Edmund Rice Justice Bulletin

The Long Walk from Melbourne to Canberra commenced by former AFL footballer Michael Long has succeeded in its immediate objective of obtaining a meeting with the Prime Minister.

Long commenced his walk to draw attention to the continued desperate situation faced by Aboriginal people in Australia today and to request that the government provide some leadership, compassion and hope in addressing the problems faced by indigenous Australians.

At the same time concerns continue to be expressed about the Australian Government’s intention to return to the failed paternalistic policies of the past. According to ANTaR National President Phil Glendenning, the Government’s coercive approach to welfare and service delivery reform for Indigenous communities will usher in a renewed era of racially discriminatory treatment of Indigenous peoples.

"The Government still fails to see that unless change comes from Indigenous people themselves and solutions are ‘owned’ by Indigenous communities, outcomes will be piecemeal and unsustainable" he went on to say.

For the full text of his comments visit the Edmund Rice Centre website.