Stolen Wages
Stolen Wages - a campaign forjustice
The National Tertiary Education Union (Queensland) is supporting a publiccampaign for justice for the generations of Aboriginal workers whose wages were stolen by theQueensland government.
Thousands of Aboriginal workers across several generations lost an estimated $500 million because of the Queensland Governments' negligence,through diverting withheld wages to raise government revenue, and through misuse of Trustmonies.
The Beattie Government has made an offer of $55 million assettlement, but this is only a tiny fraction of the "stolen wages" and former workers have declared the offer inadequate.
Support Aboriginal workers' fight forjustice
The Qld Council of Unions has mounted a legal challenge to the State Governments decision not to pay out the remaining $20 million in stolen wages to claimants. Council President Ron Monaghan said in June, 09 that the QCU believes the State Government should pay the balance "to the people who had their wages stolen".For a December 2009 update on the progress of this campaign, download the notice below.
Thanks to Christine Howes for the photo of Fred Edwards with stolen wagespostcards (used as part of the earlier stage of this ongoing campaign).
Further information:
| December 09 Update | An update (as of December 2009) on the Qld Council of Unions campaign for wage justice for Aboriginal and Torres St. Islander peoples. |
| Aboriginal Welfare Fund | Dr Ros Kidd explains the Aboriginal Welfare Fund which operated as a Treasury Trust Fund from 1943 - 1993 "for the benefit of Aborigines generally". |
| Download postcards | Download the page of three stolen wages postcards to distribute and send in. |
| Interview with Lanora Jackson | Lanora Jackson talks about her father Henry's thirteen years of working without wages. Lanora is involved with the stolen wages campaign on behalf of her father and the thousands of Aboriginal workers like him. |
| Postcard campaign launched at rally | The stolen wages national postcard campaign aims to send a message to the Queensland government that their offer to settle Aboriginal workers' claims for stolen wages is vastly inadequate. |
| Queensland government rejects 1 in 4 stolen wages claims | An article published in The Australian says that the Queensland government has refused one in four claims for compensation for stolen wages. |
| Speech by Dr Ros Kidd | Speech delivered to the International Human Rights Day Symposium Centre for Public Culture and Ideas, Griffith University 10th December 2003. |
| Wrong decision by the wrong people | This Media Release of 12 December 2003 comments on the State Government's announcement that a foundation of "eminent Aboriginal Queenslanders" will be appointed to manage and distribute the Aborigines Welfare Fund. |