Image of an Aborigine in Budgeoli, Sydney Harbour, April 18, 2010. TORSTEN BLACKWOOD / AFP
An Aborigine challenged the Australian government in the Federal Court on Monday to obtain a lowering of the retirement age for Aboriginal men, citing a “historical disadvantageleading them to die younger than their peers.
Lawyers for this 65-year-old Wakka Wakka Aborigine have called for Indigenous Australians born in the same year as their client to be able to receive their pension from the age of 64, up from 67 currently.
Difference in life expectancy
According to the latest public statistics released in 2017, the Aborigines and natives of the Torres Strait have an average life expectancy of 72 years, almost nine years lower than other inhabitants of the Pacific country.
According to barrister Ron Merkel, who is representing the plaintiff, this discrepancy means that Indigenous Australians enjoy their pensions for less time than other Australians. “The compensation we seek aims to correct this disadvantage, a historical disadvantage that has persisted to this day.“, he declared in front of the court.
Read alsoIn Australia, the hard retrocession of their lands to the Aborigines
Although the lawsuit is only seeking a three-year increase in the retirement age, the man who brought it said reaching 50 is already a goal for most Indigenous Australians. “As an Aboriginal man I have seen too many people die at a very young age“, assured Dennis, who wishes to be identified only by his first name. “White people live longer because they haven’t lost what we lost. So much of what Aborigines suffer today (stems) from the way we have been treated since colonization“.
TO HAVE ALSO Australia’s former parliament catches fire during a protest for Aboriginal rights
Racial discrimination
The case focuses on the case of Dennis and Indigenous men born the same year as him, but according to his lawyer, the Federal Court ruling could lead to more general change, particularly with regard to Indigenous women whose life expectancy, estimated at 76 years, is some eight years lower than other Australian women.
During the introductory statements, a lawyer representing the government confirmed that the difference in life expectancy was real but that, for all that, this case did not fall under the laws on racial discrimination. According to experts, many inequalities are at the root of this difference, including a higher prevalence of chronic diseases among indigenous Australians.
TO HAVE ALSO – Australia: Withdrawal of Chinese cameras not ‘a political issue’