Fed: Committee - Give indigenous people their unpaid wages

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2006
Fed: Committee - Give indigenous people their unpaid wages

A parliamentary report has recommended wages owed to generations of indigenous people
must be immediately paid back by states and territories.

The so-called stolen wages are owed to indigenous labourers who worked for the government
in the 19th and 20th centuries .. has been a point of much grief for indigenous people
over a long period of time.

The Legislative and General Purpose Standing Committee report singled out Western Australia
says its government should establish a compensation scheme to repay the wages owed to
generations of indigenous people.

But Tasmania .. Victoria .. South Australia .. and both territories .. have all been
told to investigate the possibility that wages were withheld in their jurisdictions.

The committee wants commonwealth and state archives to be opened .. to allow researchers
full access to records which may prove further cases of unpaid wages.

AAP RTV pv/sb/wz/tm/psm/

KEYWORD: INDIGENOUS WAGES (CANBERRA)

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