*Scott_

The government of Australia has invited admissions for the amendment of the preamble to the constitution to include indigenous Australians. The reason we believe to change this is because the preamble that is in the referendum does not or barley involves the indigenous Australians that were here thousands of years before the British or Europeans came to Australia and hold the history of Australia.  We should change the preamble to fit with there needs as well because of all the thing that we have done to them like “the stolen generations” when we took there children and raised them to make them one of there own. Also when we first came and we took there land and caused disease spread around Australia and kill thousands of Aboriginals.  We have been very disrespectful and mistreated them during the years until 2008 when we said sorry

First argument is the Stolen Generation which started around 1869 and ended 1963. They British stole the aboriginal children and raised them to make the one of there own and lose there aboriginal culture. Parents were not allowed to see there children because of fear from distracting the children and children were not allowed to speak aboriginal languages.  “They changed our names, they changed our religion, they changed our date of birth, they did all that. That’s why today, a lot of them don’t know who they are, where they’re from. We’ve got to watch today that brothers aren’t marrying sisters; because of the Government. Children were taken from interstate, and they were just put everywhere.” This was said by a child that wants to be confidential New South Wales.

Our second argument, the Aboriginals even thought they were the first people on Australia had to wait many years after the colonization to be counted and called and Australian citizen. There was a twist though in the citizenship. If they changed to become an Australian citizen they could not call them selves Aboriginals any more. In 1959 Aboriginals were given the same Commonwealth pension benefits such as unemployment benefits, just like Australians citizens had. Also in 1962 the aboriginals also had the right to vote in parliament elections, before only Aboriginals that were educated and civilized had the right to vote. In 1967 the people of Australia had the vote of deciding if the aboriginals should be counted in the census and let the Commonwealth help them where ever they lived. They now call it the 1967 referendum.

A speech that changed every thing happened on the 13^th of February, 2008. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said sorry to the stolen generations a part of his speech says “For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.”  This apology was taken by all aboriginals a new beginning and forgetting the past and the stolen generation.  The government then agreed to pay and help build Aborigines houses and help Aboriginal children go to school.  This speech was watched in schools and was heard by thousands even though the speech was a three hundred and sixty one words it still isn’t enough because it dosent change there lives.  We need to do something more Also there are famous activist that work and fought for change. One of them is Pearl Gibbs. She was a public speaker and had powerful partnerships with aboriginals and she had protests.  It started when she was sixteen years of age and she was working as a cook, there she met many Aboriginal girls. As he worked she realized that the Aboriginal girls were being denied there basic rights and benefits because of racial discrimination, from then on she decided to try and stop and end the racial discrimination of young Aboriginal women.  She organized strikes, boycotts and protests. Another  activist for Aborigines was Sir Douglas Nicholas who was born in 1906, he worked on improving the relationship between police and Aboriginals and in 1967 he became Australia’s first Aboriginal Governor.  He died in 1988, aged 82. These are the people that should be following and trying to be like because then no one would get hurt and the Aboriginals problem would of ended ages ago and might have avoided many things that happened and hurt the Aboriginals.When the first fleet came the Aborigines were abused and there land was taken from them. They were also infected with new diseases that wiped out thousands of Aborigines and the half Aboriginals were born yet they were taken as British.  The Aboriginals health is still bad due to the over drinking of alcohol and in the recent tests for aboriginals health diabetes kills eighteen percent of the population, twenty four percent is from suicide, seventeen percent is from abuse, sixteen percent of is from external damages and diseases like hepatitis B and C. Yet the government does not help until recently when they realized it was becoming really bad in some areas. Still though the diseases are still a big thing in Aboriginals.

Theses are our arguments to why aboriginals should be cared about and be treated exactly like us. In 2008 they forgave us for saying sorry but they are still in the same trouble as they were before and we have taken over what was there’s and called it our own.  We not only need to say sorry but help them and be kind to them and treat them as we were acting to a follow Australian.  This is our point of veiw and hope fully Aborginals will be accepted in to Australia as normal people and be respected

Preamble Cover Letter

2 Darcy Road, Westmead

Sydney, New South Wales

2145

Parliament House
Canberra
ACT 2600
Australia

25/2/08

RE: Austender Preamble

Dear Senator,

We are a group from Parramatta Marist High School and have chosen to write a preamble about the admissions for the amendment of the preamble to the constitution to include indigenous Australians. Our names are Scott Chau, Jonathan Saad, James Harb, Mitch Burt and Jamie Twal. We believe that a preamble is necessary so that we may fill the needs of Australian aboriginals and make an official apology to them.

This document contains reasons and evidence to show how the Aboriginals were treated unfairly and why we believe that a change needs to be made. Many people are still affected by the Stolen Generation and find it hard to reconcile and forgive. Discrimination is still a big factor in todays society. Not only indigenous people but those from all culture have faced racial problems. This has caused the steep deficiency of the health of Aboriginals. Diabetes, hepatitis and alcohol are only a few of the problems that aboriginals become vulnerable to in their daily lives.

In conclusion, we think that not enough has been done. By simply apologizing we are not doing enough. We, students of Parramatta Marist believe that Aboriginals should be treated equally among us. We wish that one day, all aboriginals will be treated fairly and recognition among today’s society. Forgiveness and reconciliation is hard but we can only change that if we show the initiative to do so first.

 Yours Sincerely,

Year 9 of Parramatta Marist High.

Scott Chau, Jonathan Saad, Mitch Burt, James Harb and Jamie Twal.