On Sunday 26 January 2014 we will celebrate 226th Birthday of the
greatest experiment in human settlement in the History of the modern
world.
We like to call it Australia Day, although the first settlement was
called New South Wales, and we are very proud of what we have achieved
in only 226 years.
Unfortunately there are always knockers and troublemakers and
Australia Day usually brings them out of the woodwork. They are usually
ill-informed and are blindly following a few ideologues who want to
destroy the achievements but have no sensible idea of how it could be
replaced with something better.
However when our Tertiary Education system presents misinformation
into the public arena in the guise of fact it must not be allowed to go
unchallenged.
Some weeks ago The Chancellor of the Australian National University
welcomed Professor Tim Flannery to give the Annual ANU Reconciliation
Lecture. He Introduced Professor Flannery as a former Australian of the
Year and as the Chief Commissioner of the Australian Climate Commission.
The misinformation began right there. Professor Flannery and his
fellow Commissioners were terminated by the incoming Federal Government
in September 2013. In defiance Flannery formed the Independent Climate
Council which has no official authority or funding.
There is always a danger when Academics encroach into spheres beyond
their training or understanding and Professor Flannery has taken a step
too far. Nothing in his studies of Mammalogy and Palaeontology, or even
navigating the Murray River, or pontificating on Global Warming is
remotely connected to Constitutional Law, Land Tenure or War History.
Yet this doyen of twisted leftist ideology has possibly set back the
cause of Aboriginal Australians like no other person in our history.
Many of you have heard of the Mabo Case regarding land rights for the
Meriam people from the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait. The Case
came before the High Court of Australia in 1982. The factors were
Continuous Settlement, Terra Nullius, and extinguishment of land rights
by conflict. The High Court held that the Meriam people had continuously
settled the Murray Islands from before 1788 to the present day and had
not been dispossessed of their land by conflict. They were therefore
entitled to land rights.
The then Federal Government legislated to give the same rights
granted to the Meriam people to the various tribes on the Australian
Mainland. They used specious arguments like a misdescription of Terra
Nullius to justify their legislation. They did not listen to the
Historians and pastoralists who said “Hey wait a minute, if the land was
taken by armed conflict then ALL LAND RIGHTS ARE EXTINGUISHED”.
Now this great Australian guru (on all things outside mammalogy) says
“that the aboriginal people fought and died defending their lands and
people against white settlers are ignored by the Australian War
Memorial. In any other war they would have been awarded a Victoria
Cross.”
First if Flannery is right about the armed conflicts then much of the
land rights awarded to various tribes of Aboriginals should not have
been awarded. Then he likens them to the 300 Spartans who held off the
Persians (No Spartan to my knowledge had land rights granted against the
Persians). Then he talks about the Victoria Cross which can only be
awarded for valour “in the face of the enemy” to members of the armed
forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire
territories.
Even if the Aboriginal warriors fought with valour they fought AGAINST
the forces of the British Empire Territories and were therefore not
eligible.
I hope his foolish man has not endangered the native title of
Aboriginal Australians and I sincerely hope he ceases his frequent
incursions into spheres beyond his comprehension.
