FROM THE OFFICE OF SAM WATSON,THE SOCIALIST ALLIANCE SENATE CANDIDATE
FOR THE STATE OF QUEENSLAND.
Aboriginal voters will abandon the Labor Party in droves and vote for the minor parties on election day, because of the failure of Kevin Rudd to offer any real alternatives to the dictatorial and racist policies of the Howard government.
“Rudd lives and works in Queensland, which has the largest indigenous population in Australia,” Sam Watson – the Socialist Alliance Senate candidate said in Brisbane yesterday. “Yet he has been no-where near us. He is going to need every vote in this state and yet he has treated Aboriginal voters with complete contempt, he’s no different to ‘Honest John.’”
This year is the 40th. anniversary of the 1967 referendum which was a watershed for the struggle for Aboriginal rights and Watson has warned the major parties that Aboriginal voters will use their vote to punish them for neglecting the needs of the indigenous community.
“Our people have really suffered under Howard. Over this past eleven years our living standards have plummeted, our unemployment is close to ninety per cent on some of our communities, we have urgent needs in housing and education and the health standards are fourth world.” Sam Watson said. “Our people are dying of conditions that haven’t even been seen in the white Australian community for five or six decades and yet this Labor Party mob isn’t even interested in sitting down with us and telling us what they’re going to do for us.”
The Socialist Alliance has presented a policy platform that is designed to deliver real and lasting outcomes to Aboriginal people and their families.
“There are massive opportunities across this state for our people to connect with government and the private sector, to start community run businesses and really empower themselves.” Sam Watson said. “You look at places like Palm Island and you wonder why the community council hasn’t been resourced to set up low impact, eco friendly tourism ventures that could employ hundreds of Aboriginal people.”
The leaders and elders of the Aboriginal communities will be advising their people to turn away from the major parties and talk to the smaller parties.
“Our people need to be respected and we need to know what these big-shot leaders are going to do for us,” Sam Watson said. “There are pockets of indigenous voters in most of these marginal seats that the ALP has been working and yet they haven’t even had the courtesy to drop in and have a lousy cup of tea with us. So we’ll be remembering that on Election day and we’ll be looking elsewhere. The major parties are two peas in a very crook pod.”
