About Australian South Sea Islanders
Australian South Sea Islanders are the direct descendants of South Sea Islanders who were brought into Australia between 1863 and 1904 to work as indentured labourers. Most were brought to Queensland and New South Wales to work in the fledgling sugar industry. They are a distinct cultural group with a unique history and have contributed greatly to the development of Queensland. However, until the 1990's the Australian South Sea Islander community was mostly unacknowledged.
There are estimated to be between 12,000 and 20,000 Australian South Sea Islanders in Australia today, with the largest population residing in Queensland. The community was recognised by the Commonwealth Government as a unique minority group in 1994 following a report on the community undertaken by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
On 7 September 2000 Premier Peter Beattie presented in the Queensland Legislative Assembly a formal Recognition Statement of the Australian South Sea Islander community. It received bipartisan support. The Recognition Statement recognises Australian South Sea Islanders as a distinct cultural group acknowledging past injustices as well as significant contributions to the social, cultural and economic development of Queensland.
Other languages