Australia to hold state funeral for Aborigine activist

Perkins advocated reconciliation before the term was used politically

October 21, 2000
Web posted at: 8:09 AM HKT (0009 GMT)

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Charlie Perkins, an Aboriginal activist sometimes described as Australia's Martin Luther King Jr., will be given a state funeral, Prime Minister John Howard announced Friday.

Perkins, a passionate campaigner for Aboriginal rights who often criticized the government, died Wednesday of complications linked to renal failure. He was 64.

Australia usually holds state funerals only for government ministers, state leaders and the governor general, an unelected figurehead who represents the British monarch here. But on rare occasions, significant Australians who are not public servants also are accorded the honor.

Howard said a state funeral for Perkins was a recognition of his central role in indigenous affairs over the past 40 years.

"Charles Perkins had an enormous impact on the indigenous community for which he fought so hard," Howard said in a statement. "It is entirely appropriate, therefore, that he be honored in this way."

Indigenous leaders welcomed the decision as a significant step in the strained process of reconciling black and white Australians.

"Perkins was a great Australian. He was a champion of his people," said Geoff Clark, chairman of the country's largest Aboriginal group. "The federal government's decision to accord him the honor of an official state funeral is a significant boost towards reconciliation."

Perkins earned comparisons with King when he led a series of "Freedom Rides" into Outback towns in 1965 to confront segregation and discrimination. He gained world attention earlier this year when he told the British Broadcasting Corp. that Aborigines would riot in the streets during the Olympic Games.

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The University of Sydney
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies
Australian Government

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