Antinuclear

Warren Mundine ‘raises his eyebrows’, but Nova Peris speaks out, on Tony Abbott racist gaffe

Nova Peris attacks Tony Abbott over ‘unsettled’ land  THE AUSTRALIAN JULY 05, 2014  Patricia Karvelas LABOR senator Nova Peris has condemned Tony Abbott for suggesting Australia was unsettled before British occupation.

And Mr Abbott’s chief indigenous adviser [Warren Mundine] admits he “raised his eyebrows” when the Prime Minister said we had all benefited from Britain’s original foreign investment because Australia was “unsettled” before the British ­arrived.

After delivering the keynote address at the Economic and ­Social Outlook conference on Thursday night, Mr Abbott was asked about foreign investment, but his answer suggesting people were not in Australia in 1788 sparked a backlash.

Senator Peris said the comments were highly offensive, dismissive of indigenous peoples and simply incorrect.

“British settlement was not foreign investment. It was occupation,’’ she said. “The comments from the Prime Minister have not just offended Aboriginal Australians but many people around the country.” Senator Peris said Mr Abbott’s comments had setback bipartisan efforts to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution……http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/nova-peris-attacks-tony-abbott-over-unsettled-land/story-fn9hm1pm-1226978303770

July 5, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | aboriginal issues, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics