Aboriginal Provisional Government
Encyclopedia
The Aboriginal Provisional Government (APG) is an Indigenous Australian
independence movement.
, Clarrie Isaacs
and other activists who later formed the APG, travelled to Libya
using Aboriginal passports used by the group. Attempting to use the passports on their re-entry to Australia, they were initially refused entry to Australia.
, Yolngu
and Eroa people formed the APG. To get around the conflicts caused by traditional clan based conflicts the clans created a political system that takes elements from the Aboriginal hierarchical structure and traditional western democratic principles. The founders of the APG are Bob Weatherall, Geoff Clark, Josie Crawshaw, Michael Mansell
, Kathy Craigie and other delegates from all states of Australia.
In preparation for the establishment of this State, the organization of a provisional government was elected. The APG assumes that existing programs for Aboriginal people with regard to health care, assistance for food and general care, education, accommodation and other problems that are in violation of the law are not the basic problem that the Aboriginal people have. The solution is they need their own law.
In the period from 1967 to 1976 there was a significant change, because in every state, an Aboriginal Legal Service was established and in 1976 the land rights
of the Northern Territory too. The Federal Parliament recognized the National Aboriginal Conference (NAC) and for the first time this gave the Aborigines an opinion and an effective voice.
The APG was formally founded on 16 July 1990. Its stated purpose is to establish its own government and Aboriginal nation state. The APG views that the Indigenous people of Australia never relinquished their sovereignty and therefore Australian law and title over the country is null and void.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
independence movement.
Earlier activity
In 1988 Michael MansellMichael Mansell
Michael Mansell is an Aboriginal lawyer and activist, who has dedicated his life to social, political and legal reform to improve the lives and social standing of Tasmanian Aborigines....
, Clarrie Isaacs
Clarrie Isaacs
Clarence Frederick "Clarrie" Isaacs also known as Yaluritja and Ishak Mohamad Haj was an Australian Aboriginal activist.-Life and career:...
and other activists who later formed the APG, travelled to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
using Aboriginal passports used by the group. Attempting to use the passports on their re-entry to Australia, they were initially refused entry to Australia.
Foundation of the APG
Due to the dependency of Aboriginal agencies on Australian government funding community leaders from the Pitjantjatjara, WiradjuriWiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
, Yolngu
Yolngu
The Yolngu or Yolŋu are an Indigenous Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Yolngu means “person” in the Yolŋu languages.-Yolŋu law:...
and Eroa people formed the APG. To get around the conflicts caused by traditional clan based conflicts the clans created a political system that takes elements from the Aboriginal hierarchical structure and traditional western democratic principles. The founders of the APG are Bob Weatherall, Geoff Clark, Josie Crawshaw, Michael Mansell
Michael Mansell
Michael Mansell is an Aboriginal lawyer and activist, who has dedicated his life to social, political and legal reform to improve the lives and social standing of Tasmanian Aborigines....
, Kathy Craigie and other delegates from all states of Australia.
In preparation for the establishment of this State, the organization of a provisional government was elected. The APG assumes that existing programs for Aboriginal people with regard to health care, assistance for food and general care, education, accommodation and other problems that are in violation of the law are not the basic problem that the Aboriginal people have. The solution is they need their own law.
In the period from 1967 to 1976 there was a significant change, because in every state, an Aboriginal Legal Service was established and in 1976 the land rights
Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976
In Australian history, the Aboriginal Land Rights Act established the basis upon which Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory could claim rights to land based on traditional occupation. The Act was strongly based on the recommendations of Justice Woodward, who chaired the Aboriginal Land...
of the Northern Territory too. The Federal Parliament recognized the National Aboriginal Conference (NAC) and for the first time this gave the Aborigines an opinion and an effective voice.
The APG was formally founded on 16 July 1990. Its stated purpose is to establish its own government and Aboriginal nation state. The APG views that the Indigenous people of Australia never relinquished their sovereignty and therefore Australian law and title over the country is null and void.