Josephite Aboriginal Ministry Network

National Day of Action

2010-01-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

13 February 2010 “SORRY IS NOT ENOUGH”
National Day of Action

Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Byron Bay,Alice Springs, Darwin, Perth

2nd Anniversary of the Apology to the Stolen Generations

Still no compensationStill a racist NT Intervention
Still Deaths in CustodyLess jobs, more imprisonment for Aboriginal people

See ROLL BACK THE INTERVENTION SITE

Bess Nungarrayi Price

2010-01-13T23:19:00.001-08:00

Bess Nungarrayi Price ……From: The Australian - August 27, 2009 12:00AM
Bess Nungarrayi Price is the chairwoman of the Northern Territory's Indigenous Affairs Advisory Council. This is a speech she prepared for a meeting of the Rollback the Intervention group.
I WAS born under a tree at a place called Yuendumu. My father was 10 when he first saw a white man. I speak Warlpiri and some of four other languages plus English.
We have had so many self-appointed people, black and white, who have decided to be our spokespeople, who know nothing about us and our issues.
They are the people who have been running the show all these years without ever asking us whether it's OK for them to do so. They are the people who want to keep us in the dark as if we are some sort of Stone Age people.
It took urgent measures by the federal government in 2007 to help our people, for them to recognise what was happening to them and do something for themselves before it was too late.
I am one of those people who embraced the government's move. To me it meant at last somebody was acknowledging there was a crisis that needed to be addressed. For a long time our people's lives have been in a state of crisis, spiralling downwards, rapidly, uncontrollably.
The protesters against this intervention seem to care only when whitefellas kill blackfellas. They don't care when our kids are killed by their own people or they commit suicide.
Three of my brothers drank themselves to death in the Alice Springs town camps. Two nieces, one 21, one 26, did the same.
My granddaughter was murdered in a town camp, stabbed by her ex-husband. The ambulance wouldn't go in there without a police escort because the drunks attack them when they go there to save a life. So she died waiting for them.
I could go on all day about the violence I have seen. Yet these protesters treat me like an enemy. They have told the world that I am a drunk and that I support the government only because it pays me to do work for them.
They have never given me a chance to talk at their rallies.
They bring white students and cranky Kooris and Murris up from down south who know nothing about us and who hate whitefellas. They look for local people who think like they do and try to keep the rest quiet and away from the media.
I know plenty of Aboriginal women here who want the intervention because they can feed their kids now.
The protesters treat them like enemies as well. They never support the old women who come in from the bush to protest against the grog.
They attacked the women at the women's centre at Yuendumu when they set up their own shop. They took the side of the violent men and the corrupt ones in our communities and refused to support the women worried about their kids or sick of being beaten up by drunks. They have never even tried to talk to us.
White people told us that they wanted to preserve our language, so now my people can't express themselves to the rest of the world and rely on white people to do it for them. I went to school before the bilingual program started, yet I speak Warlpiri and English better than our kids and our grandkids.
Our people need to be challenged. There needs to be an open and honest debate among ourselves. These protesters have done their best to stop that from happening, calling it "solidarity". With all the money the government has poured into our self-managed organisations and communities, everything has gotten worse.
Our organisations can put energy into campaigning against government policies and getting the UN to take notice of their views, but they don't stop our men from murdering our women, our kids from killing themselves. They don't keep our languages alive. All they can do is bleat for more money. We have the strength ourselves if we can only be honest for once. The intervention started this debate. That is the best thing about it. It has made us think for the first time about what's happened to us, where we are and where we want to go.
The Racial Discrimination Act has not protected our people from ourselves. Now we know that and can do something about it. Let's roll forward instead of backwards.
I was disgusted by the two meetings with you (the Rollback the Intervention group) that I attended in Alice Springs. All the talking was done by English speakers.
Almost all of the ones talking do not speak our languages. They had no interpreters so my people could tell you what they think. The announcements relating to the meetings were last minute, in English and hidden away in the classified ads that my people don't, and many can't, read.
I asked people to come and talk but they said: "Kurntangka" - shameful. Those people at the meetings do not make them feel welcome or confident; in fact they intimidate them.
My people, the ones with the problems that the intervention is designed to address, were deliberately excluded. They were lining up and down at the pub and the bottle shops as they do every day or sitting in filth in the camps worrying about their kids and waiting for the next round of grog-fuelled violence.
You were given a fairytale version of our culture by people who don't live by our law. That mob wants you to think that it is the government that causes all our problems. That is an outrageous lie.
The government gets it wrong because it consults with the wrong people. It gets it wrong because it cannot help people who won't, or don't know how to, help themselves. We want to be able to help ourselves.
We want leaders who will lead us out of our misery, not sit around whingeing about how hard their lives are when they have the jobs and the power. We want leaders who tell us that we are not victims who can't do a thing for ourselves but sit around dying while we wait for the government to get it right.
We want leaders who will convince our own mob to stop drinking, fighting and feuding, who will get our kids into school so we can produce our own professors of indigenous rights who can go to your country to listen to your people's stories.

Bess Price turned her back on Labor

2010-01-13T23:15:00.001-08:00

Reference:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/price-rej ects-labor-to-challenge-snowdon/story-e6frgczf-122 5809439446A RUDD cabinet minister and long-time member for the central Australian seat of Lingiari, Warren Snowdon will be challenged by Bess Price, a traditional Aboriginal woman who has turned her back on Labor and offered to run for the opposition at next year's federal election.Flamboyant and influential, Price recently delivered a blistering speech on how she believes Aborigines continue to be misrepresented.This week the indigenous domestic violence campaigner stepped up the fight by putting her hand up to run for the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party."I'm sticking my head out to make Aboriginal people know there's nothing to stop them achieving what they want to," Price tells Inquirer. "Why not have a black face to represent the Territory, and a female one too?" As grassroots politicians go, Price's credentials are strong. One of 11 children, she has an applied science degree from Curtin University of Technology, chairs the Territory Labor government's Indigenous Affairs Advisory Council and sits on the federal government's advisory council on violence against women.

Macklin's fudging of evidence

2010-01-13T23:12:00.001-08:00

Macklin's fudging of evidence

As a Minister who claims to be evidence driven, Macklin use of data is extremely suss. Her latest effort in justifying policy is her gross over promoting of the results of a very small and dicey survey of 76 income managed residents in four communities in the NT. Her sin is making unsubstantiated claims for the 'findings' which run counter to those reported by the Australian Institute of Health and welfare.

The results? The Australian ran the following article, which was then picked up other media, including the ABC, fairly mindlessly. Her media release came out much later, as did access to the AIHW report. She obviously chose to brief the Australian as the medium most likely to share her paternalistic views. The article says it all her way:

Welfare clamp boosts health Matthew Franklin, Chief Political Correspondent
a.. The Australian December 15, 2009 12:00AM THE Rudd government has received new evidence that the quarantining of welfare payments in indigenous communities has significantly improved health, with children eating more and gaining weight as their parents'
alcohol consumption fell.

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report into welfare quarantining shows three-quarters of the 16,000 people whose income is being managed by authorities were spending more money on food, with half buying more fruit and vegetables.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said last night the results reinforced her decision for a national rollout of income management into disadvantaged communities from 2012.

She told The Australian the findings showed income management, introduced under the Howard government's emergency intervention into indigenous communities, was helping to improve living conditions for children and families in indigenous communities. She said the report showed that income management could produce benefits across the nation.

The AIHW report, which was a commissioned study, worked hard with inadequate data to fulfil the brief of a contracted research project. Their report is a very good illustration of the conflicts that ethical research organisations go through when they know what the government wants but cannot deliver it.
If I was still teaching Research Methods to social science students, I would set it as compulsory reading. The following quotes express their serious doubts about the quality of the data, which incidentally they did not collect.

In the summary their report states:

The research studies used in the income management evaluation (point-in-time descriptive surveys and qualitative research) would all sit towards the bottom of an evidence hierarchy .A major problem for the evaluation was the lack of a comparison group, or baseline data, to measure what would have happened in the absence of income management.

Later in the same section

The approach taken by the AIHW in writing the evaluation report was to triangulate the

findings of a number of different studies by looking for common issues and themes, and to draw these together around the key evaluation questions.
While this approach resulted in evidence that had more strength and validity than the results of a single study, the overall

evidence about the effectiveness of income management in isolation from other NTER measures was difficult to assess..

Later again more doubts are stated

The evaluation findings would have greater strength if these views were supplemented by

empirical indicators that showed evidence of the changes reported by the various stakeholders. In addition, there were some data quality issues with the research conducted for the evaluation. The 2009 Client interviews, for example, included only a relatively small number of clients (76) from 4 locations, who were not randomly selected for interview. The stakeholder focus group report did not attribute many of the findings to particular stakeholders. It was therefore often difficult to identify whose views were reported, or whether they applied to the majority of stakeholders in the focus groups.

Again

A major challenge for the evaluation was to separate the impact of income management from these other measures introduced as part of the NTER. In some cases it was difficult to attribute the outcomes achieved to one particular measure, especially for the higher-level outcomes which were common to a number of NTER initiatives

In order to measure changes in spending patterns, quantitative data on expenditure before and after the implementation of income management would be required. There were, however, no quantitative baseline data on expenditure patterns. The evaluation, therefore, had to rely primarily on the perceptions of stakeholders about whether they had changed. A key source for this information was the 2009 Client interviews, which included data on expenditure after income management, but these data were based on a small sample of clients who were not randomly selected.

These quotes indicate the serious doubts of a reputable research Institute, Despite the quite strong doubts in their Report, Macklin declares that there is 'proof' that Income management works. She bases this mainly on very wobbly data, mostly collected in a very long survey (an hour) from people who would have wanted to give the 'right' answers, as is shown by her use of statistics in her media release. Her basis is this small survey that cannot be extrapolated to 73 communities let alone the whole NT, plus some other dubious data

There is no adequate evidence that this type of compulsory program works anywhere. The AIHW report includes a brief summary of a literature search on the topic which found such mixed reports that it could not come to any conclusions. Outside factors make such evaluations very difficult as they have done here. Certainly for some communities, and groups there is evidence they like the process and it works for them but the question is why not make it voluntary? Misusing data to support compulsion is not acceptable.

She told The Australian the findings showed income management, introduced under the Howard government's emergency intervention into Indigenous communities, was helping to improve living conditions for children and families in indigenous communities. She said the report showed that income management could produce benefits across the nation. So watch out for the next episode of how to distort evidence to support political preferences.

_______________________________________________
WomenForWik mailing list
WomenForWik@whatsworking.com.au
http://www.whatsworking.com.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/womenforwik

Another Comment on Will They Be Heard

2009-11-24T22:15:00.000-08:00

Eva Cox writes:

Yesterday a group of well-qualified commentators released a report called Will they be heard?, which involved a detailed analysis of more than nine hours of consultations between FaHCSIA and Aboriginal communities at Bagot, Utopia and Ampilatwatja, plus government summaries of all consultations held.

Will they be heard? Not when is a consultation a continuation of the problem rather than the possible solution such as the federal government's attempt to justify its NT intervention.

Three community consultations in detail versus 500-plus, well spun? Who to believe?

They concluded the consultation process was designed to gain support from Aboriginal communities to preserve the special measures introduced in the intervention, thought to be good for communities, and therefore failed to record appropriately strong objections and concerns expressed about the whole intervention. The report therefore questions the validity of the process and expresses concerns that it could be used to justify retaining current discriminatory measures.

The response of minister Macklin was swiftly dismissive. Despite, the high status of people involved, e.g. Malcolm Fraser, Alastair Nicholson and Larissa Behrendt, Macklin dismissed it as it covered only three meetings out 500-plus, claiming also her process was validated by independent consultants CIRCA (hired by FAHCSIA). Her media release was triumphalist in structure, starting with the following "findings" that entirely backed the government's views.

Overall, people said that children, women and the elderly were now safer, better fed and clothed; they were getting a better night's sleep; and there was a reduction in humbugging for money for alcohol, drugs and gambling.
This was attributed to a combination of NTER measures, in particular income management, alcohol restrictions, community store licensing and the increased police presence;

People identified income management was delivering benefits, particularly to children, women and the elderly. The benefits included more money being spent on food, clothing and school-related expenses, and assisting with saving for large purchases, such as fridges and washing machines.

I have read the three transcripts of meetings in Bagot, Ampilatwatja and Arlparra/Utopia, which presumably were not very different to the rest in the issues raised and process deficiencies. None of the above issues were raised spontaneously by locals at any of these meetings, despite being told of their presumed benefits. When prompted, one or two comments were made but most of the discussion on income management was about resentment, shaming, being subject to compulsion and surveillance of spending and the many practical difficulties the processes imposed on them in managing bills and spending. Similarly, the public servants pushed hard to get responses on the shops' improvements, and fended off complaints about why they didn't control prices as they controlled so much else.

It seems incredible to me, as a long-term researcher, that the responses of these quite substantial communities would be so very different in their priorities and concerns to the other 70 communities. The design of the process, by stating the government position up front and then asking for feedback on specific parts of the program, made it more difficult for people to raise wider questions and be critical of the wider policy and processes.
Despite this attempt to direct discussion, the reports suggested that meetings wanted to, and did, move beyond the constraints. The question then becomes how much weight was given to the discussions that were not on the official preferred topics?

The CIRCA report, which is also on the website, offers evidence of how such differences in the reporting has happened. They confirm that the consultations they attended did comply with the brief they were given by FAHCSIA, i.e. they were run by public servants who explained to all what the intervention had done for them and then invited comments on a defined list of topics they wanted feedback on. However, the CIRCA report notes some tensions and states.

For example, in some tier 2 community meetings, the two proposed options for income management were not discussed, as participants spoke very passionately about not wanting income management to stay, and given this response, it was not relevant to then ask people to discuss the two options proposed in the discussion paper.

Later, the report states:

The summary of the income management section identifies the level of opposition to the two income management options included in the discussion paper. However, the summary identifies the voluntary model with triggers for those not managing their money as the preferred model. We believe this over-simplifies the level of discussion and responses to some extent, as many said income management should be stopped, and the trigger model was acceptable as an alternative solution, rather than the preferred solution.

This can hardly be seen as an endorsement of the process from FAHCSIA's own consultants. If we combine these doubts with the concerned citizens reporting on the transcripts, filmed meetings and other reports, and the acknowledgment later in the government report of some concerns, the intentions of the government to maintain very unpopular programs is ridiculous.

The government report itself states:

a) the need for and desire of Aboriginal people to take greater ownership of solutions to the problems that the NTER is seeking to address;

b) that Aboriginal people valued the opportunity for genuine consultation and involvement in the development of policy and programs to address these complex problems, and considered this to be central to achieving successful, long-term outcomes

Macklin appears to be using this process to retain aspects of control and shaming that are inherent, for instance, in income quarantining by claiming these can be justified as special measures under a reinstated Race Discrimination Act. She must not ignore views that are widely held in the NT that aspects of the intervention have damaged potential good relationships with governments and undermined the capacity of local communities to take control of local issues. Small gains in practical areas do not balance out major insults to dignity and respect.

Will they be heard? illustrates clearly that at these consultations Aboriginal people showed strong concern about the continuation of such special measures and discomfort at the impact that the measures have had on their lives to date. These concerns included:

a.. Concern about the discriminatory application of the intervention
b.. Concern about compulsory income management
c.. Resentment about the implication the Aboriginal people use pornography
d.. Concerns about the prominent signs relating to alcohol and pornography bans erected at the entrances to their communities
e.. Concern that little has been delivered in services and infrastructure since the intervention.

_______________________________________________
WomenForWik mailing list
WomenForWik@whatsworking.com.au
http://www.whatsworking.com.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/womenforwik

Nominations Called For......

2009-11-24T21:56:00.001-08:00

NOMINATIONS FOR COUNCIL FOR AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC WOMEN

During the CACW's meeting last week the nominations submitted for membership on the Council for Australian Catholic Women were considered. The nominations were most impressive! The CACW makes recommendations to the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry which appoints the members of the
council. In discerning these nominations the council was very aware that
no Indigenous women had been nominated. This is of great concern as Joan Hendriks, a descendant of the Ngugi people of Moreton Bay is finishing her term on the CACW. The CACW invites and encourages you to consider nominating an Indigenous woman to this council. Please contact Kimberly Davis should you need any further information. (P 0262019867)

Victorian Josephites Attend the launch by Malcolm Fraser of Will They Be Heard?

2009-11-24T21:54:00.000-08:00

Northern Territory Emergency Intervention

24 November 2009

Last night Joan Hamilton and I, together with others from ACMM, attended the launch by Malcolm Fraser of Will They Be Heard? in the Law School of Melbourne University. This document is a response to the Northern Territory Emergency Response, commonly known as ‘the Intervention’. It presents, mostly in the words of Northern Territory Aboriginal people, a compelling argument that suspending the Racial Discrimination Act in Northern Territory communities was unnecessary: services were needed but could have been brought to the people in partnership instead of in a disrespectful, paternalistic action undermining dignity and violating human rights.

During this current Spring Sitting of Federal Parliament an amendment to the Intervention will be debated. The initial Intervention was undertaken just prior to a Federal Election without consultation or discussion with the Aboriginal people. A more measured approach addressing problems the communities have been raising was promised by the Rudd Government during its election campaign.

Unfortunately a government consultation process, undertaken in July and August this year, had major difficulties including lack of qualified interpreters, or even total lack of interpreters, failure to explain complex the NTER measures and the complex legal problems and confusion about whether continuation of essential services was dependent on compliance with the Intervention. Nevertheless feedback from all of the communities highlights problems with Intervention.

While the government consultation was taking place the group Concerned Australians, in conjunction with the communities of Bagot, Amplitatwatja and Arlparra/Utopia filmed the consultations in these communities. Excerpts from the film were shown to the large audience gathered at Melbourne University; Malcolm Fraser had viewed the footage of the total sessions. The Aboriginal people filmed at these sessions were articulate and forceful. Full transcripts are a valuable part of the weighty report Will They Be Heard? Though this meticulous and time consuming process could not be replicated in all Northern Territory communities the general themes are also echoed in the summaries of the Government’s own NTER Future Directions Report.

We left this session convinced that:
- the Racial Discrimination Act needs to be re-instated with no ‘special provisions’ designed by the Government to leave the Intervention unchanged
- resources are needed for health, education, housing, employment and child protection; it is not necessary to waive human rights to supply these resources
- working groups of Aboriginal people, accountable to their communities, should be genuinely involved in all decisions regarding redesign the Intervention

Joan and I will receive a copy of Will They Be Heard? by E-mail. This can be passed on to anyone interested.

February 13, 2010 Intervention Day of Action

2009-11-12T22:18:00.001-08:00

The next major initiative in the campaign against the NT Intervention will be a national day of action on February 13 next year with the theme: "Sorry means you won't do it again - Stop the NT Intervention".Protests are being organised in a number of major cities. Already, there are preparations being made in Sydney, Melbourne and Alice Springs.Below and attached is a letter requesting endorsement for the rally taking place in Sydney. At the moment, we are only seeking the endorsement of organisations (rather than individuals), so we are asking supporters to raise the issue and seek the support of their union, community organisation, workplace etc.For supporters outside of NSW you can contact Marisol in Melbourne on 0413597315 or Marlene Hodder in Alice Springs on 0438816851 to find out how you can help build support for these events. A full list of events nationwide will be posted as the information comes in.in solidarity,Paddy GibsonStop the Intervention Collective Sydney0415800586Request for endorsement of protests on February 13, 2010On the 13th of February 2010, Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney (STICS) isorganising a protest as part of a national day of action against the NT Intervention andfor Aboriginal rights.February 13 will be the 2nd anniversary of the Apology, when Prime Minister Ruddcommitted the government to, “a future where this Parliament resolves that the injusticesof the past must never, never happen again”.But these injustices are continuing to be inflicted on communities in the NT. The samepaternalism and commitment to assimilation that created the stolen generations isplaying out through policies such as the compulsory acquisition of Aboriginal land,controls on Aboriginal income, the push to centralise hundreds of remote communitiesinto ‘hub towns’ and severe restrictions on the use of Aboriginal languages in schools.The demonisation of Aboriginal people at the core of the Intervention is leading toincreased racism across Australia. Aboriginal juvenile detention rates continue toincrease and now stand at almost 30 times the national average. The Australian(22/08/09) reported that, “the most recent statistics on child removals show Aboriginalchildren are being taken from their parents in numbers much greater than the StolenGenerations.” Aboriginal men are 5 times more likely to be incarcerated than black menin Apartheid South Africa.The Rudd government is promising to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA), butthis continues to be delayed and Minister Jenny Macklin has been clear that Interventionpolicies will not change. Discriminatory laws will be classified as “special measures”under the RDA, operating “for the benefit” of Aboriginal people.But the Intervention has not built a single house and communities are being told they willreceive no housing until they sign 40-year leases over their land. The welfare quarantineis leading greater poverty and social dislocation. Aboriginal people have consistentlydemanded an end to these measures.In July, the Alyawarr people at Ampilatwatja walked-off their community and establisheda permanent protest camp. Spokesperson Richard Downs says, “We are fed up with thefederal governments controls and measures, visions and goals forced onto us fromoutside. We are outcastes, isolated from all decision making. We will stay in this campuntil our demands are met”.Attached is a statement from many people in ‘Prescribed Areas’ calling for nationalprotests on February 13.This struggle needs support. In Sydney, there will be rally at 1pm at the Block in Redfernto hear from speakers and performers. At 9am a contingent of Aboriginal and non- Aboriginalpeople will begin a long walk, united against racism, leaving from La Perouse near the place where Australia was first invaded, to join the rally in Redfern.Demands for the protest are:Stop the NT Intervention – Sorry means you won’t do it againReinstate the RDA – racism is not a special measureLand rights, not leasesQuarantine racism, not welfareSelf-determination, not assimilationAboriginal controlled housing and services for all communitiesWe are asking your organisation to:- Endorse the protest and organise a contingent to participate- Make a donation to help with costs- Assist in promotion by circulating material amongst your networksIf you would like someone to come and address your organisation, to respond to thisletter, or if you need more information please get in touch the Stop the Interventioncollective by calling:Monique Wiseman on 0415410558Paddy Gibson on 0415800586Email : stoptheintervention@gmail.comIn solidarity,Larissa Behrendt, NAIDOC Indigenous Person of the YearBarbara Shaw, Mt Nancy Town Camp and Intervention Rollback Action Group (AliceSprings)Shane Phillips, CEO Tribal Warrior, RedfernMonique Wiseman, Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney

A STORY TO READ

2009-11-12T22:05:00.001-08:00

Hi my name is Ros Pierce. I am a Ngarrindjeri woman and my people are the traditional owners of the land around the Coorong in the upper south-east of South Australia. I am one of the Stolen Generation. I was removed at the age of 5 years and I returned to my people at the age of 18 years. I am now 58 years.

I have worked within Aboriginal communities most of my life at the grass root level. The areas I've worked in are drug and alcohol, family violence and Aboriginal family support worker. Later in my life, I received my degree in Nursing and continued work as a community nurse in the inner Adelaide area and remote nursing. For the past 10 years I've worked at SHine SA (formerly Family Planning SA) as the Coordinator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthworker Sexual Health education for the female staff.

The point I wish to make is as follows:
The NT Intervention strategy is not focusing on prevention, it is addressing the issues after they have occurred, such as diagnosis of rape and child abuse. The strategy needs to be focusing on early intervention and prevention with the use of an education strategy.

All Australian children and young people, especially Aboriginal children and young people should have access to comprehensive, age appropriate, relationships and sexual health programs, commencing with personal rights and safety in primary schools and before young people become sexually active.

Since colonisation, Aboriginal children, young people and women have been denied information about their rights including their sexual health rights, this has been a major cause of "ignorance" that has been a major factor in silencing the rape and sexual abuse of our women and our children.

I am an advocate for all Aboriginal children, young people and women in having access to comprehensive, age appropriate, relationships and sexual health education program.

Ros Pierce
ATSI Women’s Educator
Workforce Development Team
Sexual Health information networking & education SA Inc (SHine SA)
64c Woodville Road Woodville (PO Box 76 Woodville 5011)
Tel: +61 8300 5324 Email: ros.pierce@health.sa.gov.au Fax: +61 8 8300 5399 Website: www.shinesa.org.au email: info@shinesa.org.au

Aboriginal intervention plan rebadged to meet race discrimination laws

2009-10-19T21:12:00.001-07:00

Date: October 18 2009
STEPHANIE PEATLING
THE Federal Government's intervention into indigenous communities will be rebadged as a positive measure as part of its plan to make the policy comply with anti-discrimination laws.
Legislation reinstating the Racial Discrimination Act is expected to be introduced into Parliament as soon as this week.
Lawyers say the only way the intervention could be made compatible with discrimination laws is if it is recast as a special measure that is supported by the people it affects.
''It is clear that many affected communities do not support the measures and there are doubts as to whether they are improving the lives of Aboriginal men, women and children,'' president of the Law Council John Corcoran said.
The council said the alcohol bans, compulsory income management and the instruction that judges must ignore customary law in sentencing are inconsistent with discrimination laws. A government review of the intervention recommended welfare management should be voluntary.
Indigenous Affairs minister Jenny Macklin believes it is leading to better nutrition in communities and stopping families from feeling obliged to give cash to relatives.
The suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act was one of the most controversial aspects of the intervention when it was announced by the then Howard government in 2007.
The Australian Human Rights Commission has been pushing for its reinstatement for the past two years. Lawyer Julian Burnside said any changes made by the Government must also meet Australia's international obligations.
The spokeswoman said extensive consultations with the 73 affected communities had been held.
speatling@fairfaxmedia.com.au

NEW BOOK

2009-10-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

NEW BOOK - The City's Outback - Aboriginality's urban outback
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=16545
Reviewed: Pat Mullins October 16, 2009Gillian Cowlishaw: The City's Outback. Sydney, UNSW Press, 2009. ISBN: 9781921410871. Buy Online: http://www.unswpress.com.au/isbn/9781921410871.htm
Although many might wish to forget or deny the realities of Aboriginal history and contemporary issues, others find this inescapable because we cannot understand ourselves without relationship to Aboriginal people in this land. The City's Outback is good for all of us.

latest NATSIEC Newlsetter avialalbe now

2009-10-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

Go to this link:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs051/1101525183814/archive/1102551092986.html

Bridging the Gap Seminars

2009-10-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

Bridging the Gap Seminar's are coming to Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney in November 09.
This is an opportunity to hear directly about the real issues facing Yolngu (and other Indigenous) people along with real answers to these problems, shared by people working on the ground day to day.
Hosted by Richard Trudgen, CEO of ARDS, Educator on Yolngu Radio and author of acclaimed book Why Warriors Lie Down and Die in partnership with Witiyana Marika, founding member of internationally renowned Yothu Yindi band, and Dianne Gondarra, Yolngu language consultant and presenter on Yolngu Radio.
“This is not just a seminar, but an experience that all Australian's should have.”
To learn more about the seminar please click on the flyer attached.
Register now at http://www.ards.com.au/ or email seminars@ards.com.au to reserve your place as seating is limited.
Generous Discounts AvailableGroups of 10 plus people 50%Groups of 5 – 10 people 25%Students - 25%
Help us make a difference to Indigenous communities by forwarding this to your networks, donating funds or creating a link to our website. To learn more about our work check out our videos hosted by YouTube www.youtube.com/ARDSInc or go to http://www.ards.com.au/

Save the Homelands petition....sign today...watch video

2009-09-28T23:57:00.001-07:00

Thanks to GetUp members' support, the delegation traveled to Canberra to meet with key politicians during the week of the 7th September. You can see how it went by watching the video here . The campaign continues so keep your signatures coming in!
A delegation of Indigenous leaders from homeland communities are meeting with key politicians on Tuesday - at stake is the future of over 600 vibrant communities.
Add your name to the petition they will deliver next week:
Dear Prime Minister, Minister Macklin and Chief Minister Henderson, We ask you to increase investment in homelands which create healthy lands, healthy communities and healthy people. We ask you to provide practical support for what is working on the ground rather than limiting basic services to growth towns and forcing people to move from their ancestral lands. If you are serious about closing the gap then we ask you to listen to Indigenous voices."30,060 have joined this campaign - help us get to 30,000.

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/Homelands&id=747?dc=856,183308,1

Sir William Dean UNSW Speech

2009-09-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

LAUNCH OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH
WALES’ INDIGENOUS POLICY AND DIALOGUE
RESEARCH UNIT
SPEECH BY SIR WILLIAM DEANE
THURSDAY, 20 AUGUST 2009

Let me commence by acknowledging the traditional
Custodians upon whose ancestral land we are privileged to
be. I also acknowledge the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and
all the members of this University which has done so much
for the cause of Indigenous education and awareness at the
tertiary level in the forty years since Hal Wootten came here
as the Foundation Dean and Professor of the Law School. I
am proud, though only in an Honorary and unearned capacity,
to be part of your company.
I see my function this evening as essentially that of an
appetizer to Patrick Dodson’s substantial main course of
considered wisdom. There are, however, a couple of brief but
substantive comments which I wish to make in officially
opening the University’s new Indigenous Policy and Research
Unit. I introduce them through a story.
In 1998, when I was Governor-General, I attended the
funeral Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney of a woman
whom, both then and now, I hold in awe and admiration –
Colleen Shirley Smith. I was there uninvited and in a private
2
capacity and, in keeping with what I thought would be Mum
Shirl’s views and wishes about the proper place for a
Governor-General, I sat inconspicuously down the back. The
celebrant and principal speaker at the Mass was Father Ted
Kennedy, Mum Shirl’s confidant, supporter, guide and close
friend over many years. After mentioning some of her
tremendous achievements, Father Kennedy referred to her
extraordinary ability “to afflict the comfortable and comfort
the afflicted”. He then went on to tell a story which has had a
lasting influence on me personally and which I want to repeat
this evening. I note with considerable pleasure that the
relevant passages of Ted’s Eulogy are set out in Father Ed
Campion’s outstanding book, “Ted Kennedy, Priest of
Redfern”, which was launched by Danny Gilbert earlier this
month.
There was a memorable event late in 1980 when the first
ever National Conference of Catholic Social Workers was held
at St. Joseph’s College at Hunter’s Hill in Sydney. No
Aboriginals were invited. So Mum Shirl gathered a group of
friends and gate-crashed the Conference. As the invited
participants returned from dinner to the auditorium filled with
tables with white tablecloths bearing half-filled water bottles
and glasses, Mum Shirl took possession of the microphone
and began to speak. Rightly or wrongly, she thought that the
Conference members were trying to ignore her. Let me quote
Father Ted: “Shirley then proceeded one by one to tear the
tablecloths from tables. The bottles and glasses crashed and
rolled and splashed …”
3
My reason for recounting that story is not to lead up to
the punch-line recounted by Father Kennedy in his eulogy.
That punch-line was that, after Mum Shirl’s sterling
performance with the tablecloths, bottles and glasses, one of
the women attending the Conference rushed out to seek the
help of Paul Collins who was the official Co-ordinator. Paul
responded with one of his famous remarks: “But there are
300 social workers up there; that should be enough.”
My reason for recounting the story is that I think of Mum
Shirl and the tablecloths and bottles and glasses whenever a
government or anyone else fails to recognize how absolutely
essential it is that there be real and full – and not just
superficial – Indigenous participation in the formulation and
implementation of any policies and plans directed towards, or
particularly affecting, Indigenous Australians or their needs or
circumstances. Indeed, in seeking to advance true
Indigenous Reconciliation or to address the awful Indigenous
disadvantage which still afflicts our country, adequate and
informed dialogue with full Indigenous participation is not
only desirable at every state. It is absolutely essential.
At the same time, let me presume to point out that the
story about Mum Shirl and the tablecloths has a less obvious
negative message for all participants, both Indigenous and
non-Indigenous, in any such Dialogue. Paul Collins’ 300
social workers were, particularly in the context of the times,
4
undoubtedly good, conscientious and well-intentioned
people. Mum Shirl’s angry and dramatic reaction to their
failure to ensure appropriate Indigenous participation and to
their perceived hurtful ignoring of her was effective to make
her point in an unforgettable way. But I doubt whether it was
the most effective way of encouraging true dialogue or
whether Desmond Tutu or Patrick Dodson would have fully
followed her example. It is, of course, essential that all who
are conscious of the extent and the effects of past oppression
are convinced of the rightness, the urgency, and the critical
importance to our nation of Indigenous reconciliation, justice
and true equality, speak strongly and ambiguously about
those things. But, as I have commented on a number of
occasions in the past, I have no doubt that we will be most
effective and persuasive if we also have the strength and the
wisdom to speak quietly and constructively to our fellow
Australians who are yet to be convinced.
I add one further thought
Some time ago, at the invitation of the Gija people of the
East Kimberley, I delivered the Eulogy at the funeral at Bow
River of their leading Elder and Lawman, Paddy Bedford, who
also happened to be one of our nation’s greatest painters. As
each of the mourners, young and old, placed a small piece of
the soil of his homeland on his grave, I was conscious of both
my own great loss and of how many things I had learnt from
Paddy Bedford over the years of our friendship. Let me share
one of those things with you.
5
Paddy used call me his “Gija brother in Canberra” with a
slow smile of disbelief about how I could live in that city
among all those politicians who, no doubt because of the
occasional glimpse he had had on television of Question
Time, he saw as shouting at one another. More than anyone
else, PB taught me the occasional importance of silence in
any significant dialogue. How silence can allow time for
reflection and understanding and speak eloquently of
consideration, of respect, of trust. And how, for so many of
our Aboriginal brothers and sisters, time for thought and
understanding is essential to true dialogue and consensus.
Otherwise one can hope for little more than “intervention”
with all the implications and memories of past attitudes and
policies which that unfortunate word evokes. In that regard,
let me digress to express the hope that that unfortunate word,
“intervention”, will disappear from our language at least in so
far as government policies affecting Indigenous Australians
are concerned.
I mention these things because no-one understands
them better or better exemplifies the qualities of strength and
wisdom to which I have referred, than Patrick Dodson. I have
no doubt that under his direction the Indigenous Policy and
Dialogue Unit which we are launching this evening will
demonstrate their relevance and importance in informing and
guiding the search for justice and Indigenous equality in our
land.
6
I add a few concluding remarks.
The first is that I have been asked by Reconciliation
Australia, of which I am a Patron, to convey the unqualified
support of the Organisation for this outstanding new
initiative. Second, and on a more personal note, I want to say
to Patrick how conscious I am tonight of the friendship,
hopes, dreams and occasions which we have shared over the
years in the continuing quest for Indigenous Reconciliation. I
am also particularly conscious of how generous Patrick and
other Indigenous Australians continue to be in actually taking
the initiative in seeking a reconciled nation notwithstanding
the past. Finally, I would like to express my immense
pleasure in seeing so many friends and other people whom I
admire, associated with Patrick in this new and vitally
important endeavour. I am sure that I speak for us all in
wishing him and it the success that they richly deserve.
And now with extraordinary pleasure I launch the
Indigenous Policy and Dialogue Research Unit to be headed,
as Director, by Patrick Dodson, a wonderful Australian and
the University’s new Professor of Indigenous Policy.

Put Pressure on Government for Reinstating RDA

2009-09-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

A small group of concerned Australians has been working to put pressure on the government to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) in a way that will fulfil Australia’s obligations to international conventions and treaties.

The statement of the UN Rapporteur, James Anaya, on 27 August has confirmed that the NT Emergency Response in its current form is racist and incompatible with our international obligations – a link to his statement is attached.

Our government has stated the RDA will be reinstated in October this year. We are asking the government to ensure that the necessary steps be taken, including genuine negotiation with Aboriginal elders and their representatives, to ensure that the new legislation will be fully compliant with the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination as well as being in line with the requirements of the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to which our government has recently given its public support.

Parliament sits in October this year for two weeks, starting on Monday 19 October.
Each member of our group is proposing, on each of the four weeks prior to the sitting date to write to PM Kevin Rudd reminding him of Australia’s responsibilities. These weeks commence on:

21 September
28 September
5 October
12 October

We are hoping you would like to join us in this action. Content of the letter need only be brief (two or three lines) and can be drawn from the content of this letter (see parts in italics), from the attached statement by Professor James Anaya or from links on the information sheet.

We would be happy to send you an email reminder each week if we have your email address.

To have the greatest effect, letters could be hand-written, on letter-head if you have one, and sent by snail mail to the following address:

The Hon. Kevin Rudd,
Prime Minister of Australia,
PO Box 6022Parliament HouseCanberra ACT 2600

Joining us would help to make this action more effective. We hope you will!

If you wish to discuss your letters, please contact me by email or at home on 9514 7164 .

Warm regards,

Michele Harris

The ‘Bridging the Gap’ Seminars provide you with an insight into the depth of Indigenous culture not taught anywhere else.

2009-08-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

2009 Palm Island Mayor calls for workers to hold ‘black cards’

2009-08-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Media Release Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council
28 July

A recent case of swine flu, along with the death of a four-year-old girl in Doomadgee last week (not from swine flu), has prompted Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey to call for the introduction of a ‘black card’ system for all government and non-government workers on communities.
Palm Island’s community newsletter, the Palm Island Voice, reported today that the Mayor wants the system – which has already been implemented in Woorabinda – to be introduced across all communities.
“It’s working on Woorabinda,” he told the Voice.
“To get a black card people have to show they have some knowledge of cultural awareness and the particular history of the community they want to work in.
“If you have to have a blue card to work with children, I think we need to have a black card for anyone from outside of a community who wants to work in our community.”
He said the ‘black card’ idea was the brainchild of Bill Thaiday and Willy Sullivan, both based in Woorabinda, and has the support of the Shire Council there.
Mr Lacey also told the Palm Island Voice that the transition from state-controlled primary health care to community control, as was happening across Cape York and Yarrabah, needed to happen on all Aboriginal communities.
“We’re calling on the government now to look at a new framework for the delivery of health services in Aboriginal communities,” he said.
“Queensland Health needs to engage communities more heavily in terms of appointments of doctors and things like that.”

For more information contact Mayor Alf Lacey on 4770 1177

Need Volunteers?

2009-08-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

ICV works in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and provides assistance in designing and implementing community development projects. Any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individual, family, business, organisation or community can apply for community development assistance with ICV.

ICV volunteers can play an important role in your community, assisting you to develop the skills, human and community development that lead to a stronger future. Projects are conducted by community invitation only— your community decides on the skills needed, manages the project design and selection of volunteers, and runs the project in a way that works best for the community.

ICV will assist you with the application process, and will support your community and volunteers throughout the project. ICV is a not-for-profit, non-government organisation, and there is no fee for the service provided to communities.

2009-08-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Professor Anaya,

Many Australians, Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal, are hopeful of your support in communicating the following views to the Australian government.
There is strong support for the reinstatement of the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) in a manner which complies with human rights principles, and does not impose ‘special measures’
‘Special measures’ in their current and proposed form are discriminatory and opposed to by very many Aboriginal people.
‘Special measures’ were imposed on Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory in 2007. These ‘special measures’ are racist and would have been illegal had the RDA not been suspended.
The current ‘consultations’ process based on the ‘Futures Directions - discussion paper’ is flawed and any findings must be disregarded. The document is complex, biased towards preferred government policy, written in the English language and presented without the regular use of interpreters. Consultations are not transparent and no records of meetings are available.
Government must re-commit to the recently articulated principle that ‘one size does NOT fit all’, and provide choice to individuals and communities, including the choice to accept or reject any or all of the special measures.
Re-engagement in genuine negotiation with Aboriginal elders and their representatives must be commenced as soon as possible. The process must be transparent and independent facilitators should be engaged for the purpose. In this regard attention should be paid to the statement from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission:
“As Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christians, representing many different denominations and backgrounds, we are united against the NT Intervention in its current form” and asks government to, ‘Recognise the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to negotiate agreements with governments. We stress negotiation as distinct from consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples about the implementation of policy and programs which have already been already been developed and decided on”. (4 June 2009)
Professor Anaya, we welcome you to Australia and we call on you to encourage our government to respect and recognise the views of all Aboriginal people through genuine negotiation and respect for human rights. Consultations in their current form are manipulative and are aimed at maintaining racist legislation.

Yours sincerely,

NAME
ADDRESS or EMAIL or TELEPHONE
STATE

Return by August 15th to: RDA, PO Box 281, East Melbourne, Victoria 8002

SPECIAL REPORT - AUSTRALIA VISIT BY UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR

2009-08-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/rapporteur/

SPECIAL REPORT - AUSTRALIA VISIT BY UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR

UN Expert arrives in Australia

16 August 2009.

James Anaya the United Nations expert arrived in Australia today to examine the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. James was appointed as Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights and freedoms of Indigenous Peoples by the UN Human Rights Council, in May 2008. He is in Australia for two weeks, to 28 August, traveling to many locations to meet with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. He will fly in turn to Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Alice Springs, Darwin, Cairns, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.His first meeting will be with government to announce his visit and receive information and advice from government perspectives.He then will look to receiving information from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at the community level.This itinerary will allow him time to visit remote communities in central and northern Australia as well as experience communities and organisations in urban and rural areas.
The Special Rapporteur is particularly interested in the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.As his title suggests he is interested in how Australia is meeting its human rights obligations to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.At the end of his visit he will have a further meeting with the government to provide some feedback on his visit and preliminary findings.He will then prepare a report to the Human Rights Council possibly to be presented in early 2010.The government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives will have the opportunity to comment on the report after it is presented to the Human Rights Council.The Human Rights Council has shown considerable interest in and support for the rights of Indigenous Peoples since its formation in 2006, replacing the UN Commission on Human Rights.

Submissions to the UN Special Rapporteur can be sent by email to <indigenous@ohchr.org>

Join the electronic network today

2009-08-14T00:16:00.000-07:00

You are invited to join this network which allows for everyone to stay in touch and keep the flow of information and passion going