CANBERRA—The Federal Government is preparing to endorse a landmark United Nations declaration on indigenous rights, in another symbolic gesture sure to please Australian Aborigines.
Just days after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd led the federal parliament in apologising to members of the stolen generations, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith today revealed the Government was consulting with stakeholders about reversing Australia's opposition to the declaration.
Australia was one of just four countries which last year voted against the non-binding declaration of the UN General Assembly that sets out the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous people.
The declaration - more than 20 years in the drafting - was supported by 143 nations but the Howard Government refused to support it, arguing it would put Aboriginal customary law in a "superior position" to national law.
That claim was dismissed by Labor, indigenous leaders and law experts.
"We are of course positively disposed to the declaration," Mr Smith told Network Ten today.
"But once we've finalised those consultations and we've come to a conclusion (about supporting it), we simply let our view be known (in the UN General Assembly)," he said.
Mr Smith said this week's apology to the stolen generations had enhanced Australia's reputation internationally.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson today said he still stands by "every word" of the the controversial speech he gave in parliament in support of last week's historic apology.
Many watching the apology at live sites around Australia turned their backs on Dr Nelson during the speech, in which he talked about child sex abuse and dysfunction in today's Aboriginal communities.
Dr Nelson will meet with Mr Rudd this week to discuss the formation of a bipartisan joint policy commission to tackle Aboriginal disadvantage, starting with developing a housing strategy.
Some Liberal MPs have criticised the bipartisan approach, arguing coalition proposals will be ignored.
Asked how far bipartisanship could go, Dr Nelson said: "It's hard to know ... but let's just start on the journey and see how far we can get."
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard today said a bipartisan approach was necessary to address indigenous disadvantage.
"This is an unusual way of doing politics in this country but the Government is serious about it," Ms Gillard told ABC Television.
"We seriously want to make sure indigenous Australia doesn't suffer from the swings and cycles of Australian politics and particularly they don't suffer by being a community held hostage to a party political debate."
Also today, Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin announced draft laws reversing the Howard Government's changes to the permit system in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities will be introduced into parliament this week.
The Federal Government also announced today it had allocated $50 million to the states and territories to reduce alcohol and substance abuse in remote indigenous communities.
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