Australian Prime Minister Turnbull in Berlin

On Friday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) and the “Berlin Aboriginal Solidaritätsnetzwerk” held a vigil in Berlin, requesting the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to prioritize the dialogue with the Aboriginal Australians in his government’s policies. “Due to centuries of exclusion, racism, oppression and persecution, the about 460,000 Aborigines are now mostly living on society’s edge. They have no perspective and are often sick and uprooted,” stated the human rights organization. “An improvement can only be achieved by a credible dialogue about the crimes of the past and by a radical new beginning in the relations between the indigenous peoples and the majority population.”

Spokespersons of the indigenous peoples are demanding a nationwide initiative – on as many levels of society as possible – leading to a binding contract and to clear, enforceable rights for the Aboriginal Australians. In a letter the Society for Threatened Peoples sent to the Chancellor before the arrival of the state guest, the organization appeals to Angela Merkel and the other participants in the dialogue to address the new Australian Premier with this request on Friday.

Until now, the rights of Aboriginal Australians have been trampled underfoot, even though they were the first inhabitants of the country. According to the STP, their situation is “depressing”: The life expectancy of the indigenous people is ten to twelve years shorter than that of the majority population – and the infant mortality is twice as high. An alarmingly high number of Aboriginal Australians are dying from diseases that could be treated, such as diabetes. 27.4 percent of all prison inmates in Australia were of Aboriginal descent in 2013-2014 – although they only make up 2.3 percent of the population. For indigenous adolescents, the chances of being imprisoned are 24 times as high as for the non-indigenous. In the state of Western Australia, the risk is even 53 times higher.

Recently, on November 9, 2015, the UN Human Rights Council criticized Australia in this respect. More than 100 UN member states submitted more than 300 suggestions on how to improve the situation of refugees and the indigenous population. “This is an opportunity for the new Turnbull Government: His term in office should be characterized by a fair and sincere new beginning in the relations with the Aboriginal Australians and by an end to the inhumane refugee policy,” the STP stated. “Also, Australia could qualify for the desired seat in the UN Human Rights Council as of 2018.”