Ulli (Helen) Corbett

"Declaring our intentions: A Declaration for the future."

Since 1987 all Australian governments have rigorously negotiated a treaty framework for the rights of Indigenous peoples alongside many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organizations at the United Nations. Yet, it refuses to do so on the home front with "it’s Indigenous citizens" who have suffered several Australian centuries of racist historical relations. The "two faces" of the Australian government is an interesting facet to explore the relationship between an international human rights framework and home-bred racism. Are there lessons that can be drawn from these experiences for Treaty and Reconciliation processes in Australia?

Ulli (Helen) Corbett is a Yamitji-Noongar from Western Australia who has worked for three decades for Indigenous community based organizations at all levels. She co-initiated the national and international campaign for the establishment of the federal Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Of particular note has been her work on the drafting of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and the establishment of the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples. Currently she is facilitating consultative process of the ATSIC Treaty Community Awareness Project within the Perth Noongar area.