The Hon John Howard MP
Prime Minister
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Australia
Dear Prime Minister John Howard and Minister of Tourism Ian MacFarlane:
We, the undersigned, have joined together to inform you that we are participating in a tourist boycott against Australia.
Our decision is based on Prime Minister Howard's recently adopted plan to institute what we consider draconian measures against Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.
In particular, we are protesting the intention to institute compulsory medical examinations of Aboriginal children under the age of sixteen.
We consider the overall effect of Prime Minister Howard's stated plan to be racist, immoral, and illegal in terms of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
Our decision to call for a tourist boycott of Australia is a principled stand for human rights, equality, and justice. It is also an urgent and immediate call to effectively remove police and armed forces and, thereby, end the occupation of Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory.
For these reasons, we join the call from Aboriginal leaders and elders at the International Day of Action (July 14), to end Prime Minister Howard's unjust policies in the Northern Territory.
We have no wish to make this boycott last any longer than necessary. But we will continue to participate as long as Prime Minister Howard's policies toward the Aboriginal people of the Northern Territory remain in force.
Sincerely,
Tourist Boycott of Australia Campaign
