Mr Alex Greenwich to move —

That this House:

1. Notes 25 August 2013 as Australian South Sea Islander Recognition Day, marking 150 years since about 50,000 people on 62,000 indenture contracts from around 80 Pacific Islands were recruited or kidnapped to work in sugar cane fields where they were exploited.

1. Notes the Australian South Sea Islanders suffered inhumane treatment, the highest mortality rates of any immigrant group to Australia and mass deportations when the White Australia Policy was introduced.
2. Notes many of the 40,000 Australian South Sea Islander descendants who live in Australia remain marginalised and disadvantaged.
3. Notes thousands of Australian South Sea Islanders live in New South Wales but an official number has not been established.
4. Notes then Premier Carr's Memorandum of Understanding of 1995 called for adequate programs and services but none targetted at South East Islander descendants have been implemented.
5. Calls on the Government to prepare a demographic, social and economic community profile, make a formal statement of recognition acknowledging the history, and develop a plan of action for removing disadvantage as recommended by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 1992 and as the Queensland Government did in 2001 to help descendants create positive lives and futures.

(Notice given 20 Feb 2013)