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Queensland Indigenous leader Les Malezer. Queensland Aboriginal leader wins major human rights award Thursday, 11 December 2008 9:27:17 AM By Adam Gartrell CANBERRA, December 11, 2008: The winner of a human rights award has criticised the Rudd government's approach to Indigenous affairs, saying it has failed to live up to the rhetoric of February's apology. Queensland Aboriginal leader Les Malezer was awarded the Human Rights Medal for 2008 at an Australian Human Rights Commission awards ceremony in Sydney on Wednesday. After the ceremony, Mr Malezer took aim at the Rudd government, calling its Indigenous policy "directionless". "I think what we've seen is the national apology, and that was very well-received both in Australia and internationally, but since that time there has been nothing," he said. He criticised the government for maintaining the commonwealth intervention into Northern Territory Indigenous communities, particularly welfare quarantining and the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act. "The apology was only words and their actions are going in the opposite direction," he said. Mr Malezer is the chairman of the Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action (FAIRA), which campaigns for the human and legal rights of Indigenous people. He also works for Indigenous rights internationally, and was heavily involved in convincing the UN General Assembly to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last year. Australia was one of just four countries to vote against the non-binding declaration when it was adopted in September 2007, because the Howard government feared it would elevate customary law above national law. At the time, Labor promised to endorse it but failed to do so in its first 12 months in office. Mr Malezer criticised the delay. "The government must make a decision to come out and support the declaration," he said. "Australia is just overdue in expressing its support." Mr Malezer said many of the government's policies - including the intervention - would have to be abandoned to be consistent with the declaration. University of Technology academic Jennifer Burn was highly commended for the medal, while the Young People's Human Rights Medal was awarded to University of Queensland medical student Alan Huynh. Other awards were presented to a range of people in law, the media and the community sector. - AAP Printer Friendly Version  Email Story to a Friend Submit Letter to Editor