E/CN.4/2002/24/Add.1
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The Special Rapporteur has therefore made the following recommendations in a humble
attempt to pave the way for a coming-together of the various protagonists:
1.
The policy of multiculturalism should be widely discussed and defined by a broad
consensus. In order to reduce if not eliminate the superiority and inferiority complexes which
underlie relations between the Aboriginals and the mainly English-speaking heirs of European
culture, the policy should be based on recognition of the right to difference and to cultural
identity, with broad communication between one culture and another. Inspiration should be
drawn from UNESCO’s declarations and programmes on cultural identity, cultural diversity and
multiculturalism; thus, through education, there will be a breakthrough in the present situation, in
which the various communities and peoples lead parallel lives while continuing to ignore one
another. The Special Rapporteur therefore recommends that the Australian Government should
review its policy of multiculturalism, in order to turn it into a channel for the dynamic and
harmonious transformation of national society, through education at all levels;
2.
The process of reconciliation should be given fresh impetus, taking greater
account of the positions of the representatives of the Indigenous peoples;
3.
The Native Title Act should be amended in the light of the proposals already
made by the Aboriginals in order to enable them to extricate themselves from the extreme
poverty afflicting them in their daily lives;
4.
Since sport, and Australian football in particular, are activities which bring the
various components of the Australian population together, and are a potential vehicle for
tolerance and respect between individuals, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the
Australian Football Association should initiate a broad campaign against racism and racial
discrimination aimed at spectators. This campaign might be modelled on the “Lets kick racism
out of football” campaign initiated in the United Kingdom in 1993 by the Commission for Racial
Equality and the Professional Footballers’ Association;
5.
Subsidies should be made available to the Alice Springs Aboriginal Development
Institute so that the university can be built;
6.
The state and territory legislation on the recognition of qualifications should be
uniform, and diplomas issued by more overseas universities should be recognized;
7.
Australia should accede to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women;
8.
The government of the State of Queensland should accelerate compensation
procedures for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders whose wages have been withheld
since 1897, through the implementation of the measures for the protection of these peoples;