Mirani MP Stephen Andrew says South Sea islanders still disadvantaged

The dark shadow of slavery continues to hang over Queensland — from ‘human trafficking and trade in body parts’ of South Sea Islanders to their ‘cruel’ forced deportation from Australia. Here’s what we can do about it.

The dark legacy of slavery in Mackay continues to haunt the present, Mirani MP Stephen Andrew says, and the government needs to do more than just talk to make things better.

Thousands of South Sea islanders were kidnapped from the Pacific and ‘blackbirded’ into indentured servitude on Mackay and Bundaberg’s sugar fields.

Mr Andrew says his family has the scars to show the generational damage.

“(My) Grandad couldn’t drive a tractor because they (South Sea islanders) were not allowed to and he cut cane all his life,” Mr Andrew said.

“You were held back.

“Go and find me a South Sea islander person that owned a farm.

“None, zero.”

News Corp Australia has launched a campaign in Bundaberg calling for a Royal Commission to put an end to season worker exploitation from farmers and labour hire agencies.

An e-petition to #EndExploitation calls on the government to consider an overhaul of labour hire regulation, including tightening regulations and issuing more regular compliance checks, as well as providing financial support to farmers to help with the health and wellbeing of seasonal workers; and publicly recognise employers who provide excellent working conditions and fair pay.

Mr Andrew said his father also experienced the sting of racist discrimination.

One Nation Mirani MP Stephen Andrew. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“When my father asked his best friend’s dad to sell him his farm, he said ‘no’, he will not sell it to a black fella,” he said.

“That was happening all the time.”

Mr Andrew also spoke of how teachers “belted” his father every day just because he was a South Sea islander.

“Dad left school when he was 11 years old, not because he was a bad student, but because he used to get belted every day.

“They were treated totally different.”

Mr Andew said his family worked on cane farms across the region, including in Homebush and the Pioneer Valley.

South Sea islanders were enslaved in Queensland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and this week marks the 22nd anniversary of their formal recognition as a distinct cultural group.

But Mr Andrew said little had been done to rollback the damage, arguing the state government had “administratively ethnicised” his community.

He said they had been detached from documents and policies, which had in turn reduced access to health, education and employment opportunities.

“We show up on no documents,” Mr Andrew said.

Speaking in parliament last week, Mr Andrew moved a motion calling on the House of Representatives to express “ sincere regret” for the “human trafficking and trade in body parts” of South Sea Islanders and their “cruel” forced deportation from Australia.

He called on the government to ensure the full participation of South Sea islanders in the economic, social, political and cultural life of the state, which he said the government had already pledged to do 22 years ago.

Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm. Picture: Josh Woning

“The government said it would require its department and other agencies to act on this commitment through their policies, programs and services,” he said.

“I think it is fair to say that none of these promises have been fulfilled, until recently when a bit of money was given across and some of that was a government department job.”

Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm said Queenslanders should “hang our heads in shame” for the crime of blackbirding.

“The shameful act of blackbirding, for which all of us in this state should hang our heads in shame, was the foundation of what is now economic prosperity,” she said.

“We talk about wealth and economic prosperity.

Rain falls over sugar cane fields in Mackay. It is estimated 62,000 Pacific islanders were ‘blackbirded’ into slavery in Queensland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“We would not have a sugar industry if it were not for the hard work of those men and women, whom my grandfathers and great grandfathers worked alongside.”

Ms Camm also said the government had failed to commit “meaningful resources”.

“The greater Mackay region has the largest population of Australian South Sea islanders in the state and I say to those opposite that they deserve more than lip service,” she said.

“I ask the minister to not just meet with the member for Mirani but come and spend time with my community.

“We ask for tangible and practical outcomes across all government departments, across health, across education and across justice we need real engagement.”

Multicultural Affairs Minister Leanne Linard said the government was “responding” to calls for more resources and attention.

Multicultural Affairs Minister Leanne Linard says the government is responding to calls for more resources to South Sea islander people. Picture: Dan Peled

“This year we are providing $75,000 to QUASSIC (Queensland United Australian South Sea islander Council) to deliver a number of activities to support Australian South Sea islander organisations and communities, including the development of protocols to support respectful engagement with Australian South Sea islander people,” she said.

“During budget week I also announced $1.1m over four years and $170,000 per annum ongoing to strengthen recognition of and services to Australian South Sea islander peoples in Queensland through support for projects and activities to address current levels of disadvantage faced by the community.

Speaking separately, Mr Andrew said his motion to parliament was “never about causing division” but a call for the government to address the full horror of history, referencing the early 20th century deportation of South Sea islanders to hammer home his point.

In his account, some islanders were purposefully left on reefs at low tide so they would drown at high tide, a “cheaper” option than transporting them all the way back to their Pacific homelands.

“Granddad told me about it,” Mr Andrew said.

“You can’t make that up.”

Read more about the Bundaberg News Mail’s campaign for a Royal Commission to put an end to season worker exploitation from farmers and labour hire agencies.

Sign the e-petition to #EndExploitation here.

Originally published as Mirani MP Stephen Andrew says South Sea islanders still disadvantaged