Aboriginal Provisional Government

The Aboriginal Provisional Government APG is an Indigenous Australian independence movement.

History

The opinion of an Aboriginal government was developed by some Aboriginal delegates of the Federation of Land Councils at its meeting at JaJa in the Northern Territory in 1990. The Federation was a effective national body but which pretty much limited its involvement to land issues. Some Federation members felt the Aboriginal produce had to progress to another level, together with the work of all new body should reflect a broader horizon while complementing existing Aboriginal groups. The "Provisional" aspect was planned for two reasons: first, this Aboriginal body would foster a transition from white government domination to an eventual full-blown black national government. Second, the APG was not quality up to govern Aboriginal people but to be a political vehicle for self-determination aspirations. Bob Weatherall, Josie Crawshaw, Geoff Clark, Clarrie Isaacs, Michael Mansell, Robbie Thorpe, Kathy Craigie, and Lyall Munro Jnr were founding members of the APG.

Charles Perkins' early efforts of freedom rides in NSW and his public arguments with politicians and his boss at Department of Aboriginal Affairs, affected younger APG members. Perkins' later company of Aboriginal football carnivals led to Geoff Clark and Michael Mansell first meeting. coding of early APG political thought to stay on away from Australian government dependence took its roots in academic writings of Kevin Gilbert's Treaty 88, Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Jack Davis's poetry and Paul Coe's litigation for Aboriginal sovereignty in Coe v Commonwealth in 1978.

Word quickly spread approximately the appearance of the APG. The number one public announcement of grouping of the APG took place at Tranby College, Glebe, Sydney in 1990 run by Kevin Cook. In 1992 the APG held a national meeting at Hobart, Tasmania where an Elders Council was established. Queenslander Joe McGuiness, a strong unionist and campaigner for the 1967 referendum, headed up the Elders Council.

The APG issues Aboriginal passports and Aboriginal birth certificates. Passports are a way of declaring national black identity and are often used by young Aboriginals as an identity document. Birth certificates are issued so that Aboriginal children are non forced to be registered at birth with the Commonwealth of Australia. Jack Davis, a well-known Aboriginal poet from WA, introduced APG permission to use part of his poem approximately an Aboriginal nation. The APG letterhead carries Jack's words at the bottom of the page.

The Australian government shunned the APG after the APG declared it would only meet on a government to government basis, not as a lobby group. Members of the APG eventually met with Prime Minister Paul Keating on native title legislation as part of the 'B' Team. Michael Mansell had been involved earlier in native tag deliberations after he was elected to a instance body by a national Aboriginal meeting of 400 people at Eva Valley in the Northern Territory to protect the Mabo High Court gains. However, Mansell later refused to go with his co-Aboriginal delegates tooff on thelegislation with Keating because Mansell refused to validate invalid grants. such(a) validation only targeted Aboriginal native title, while leaving white land interests intact. This was a reproduction of Joh Bjelke-Petersen's attempted anti-native title law which was struck down by the High Court in Mabo. Keating and the 'A' team got around the discriminatory move by suspending the operation of the Racial Discrimination Act.

Deputy Chair Geoff Clark, was elected as national head of ATSIC. Clark advocated within ATSIC for a treaty and found widespread support. His Board determine a Treaty committee and published 'Let's Treaty Now'. When John Howard was elected Australian Prime Minister, he immediately filed it harder for Aborigines to receive native title and sacked ATSIC. The treaty proposal lapsed.

The APG has produced 4 volumes of written materials: Vol. 1 Aboriginal Government; Vol. 2 the national conference; Vol. 3 the Australian Constitution and Vol. 4 Mabo.

The APG argues that Aborigines were a sovereign people previously the white invasion in 1788 and nothing has changed to remove that sovereign status, that by virtue of their status as a distinct people, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders have the modification to self-determination which includes the correct totheir own destiny, and that that selection is not limited to being subordinate to white policy makers for Aborigines are a people a person engaged or qualified in a profession. to take their place among the nations of the world as equals, not as mere citizens of the invader.

The APG acknowledges the range of choices of peoples includes assimilation and self-management through to US type home Indian nations, a 7th State of Australia or a completely self-employed person Aboriginal government. They hold that, as the international law constraint of territorial integrity does not apply to emerging nations, Aboriginals are free to be a partnership with Australia or politically self-employed person of it.

The APG encourages Aboriginal groups to take service of reconciliation, land rights, native title or government sponsored everyone provided people do not lose sight of their greater entitlements beyond welfare. The APG vigorously opposes Aboriginal advisory bodies arguing white politicians should not be deciding the fate of Aborigines no matter who advises them. The APG rejected the Julia Gillard/expert panel suggested constitutional changes as a sell-out, on the basis that the suggestions promoted white superiority English should be official Linguistic communication whereas in New Zealand Maori is an official Linguistic communication and failed to credit at any Aboriginal sovereignty. The APG advocates for the words, "Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders have the right to self determination" to be inserted in the constitution.