely thank Senator Kate Lundy, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Canberra for the receipt of a $50,000 Community Development Grant. The monies will be used to stage three educational and fact-finding, community capacity building workshops for ASSI people over the next 12 months.”
Patron for the ASSI.PJ, Mrs Bonita Mabo added her support, saying that “This is the first ever major funding that Australian South Sea Islanders have seen in 150 years in recognition of the contribution made by our people including our forefathers to the building of this great nation. I would like to thank the Prime Minister and Senator Kate Lundy for their support.”
Ms Davis said that “The funding is a very overdue, but much appreciated, Federal initiative representing an historic milestone in the history of the acknowledgement of the significant contributions made by Australian South Sea Islanders within the Australian community. It will be used to progress the much needed process of cultural education, connection and healing between ASSI and broader community groups in Australia.”
2013 marks a significant 150 years since 55,000 South Sea Islanders (95% male) were bought to Queensland, Australia on 62,000 indentured contracts to establish sugar, maritime and pastoral industries. Many of these men and women did not return to their Island homes and 15,000 (a third) lost their lives to common disease to which they lacked immunity.
During the implementation of the White Australia Policy a mass deportation of some 7,000 SSI’s occurred, and 1,600 were allowed to remain under humanitarian circumstances. Several hundred more had crossed the border into NSW in the 1890s and 1900s to escape the more severe conditions in Queensland.
1992 saw the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission published a Report which called for recognition of the ASSI community as a distinct ethnic group within Australian. This was followed by Commonwealth recognition in 1994.
In 1995 NSW Premier Bob Carr advised ministers to include ASSI’s in all programs and services. This memorandum has been overlooked to date.
In 2000 Premier Peter Beattie recognised ASSIs in Queensland, yet despite these official gestures there was little sustained government assistance to the ASSI community.
On 15th August 2013 Alex Greenwich, Independent Member for Sydney supported the ASSI-PJ with a timely motion seeking meaningful debate recognising ASSIs and gaining unanimous support from all parties in the NSW Parliament – seeing two Ministers and five Members speak strongly in favour of the overdue recognition of ASSI.
For NSW, 2013 marks 166 years since the first South Sea Islanders were bought to Eden by entrepreneur Ben Boyd who had already used Aboriginal, Maori and Pacific Islands labourers in his whaling industry ventures. Worried about not having sufficient labour for his pastoral properties, in 1847 he decided to experiment with bringing in a Pacific Islanders workforce, without waiting for government permission. This was a humanitarian disaster.
Ms Davis said: ‘Our organisation prides it self on being the interim national representative body that has led by example through meaningful collaboration with governments, and educational, community organisations and agencies. The ASSI.PJ team acknowledges the trust and respect that has been entrusted through the grants that are now being received by this group through the Commonwealth.’
Capacity building workshops are titled ‘Wantok 150’ and will take place in Mackay, QLD and Tweed Heads, NSW.
A major forum was held in Brisbane at the State Library Queensland in early November with the Library also donating $10,000 worth of resources in recognition of 150 years.