Queensland Australian South SeaIslander Community Survey 2014

Survey Summary Report

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary

Australian South Sea Islanders today

Introduction

Currentsituation

Queensland Australian South Sea Islander Community Survey 2014

Objective

Surveydevelopment

Survey data

Summaryofresponses

Recognition

Mainstrengths

Positivefuture

Practical actions

Improvedservices

Communityknowledge,strengths, identityandrelations

Next steps

Moreinformation

Appendix1:Surveyquestionnaire

Appendix 2: Abridged one-way survey tables

Acknowledgements

The Queensland Government, through Multicultural Affairs Queensland (formerly known as Cultural Diversity Queensland)wouldlike tothankall AustralianSouthSeaIslander communitymembers who completedtheQueenslandAustralian South SeaIslander Community Survey2014(the survey).

Multicultural Affairs Queensland wouldalsolike to thankallthe AustralianSouthSeaIslander communityorganisationsand community volunteerswhohelpeddistribute,promoteand return completed surveysthroughevents such as familymeetings,morning teas, barbecuesetc.

In particulargratitude is extended tomembers oftheAustralianSouthSea Islander community who participatedinthe Survey FocusGroupsheld duringFebruaryand March2014.

AspecialthankyouisalsoextendedtoErrynTomarra,theQueenslandGovernmentfunded CAMSAustralianSouthSeaIslanderworkerbased inMackay,forherextensiveworkinsupporting, promotingandfacilitatingcommunityparticipation inthesurvey.

“History shows that despite adversity Australian South Sea Islanders are a resilient people with strong family values, strong work ethic and the ability to contribute to their community in a positive, proactive way. The elders within the community have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and to improve life for Australian South Sea Islanders in a quiet, respectful and positive way. Actions speak louder than words, now it’s time to act. Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to have my say.”Survey respondent (anonymous)

Summary

Australian South Sea Islanders are the Australian-born direct descendants of people who were brought (in the main) to Australia between 1863 and 1904 to work as indentured labourers in the primary industries.

Over50,000people(predominantlymen) came fromsome80 PacificIslands,primarily Vanuatu andtheSolomonIslands,and the majority were kidnapped,‘blackbirded’or deceivedinto coming.[1]

WhilesomeancestorsofAustralianSouthSea Islanders may have lefttheirhomelands by choice, theyweremoreoftenthannot subjected tothe samediscriminationand harsh treatment asthose thatwere deceivedor taken by force.

Despitethe hardshipanddiscrimination faced by the community,AustralianSouthSeaIslanders have contributed significantly tothesocial, cultural andeconomic developmentofQueensland.

In2013,theDepartmentof Aboriginaland Torres StraitIslanderand MulticulturalAffairs(DATSIMA) in conjunction withmembersofQueensland AustralianSouthSeaIslander community, developedanattitudinal survey to gainand share current dataonthe views, issuesand prioritiesof this uniqueQueensland community.

Surveyquestions covered issuesrelevant to AustralianSouthSeaIslandersinQueenslandand sought views on:

  • currentrecognitionoftheAustralianSouthSea Islandercommunity
  • perceptionsaboutAustralianSouthSea Islandercommunityparticipation,priorities andgoals
  • serviceprovision,futureemployment opportunitiesandeducationattainment
  • generaldemographicinformation.

Surveyresultsindicatedanumberof common themesregardingtheimportanceofrecognitionof AustralianSouthSeaIslanders asa unique cultural groupandtheneed forthisrecognition to translate intotheprovisionof targetedand culturally appropriateservicesand assistancethatmeetthe needsofthe community.

Thefindings fromthe surveyarea publicresource and willbedistributed for consideration to governmentagencies, otherservice providers andorganisations, andthe AustralianSouthSea Islander community fortheir own advocacyand initiatives.

Theresults fromthe survey willalsohelpinform theQueensland CulturalDiversity Policy objective ofimprovingoutcomesandaccess toservices for all culturallydiverseQueenslanders,including AustralianSouthSeaIslanders.

Inthe spiritoftheQueenslandPlan,theresultsof this survey shouldbe used toensure‘nobodygets left behind’ aswe continue to celebrate,embrace andrespectQueensland’sdiversity.

Australian South Sea Islanders today

Introduction

Today’sAustralianSouthSea Islandersareadistinctcultural groupwithauniquehistory andpositioninAustralian society.

AustralianSouthSeaIslanders havea unique historyandidentity.AustralianSouthSeaIslanders arenotindigenous,althoughsome have bi-cultural or tri-culturalheritagethroughinterrelationships with Aboriginaland TorresStraitIslander peoples. Many have sharedsome aspectsofthe disadvantage experienced by Aboriginaland Torres StraitIslanderpeoples.

Currentsituation

Inthe2011Australian BureauofStatisticsCensus, 3093peopleinQueenslandidentified as having AustralianSouthSeaIslanderancestry.

Table 1: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2011 – Australian South Sea Islander Ancestry

Australian South Sea Islander Ancestry / Number / Source
Rest of Australia / 944 / ABS Census 2011
Anecdotal Australian South Seas Ancestry / 15,000-20,000 / Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission[2]
Anecdotal self-identified Australian South Seas Ancestry / 10,000-12,000 / Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission[3]

Anecdotalevidence suggeststhe census significantly undercountstheactualAustralian SouthSeaIslanderpopulationand mayonly representa sampleofthewholeAustralianSouth SeaIslander community.

Thereareanumberofpossiblereasons forthis undercount, butimportantlythe lackofaccurate dataonthe sizeofthe communityandother informationthat canbe obtained fromthe census affects thequalityandefficiencyofthe deliveryof appropriateprogramsandservicesneeded by the community.

Populationage structure data fromthe census suggestsa youngpopulation forAustralianSouth SeaIslandersand ahigherpopulationgrowth rate compared to the non-AustralianSouthSea Islander population.[4]

Census dataalso suggestsQueenslandAustralian SouthSeaIslanders experiencegreatereconomic disadvantage overallthannon-Australian SouthSea Islanders(matched within thesame geographicallocations).This disadvantageis evidenced by:

1.Alowerchanceofattaininganeducationlevel aboveacertificateIIIorIVandahigher chance ofhavingabelowyear12education

2.Ahigherunemploymentrateoverall[5]

3.Ahigherunemploymentrateforagivenlevelof qualification(withtheexceptionofabachelor degreeorhigher).

Whilstthe censusprovides basic demographic andeconomicinformationonAustralianSouth SeaIslanders,enquiriesduringtheAustralian SouthSeaIslander150thanniversary celebrations in2013highlighteda lackof current datarelating to the AustralianSouthSea Islander community. Furthermore,there wasnoquantitatively collected information availableonthe current viewsof QueenslandAustralianSouthSeaIslandersontheir situation.

The survey was developedinresponse to this issue.

Queensland Australian South Sea Islander Community Survey 2014

Objective

The developmentofthe survey wasdriven by AustralianSouthSeaIslander communitymembers and CulturalDiversityQueensland,throughthe Departmentof Aboriginaland TorresStraitIslander and MulticulturalAffairs.

The overall objectiveof theproject was toprovide Queenslanders fromAustralianSouthSeaIslander backgrounds withanopportunity to sharetheir viewson current issuesimpactingon,andpriorities for,their community.The survey wasprimarily attitudinal,andsoughtinformationon subjective experiencesandpersonal viewsaroundkey focus areas.

Theaimofthe survey was to gather datawhich wouldallow government,non-governmentand communityorganisations tobetter understand, acknowledgeandrespond to issuesand aspirationsofthe AustralianSouthSea Islander communityinQueensland.

Surveydevelopment

Survey topicsandquestionswereinitiallyidentified throughinquiryanddiscussion with government andnon-governmentagenciesand community members.Adraft surveyquestionnaire was progressively developedthrough focusgroup meetings withmembersoftheAustralianSouth SeaIslander communityinBrisbane, Mackayand RockhamptonduringFebruaryand March2014. OtherAustralianSouthSeaIslander community members gavefeedback overthe phoneand/or by email.

Feedbackprovidedthe basis for developinga final surveyquestionnaireofrelevant themesand topics.The complete survey(paperversion) is includedin Appendix1.

Thefinal survey was delivered torespondents via two channels,electronicandpost.The survey was open from 27 March2014 to6June2014.

To maximize participationinthe survey,the department undertook extensive community consultation,promotionand follow up work.Data was collected from447 surveys completedor partly completed byAustralianSouthSeaIslander communitymembers.

Survey data

The surveywasaimedatpeopleaged18yearsand overwhoidentified asbeinganAustralianSouth SeaIslanderandwerelivinginQueenslandatthe time ofthe survey.

Whilerespondentswereprovided witha definition ofanAustralianSouthSeaIslander forthe purposesofthe survey,andtheyself-identified, noverificationof arespondent’s ancestry was required.

Once the survey waspromoted tothe Australian SouthSeaIslander community, obtaining responses wasentirely dependentonpeople self-selecting to completethe survey.As such, the surveyresultsdiscussedbelowrepresentonly thoseofthe communitywhoresponded.

Ofthe1810AustralianSouthSeaIslanderswho identified asaged18yearsofage andliving in Queenslandinthe2011Australian Bureauof StatisticsCensus,approximately 25per cent completedthe current survey:

  • 62percentofsurveyrespondentsalso identifiedasAboriginalandTorresStrait Islander(seeTable3,Appendix2)
  • 38percentofsurveyrespondentsweremale and62percentwerefemale(seeTable31in Appendix 2)
  • 48percentofrespondentswereaged45years andover(seeTable30inAppendix2)
  • 38per centcompletedyear 12or equivalent (seeTable25inAppendix2)
  • 59percent havetertiary qualifications (seeTable26,Appendix2)

Thepercentagebreakdown suggests surveyresults are overrepresented by olderagegroupsand is strongly biased towardspeople withtertiary education.Data fromthe survey is collatedinto tablesinAppendix2,whereabrief discussionof dataanalysis isalsoprovided.

Summaryofresponses

The following isa summaryofthe topor overarchingresponses to each surveyquestion grouped underthekeythemesof:

  • Recognition
  • Mainstrengths
  • Positivefuture
  • Practicalactions
  • Improved services
  • Communityknowledge, strengths,identityand relations.

Recognition

“It is not only about our history and culture; it is about the well-deserved recognition of the contribution ASSI made to the economics of Queensland through the sugar, railway and other industries.”Survey respondent (anonymous)

Responses to surveyquestionsaround AustralianSouthSea Islanderrecognition and acknowledgementoftheir unique cultureand historyindicatethatrespondentsfeelQueensland Governmentrecognition(85per cent) is extremelyimportant, followed byrecognition from Queenslandersingeneral (53.9per cent).

However, lessthan halfofrespondents(43.7per cent)felt theQueenslandGovernment dida good jobofacknowledgingthe uniquehistoryand cultureofAustralianSouthSeaIslanders.Just less than a quarter(23.0 per cent) feltQueenslanders ingeneralacknowledgedAustralianSouthSea Islanders’ cultural uniqueness(Refer to Tables4,5, and6inAppendix1.)

Queensland Government Recognition Statement

Australian South Sea Islander Community

The Queensland Government hereby formally recognises Australian South Sea Islanders as a distinct cultural group.

Australian South Sea Islanders are the Australian-born descendants of predominantly Melanesian people who were brought to Queensland between 1863 and 1904 from eighty Pacific Islands, but primarily Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.

Australian South Sea Islanders are not indigenous to this country. South Sea Islanders were brought to Australia as a source of cheap labour for Queensland’s primary industries. Many people were tricked into coming, others were kidnapped or “blackbirded”. Men, women and children were forced to work long hours at exhausting manual work for low or no wages while living in very poor conditions. Many were treated like slaves. In the early 1880s, the death rate among South Sea Islanders was five times higher than the comparable European population.

Between 1906 and 1908 south Sea Islanders were deported under the White Australia Policy. South Sea Islanders protested and petitioned the Government against deportation. The descendants of those who remained in Australia are known today as Australian South Sea Islanders. The generation of South Sea Islanders who remained after deportation were subjected to ongoing racial discrimination and harsh treatment, including restrictions as a consequence of government legislation. Some trade unions also adopted exclusionary practices which disadvantaged the community. Many Australian South Sea Islanders are today still living in conditions well below the standard of living enjoyed by most other Australians.

The Australian South Sea Islander community has played a major role in the economic, cultural and regional development of Queensland. Australian South Sea Islanders provided labour to help build local economics and key industries.

They played a significant role in the sugar industry. They also contributed to the development of farming and grazing, as well as the maritime industry, pearling, mining, the railways, domestic services and childcare. Individual Australian South Sea Islanders have excelled in politics, government, religion, sports, art, business, health and education. They have also served the nation as members of the defence force in times of peace and war. While their work benefited the State as a whole, Australian South Sea Islanders remained in a state of poverty.

Australian South Sea Islanders’ unique spirituality, identity and cultural heritage enrich Queensland’s culturally diverse society. For more than a century their culture, history and contribution to Queensland have been ignored and denied. Even today there is a little knowledge or understanding among the Australian community about Australian South Sea Islanders.

The government acknowledges and regrets that Australian South Sea Islanders experienced unjust treatment and endured social and economic disadvantage, prejudice and racial discrimination. The Government also recognises that Australian South Sea Islanders continue to face significant disadvantages.

The Queensland Government is committed to ensuring that present and future generations of Australian South Sea Islanders have equality of opportunity to participate in and contribute to the economic, social, political and cultural life of the State.

The Queensland Government requires its departments and other agencies to act on this commitment through their policies, programs and services.

The Honourable Peter Beattie MLA – Premier

The Honourable Ray Hollis MP – Speaker – Queensland Parliament

The Honourable Rob Borbidge MLA – Leader of the Opposition

7 September 2000

The issueofAustralianGovernmentrecognition and/orallAustraliansknowingAustralianSouth SeaIslanderhistoryand cultureregularlyarosein writtenresponses.

Writtenresponses to surveyquestionsabout recognitionandacknowledgementalsohighlighted severalthemesofimportance toQueensland’s AustralianSouthSeaIslander community.These ‘recognitionthemes’entailedpracticalactions, outlinedbelow,andrecurredinother survey questionresponseshighlightingtheirimportance inhelping toachievepositive community outcomes:

  • AustralianSouthSeaIslanderhistoryand cultureshouldbetaughtinQueensland’s curriculum.
  • ThattheeconomiccontributionofAustralian SouthSeaIslandersandtheirancestorsbe properlyrecognised.
  • That there be better acknowledgement of the harsh and often discriminatory history of Australian South Sea Islanders.
  • That there be greater acknowledgement of Australian South Sea Islanders’ distinct ethnicity (in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other culturally diverse peoples).
  • That there be a greater understanding of Australian South Sea Islander associations with their ancestors’ original home islands, extended family connections and the problems caused by past removals.
  • That specific identification, assistance, consultation and action be granted to Australian South Sea Islanders.

A commonthemein surveyresponses wasthat recognitionandacknowledgementrequires practicalmeasures toidentifyandmeet specific AustralianSouthSeaIslanderneeds,althoughthe degree towhichrespondentsthoughtthis had alreadybeenachieved varied.

Mainstrengths

“AustralianSouthSeaIslander peoplearehardworking people.Theyareveryrespectful peopletoallculturesand arealwaystryingtowork inharmonytomakebetter outcomesforall.” Surveyrespondent(anonymous)

Respondentswere askedwhattheythoughtwere thethree main strengthsoftheAustralianSouth SeaIslander communityinQueensland today.

Strong familylinkswere overwhelminglyindicated asthe main community strength by 74per cent ofrespondents.In addition, 33.3per centof respondentsindicatedthe roleofAustralianSouth SeaIslandersinQueensland’seconomic, cultural andregional development wasanimportantcommunity strength, closely followed by30.1per centofrespondentswhoindicatedtherecognition ofElders wasa major community strength.(See Table7inAppendix2 for furtherresponses.)

Positivefuture

“As an Australian South Sea Islander, for me it’s not about getting more support, it is about being recognised for our contribution to this land and an understanding of what was endured by ancestors….”Surveyrespondent(anonymous)

When asked,“Whatarethethreemost important thingsthat will lead toapositive future for Queensland’sAustralianSouthSeaIslander community?”the leadingresponse,given by 67.8 per cent ofrespondents, was‘morerecognitionof AustralianSouthSeaIslanders’ unique cultureand history’.‘AustralianSouthSeaIslander community unity’ wasindicated asthenextmostimportant factor for a positive future by 41 per centof respondents, followed by‘strongwell-resourced communityorganisations” witha38.3per cent response rate.(See Table8inAppendix2 for overall collatedresponses.)

Practical actions

“Allocated Government resources for Australian South Sea Islanders targeted at health, education, housing, job opportunities and scholarships.” Surveyrespondent(anonymous)

Respondentswere asked toindicate“Whatpractical actions wouldimproveoutcomes forQueensland’s AustralianSouthSeaIslander community?” Responsesarepresentedat Table9inAppendix2. This questionelicited multi-responses,32per cent of which havebeengrouped underthebroad theme of‘honouringtheActionPlan’sintent’.

Thenext twohighestproportions ofresponses had educationalthemes.Betteracknowledgementof AustralianSouthSea Islander culture andhistory through curriculuminitiatives wasseen by 24.7 per centofrespondents asimportant, closely followed by 23per centofpeopleindicating educationservices, scholarshipsandopportunities forAustralianSouthSea Islanders wouldimprove communityoutcomes.

Withregards toeducationattainment,respondents were askedaseparatemulti-responsequestion, “If youwere todomore study,what wouldhelp you achieve your goal?”As canbeseenin Table2,the highestresponse rates tothisquestionreflectthe lastpracticalactionoutlinedabove:

Table2:Ifyouweretodomorestudy,whatwouldhelpyouachieveyourgoal?

Achievingstudygoals / Frequency / Percentage
Scholarshiptogotouniversity / 133 / 39.7
ScholarshiptogotoTAFEorgetothertrainingqualifications / 124 / 37.0
Betterlearningsupport(e.g.tutoringormentoring) / 105 / 31.3
Moretimeforstudyortraining / 99 / 29.6
Lessdiscrimination / 57 / 17.0
Accesstochildcareandfamilysupport / 46 / 13.7
Scholarshiptofinishschool / 29 / 8.7
Closereducationalfacilities / 29 / 8.7
Improvedhealth / 26 / 7.8
Bettertransport / 18 / 5.4
Other / 28 / 8.4
Base / 335 / -

Responses tothequestion“If youwerelooking fora joborabetter job,what wouldhelp you?” indicatedmoreaccess to jobinterview training and/ormentoringandotheraffordable training (28.4%) wouldbethemostbeneficialoutcome, followed byahighereducation level(25.6%). Lessdiscriminationaccounted for 21per cent ofresponses, closely followed byemployment assistanceservices(19.5%).Otherresponsesare collatedin Table 24inAppendix2.

Improvedservices

“Itwouldbefantastic tohave ASSIspecificemployment programs(suchasthe IndigenousCadetshipScheme) incentivisedjobsforemployers liketheIndigenoushave.” Surveyrespondent(anonymous)

Respondentswerealso asked toprovide short writtenresponses tothequestion,“Inbrief,what istheonethingthat wouldimprovetheservices below for you asanAustralianSouthSeaIslander?” Theserviceslistedwere:health,education,social services(e.g. child care,aged care,disability care), employment,housing,police, transport,emergency services(e.g.ambulance,fireservices), legaland otherservices.

Whileresponsesweregiven for eachdifferent servicelisted, commonthemesemergedacrossthe total serviceresponses and,inbrief,included:

  • AvailabilityofAustralianSouthSeaIslander specific services,programsand/orassistance suchas:financial assistance,apprenticeships, trainingandmentoring
  • Provisionofculturalawarenesstrainingand educationforemployers,businesses,teachers, servicedeliverystaff,etc., tobettermeetthe needsofAustralianSouthSeaIslanders
  • Thesamechoices,services,benefitsandrights as Aboriginal and/orTorresStraitIslander peoplesbutwithrecognitionofcultural difference
  • AustralianSouthSeaIslander targetedor identifiedemploymentopportunitiesincluding cadetships,training,incentiveschemesandthe like.

Underlyingalloftheseresponses isthe assertionof adistinctAustralianSouthSeaIslanderethnicand culturalidentity,whichrequires specialrecognition and tailoredservices,programsandbenefits.

‘Identity’ is central to manyofthe issuesand themeshighlightedin current survey responses. Mentionedanumberoftimesin overallwritten surveyresponses wastheneed fora clear AustralianSouthSeaIslanderidentifier tobe added toall governmentand otheragency forms.

Tables11 to 19inAppendix2provideindividual collationofthepracticalactionsgiven by respondents to eachservicearea surveyed.

Communityknowledge,strengths, identityandrelations

“Establishagovernance structurethatwillenableSouth SeaIslanderstoinfluence politicalparties.Strongregional collaborativeorganisations acrossQueenslandwiththe mainpriorityofraisingthe profileofSSIpeople.”Surveyrespondent(anonymous)

Thesurveyclearlybroughtforwardanarrayof viewsandpriorities.Therichnessanddiversityin people’s surveyresponses isto beexpectedfrom anengaged andactivecommunityand addstothe webofknowledgeaboutQueensland’sAustralian SouthSeaIslandercommunity’sneedsand priorities.Importantly,however,someresponses tosurveyquestionsindicatedalackofknowledge aboutalreadyavailableservicesandprograms,or howparticularinitiativesworked.

Asnoted earlier, 62per centof surveyrespondents indicatedthey haddualormulti-culturalheritage (i.e. claimedAustralianSouthSeaIslanderand Aboriginaland/or TorresStraitIslander cultural heritages).[6]

Issues withAustralianSouthSeaIslandersbeing incorrectly labelled as Aboriginaland/or Torres StraitIslander foraccess toservicesandprograms werehighlighted insomewrittenresponses.On theother hand,someresponsesindicatedtension aroundpeople‘wrongly’identifyinginorder to access assistanceorentitlements designated to Aboriginaland TorresStraitIslanderpeoples.

Survey responsesalsoindicatedthat connections back toancestralhomelands,and understanding theimpactoftheremovaland subsequentreturning ofancestors tothe Pacificregionand/orthosethat stayedinAustralia,areimportantidentity factors for consideration.

ActiveAustralianSouthSeaIslander community organisations, strong communityidentityanda strong commitment to work together topromote communityinterestsdrew comparableresponses as community strengths, butdidnot rank asthe overallthree main strengths(see earlier main strengths discussion).A caveat isrequired inthat manyrespondentsindicatedthey wouldlike to have selected morethanthree main strengths.

Written commentsacross surveyquestionsabout communityorganisational unitywerebothpositive and critical.However, community unityand strong well-resourced communityorganisationswere alsoseen astwoofthethreemostimportant requirements forapositive future forQueensland’s AustralianSouthSeaIslander community.

Someresponsesrelating toAustralianSouth SeaIslanderrecognitionandacknowledgement indicated community basedinitiativesand resourceswerealsoimportantandbetter communityengagement wasneeded.

Whilefewerinnumber,somerespondents indicated recognition hadbeen forthcoming,providing opportunitiesand fosteringasenseofpride. Appropriaterecognition canalsobeapowerful emotionaland symbolicgesture.Whilethe call for aNationalDayofRecognitionor similar cultural eventsand commemorationsdidnot surpassother initiativesintermsofactions forapositive future, therewerenumerous commentsthroughout survey responsesthat spoke to suchinitiativesbeing important forpromotingrecognitionand awareness whileinstillingprideinthe community.

Next steps

Thefocusofthesurveywasto gatherinformationaboutthe attitudes,needsandpriorities of Australian South Sea IslandersinQueenslandtoday.

Responsesindicatedbetterrecognitionof AustralianSouthSeaIslanders’ uniqueidentity was stillneeded.Acknowledgementofaseparate AustralianSouthSeaIslanderidentityinthe nationalCensusandmulti-heritageidentification choiceson governmentandon-government forms may enhanceafeelingof community unity and common purpose.

TheteachingofAustralianSouthSeaIslander historyand culturein school wasseen as essential forbroader communityknowledgeand understanding, as was cultural awareness training inorganisations.

Whilefeedback fromrespondents may have differed, manyresponses statedoralluded tothe need forbetterserviceprovision,programsand/ oractions specifically tailored forQueensland’s AustralianSouthSeaIslander community.

The surveyfindingsarea publicresource to increase community, governmentandother stakeholders’ awarenessof current issuesand aspirationsofthe AustralianSouthSea Islander community.Thefindings willbedistributed widely to governmentagenciesandotherservice providers for considerationwhen planning future programs, targetedimprovements toservice deliveryandotherinitiativesinvolvingthe community.TheAustralianSouthSeaIslander community mayalsoutilisethe surveyresults for advocacyand toinformtheir owninitiatives.

Thefullreportrelatingtothissurveyisavailable onlineat

More information

For more informationregarding thesurveyplease contactMulticultural AffairsQueensland:

Phone:(07)32245006

Email:

Appendix1:Surveyquestionnaire

Surveyquestions

AustralianSouthSeaIslandersarethedirectdescendantsofSouthSeaIslandersbrought toAustraliabetween1863and1904toworkasindenturedlabourers

Q1aAre you an AustralianSouthSea Islanderin Queensland? (Pleasetick)
□ / Yes / Pleasecompletethissurvey.
□ / No / Endsurvey.

Q1bCanyoualsoidentifyas:(Please tick)

□ / AnAboriginalperson
□ / ATorresStraitIslanderperson
□ / AnAboriginalanda TorresStraitIslanderperson
□ / Noneofthese
AboutAustralianSouthSeaIslanderCommunityRecognition...
Q2WhatdoesAustralianSouthSeaIslanderrecognitionmeantoyoutoday? (Pleasetickallthatapply)
□ / GovernmentacknowledgementofAustralianSouthSeaIslanders’uniquecultureand history
□ / Queenslanders’ingeneralknowaboutAustralianSouthSeaIslanders’uniquecultureand history

□Other:pleasesayanythingelsehere:

______

______

Whatdoyouthink aboutthefollowingstatements?

Q3aTheQueenslandGovernmentacknowledgestheuniquecultureandhistoryofthe Australian SouthSeaIslandercommunity.(Pleasetick)
Istrongly disagree / Idisagree / Ineitheragree nor disagree / Iagree / Istrongly agree
□ / □ / □ / □ / □

Pleasesayanythingelsehere: