Press Releases and Announcements - 24 March 2011
Law firm takes step towards Aboriginal reconciliation
National law firm Maurice Blackburn has chosen
'Close the Gap' Day to launch its first Reconciliation Action
Plan.
The plan was officially launched by prominent Aboriginal
barrister
Munya Andrews at the firm's head office in Melbourne, with
staff from Sydney participating in the momentous occasion via video
link.
"It is marvelous to see a high tiered law firm use 'dirty words'
such as 'reconciliation' and 'respect'," Ms Andrews said.
She particularly welcomed the work that Maurice Blackburn is
doing to assist Aboriginal traditional owners contesting a proposed
nuclear waste dump on their land at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory.
"It's great to have policies but they have to have practical
measures," Ms Andrews said.
Maurice Blackburn Chief Executive Greg Tucker said the firm had
been dedicated to Aboriginal issues for many years.
"Australia has a reputation as a developed country where there's
a fair go for all," Mr Tucker said.
"Unfortunately, the reality falls vastly short - 17 years short.
That's the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and
non-Aboriginal Australians, and it's the reason why we chose
national Close the Gap Day to launch our Reconciliation Action
Plan.
"We developed our plan in consultation with
Reconciliation Australia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander representative bodies including the Aboriginal Law
Students and Lawyers Association of Victoria, Tarwirri.
"This plan is about action, not lip service. It's a plan that we
will continually work towards and update as we progress.
"Maurice Blackburn strongly supports reconciliation and we have
long been committed to working to overcome division and inequality
between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
"We have a long history of fighting for social change and
justice, and we value fairness and equality.
"As well as our Muckaty Station work, we have also helped
members of the Stolen Generation make applications for compensation
and Freedom of Information for records relating to their removal
and housing.
"Doris Blackburn, the wife of the firm's founder Maurice, was an
office bearer of the Aborigines Advancement League from its
inception in 1957 and through most of the 1960s, and the firm
played a central role in the 1966 Aboriginal stockman's case, which
was about equal pay and conditions.
"The priorities we have set out in our plan are to:
- promote and provide access to justice
- provide enhanced employment opportunities for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Australians
- facilitate positive cultural change within and outside Maurice
Blackburn
- develop and extend our relationships with local Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples, representative bodies and
businesses."
The plan will be reviewed and revised annually.
PHOTO: Tarwirri executive officer Aislinn Martin, barrister
and guest speaker Munya Andrews, Maurice Blackburn Social Justice
Practice Indigenous and Land Rights Sub-Committee member Janet Van
der Kolk and Maurice Blackburn trainee lawyer Kaylene Hunter at the
launch of the law firm's Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan on
Close the Gap Day in Melbourne.
Related media statements
Fresh evidence boosts traditional owners legal challenge to Muckaty
Station nuclear waste dump, 9 May 2011
Indigenous owners launch Federal legal challenge over Australia's
first nuclear waste dump, 3 June 2010