Press Release
Date: Tuesday, 30th July
1pm onwards
Parliament House Lawns, Hobart, Tasmania
Tomorrow, as parliament resumes, the Tasmanian Aboriginal community will converge on the lawns of Parliament House to assert their sovereign rights over their lands and demand that the Government Honor its past promises. The gathering will involve setting up tents and holding a peaceful demonstration without applying to the state government for a permit.
Nala Mansell, the campaign coordinator, explains the rationale behind the action: “It’s been 220 years and white people still haven’t asked us for permission to be on our lands, so why would we apply to the government for permission to be on our own lands, which we have never ceded, given away, sold, or agreed to hand over ownership of.”
The group intends to set up their tents and remain until the Premier agrees to meet with the Aboriginal-elected Treaty Group and commits to legislating for a treaty in Tasmania. Nala emphasizes that Tasmanian Aborigines have not and will not forget their rights to their stolen lands or the Treaty that was agreed upon. “We have consistently reminded white Tasmania and the Government of this Treaty for the past 220 years.”
Key Historical Points
1831: Tasmanian Aborigines agreed to a Treaty with George Augustus Robinson on behalf of the Government
1846: Aborigines living on Cape Barren Island petitioned Queen Victoria regarding the Treaty.
1883: A group of Tasmanian Aboriginal elders published a letter regarding the Treaty in the Examiner newspaper
2022: An Aboriginal-elected Treaty group sent a draft Treaty bill to the Tasmanian Premier, receiving no reply.
The Palawa people of Lutruwita have faced invasion, dispossession, and oppression for 220 years. We have never ceded our sovereignty or forgotten our right to a Treaty. In 2024, over 190 years after the Treaty was agreed upon, Aborigines and their supporters will gather on Parliament lawns to continue the fight for Treaty.
Nala Mansell
(Campaign Coordinator)
