E/CN.4/2002/24/Add.1
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92.
In its report to the Prime Minister and the Parliament, the Council for Reconciliation
included a draft bill which forms a framework for the ongoing negotiation of unresolved issues
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous inhabitants. Those unresolved issues are relevant to
social justice and equality, land culture and heritage, self-determination and political
participation and constitutional and legislative reform. The Council stressed that further action
is needed to resolve such matters as deaths in custody, native title, the stolen generations,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander law, and the protection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander cultures, heritage and languages. An unresolved issue that needs to be negotiated and
agreed upon before reconciliation can be achieved is the recognition of Indigenous peoples’ right
to land. The resolution of this issue with the informed consent of Indigenous people would
exclude the extinguishments of native title.
B. Racial discrimination affecting other communities
1. Anti-Semitism
93.
In Melbourne, the Special Rapporteur met a number of representatives of Jewish
organizations, including Mr. Danny Ben-Moshe, Executive Director of B’nai B’rith Australia
and New Zealand, and Ms. Nina Bassat, President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry,
who told him that there are approximately 110,000 Jews (0.5 per cent of the population) living in
Australia, mainly in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Generally speaking, the
Jews are well integrated in Australia, where they are active in all spheres of society. There is no
anti-Semitic culture in Australia, and consequently the Jews are not exposed to systematic
anti-Semitism. The Jewish organizations cooperate with the various Australian ethnic
communities and consider Australia’s ethnic diversity to be an asset which must be preserved.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which supports the process of reconciliation with
the Indigenous peoples, is a member of the Council for Multicultural Australia. However, there
are occasional manifestations of anti-Semitism resulting from repercussions of the Middle East
conflict within Australian society and the activism of certain individuals and political
organizations. Thus theories about the “Jewish plot to dominate the world”, the negation of the
Holocaust and stereotypes relating to the economic and financial power of the Jews are
propagated by certain media, the extreme right-wing party “One Nation” and organizations of
the same ilk, the Citizens’ Electoral Council, the Australian League of Rights and the Adelaide
Institute. In view of the fact that people of Jewish origin work as lawyers or jurists, provide
support for Aboriginal land claims and oppose mandatory sentencing, the far-right organizations
also accuse the Jews of supporting the Aboriginal cause in order to divide and dominate
Christian Australia.
94.
Anti-Semitic incidents occasionally occur in Australian cities. These take the form of
physical assaults, desecration of cemeteries, attacks on and vandalizing of synagogues, Jewish
institution buildings and property belonging to Jews, anti-Semitic graffiti and anti-Semitic
messages by ordinary mail or e-mail. In the year 2000, 372 incidents of this type were recorded
by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland,
Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. This represents a 47 per cent increase
over incidents in 1999. The community has therefore adopted its own security system to prevent
possible attacks on its members and to alert the police.