By Daniel Hurst @danielhurstbne The Guardian Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard’s government fought strongly against recognizing the right of Indigenous peoples to “self-determination” and worked secretly with Canada to try to change a draft UN declaration, newly released cabinet papers show. The cabinet papers from 2003, released by the National Archives on Monday, show that some Australian government departments held concerns about potential impacts of the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples, but Australia’s talks with Canada on amendments were being pursued with “no Indigenous consultation about the process or its product” as such input would be “premature”. John Howard’s government ultimately opposed the declaration when it was adopted by the UN general assembly in 2007, with 143 countries voting in favour and just four –…
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