At the NCCA

Upcoming Events

Poverty Pole Charter

Make a personal committment to ending Indigenous poverty...

What is the Poverty Pole Charter?

The poverty pole charter has three parts; remember the past, recognise the present and rectify the future. By signing a Poverty Pole you are comitting to take action to end Indigenous poverty.

REMEMBER

This country that we now call Australia always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land.

I remember that this country, home to many diverse Indigenous Nations since the beginning of time, was colonized in 1788 and I remember all those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who have lost their lives since.

I remember all those that have gone before, defending Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands, waterways and cultures.

I remember all those who were taken away from their families and from their ancestral homelands.

I remember, with sorrow, the lost languages, the lost tribal laws and the desecrated sacred sites.

ADen_signing_the_poverty_pole

Aden Ridgeway signing the first poverty pole at the launch of Make Indigenous Poverty History in 2005

NSW_Governor

NSW Governor Marie Bashir Signing the Poverty Pole.

RECOGNIZE

I recognize that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia continue to suffer injustices.

I recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are living in poverty.

I recognize that poverty is more than financial disadvantage; it is also social and spiritual.

I recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples continue to suffer from colonization, exclusion and disempowerment.

I recognize that it takes effort and will from everybody - from governments to individuals, from Indigenous and non - Indigenous alike, to change the situation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

I recognize that unless we unite, with a common will, a poverty of spirit will afflict the entire nation.

RECTIFY

I commit to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals specifically address the disadvantage suffered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

I commit to identifying achievable poverty reduction strategies with measurable and time bound outcomes to be achieved by 2015.

I commit to holding all elected representatives, and other leaders, accountable to achieving these goals.

I commit to taking personal responsibility to understand the causes and effects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' disadvantage and also to inform people when I encounter ignorance or lack of compassion.

I commit to justice for all and to Make Indigenous Poverty History.

WA_Synod_Poverty_Pole_06