Newsletter date: 3 March 2011
Contents:
* Indigenous survival: Where to from here? - Symposium on the 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
* The Desecration of The Sacred Alum Mountain
* ACTU Indigenous Conference in Darwin
* Two Surveys on racial relations in Australia
(1) Challenging Racism: The Anti-Racism Research Project
(2) Australian Reconciliation Barometer
INDIGENOUS SURVIVAL: WHERE TO FROM HERE?
- SYMPOSIUM ON THE 2007 DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research:
University of South Australia:
Symposium Program:
"2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
- Indigenous survival: Where to from here?"
9-10 December 2010
Here is the conference webpage where you can listen to all the presentations:
http://www.unisa.edu.au/ducier/research/symposium/speakers.asp
"Welcomes:
Kaurna welcome - featuring: Uncle Lewis 'Yerloburka' O'Brien, Auntie Georgina Williams and Auntie Joan Lamont, Jamie Ngungana Goldsmith, Steve Gadlabardi Goldsmith and Robert Thorpe
Vice Chancellor's welcome - Professor Peter Høj
Dean's welcome - Professor Peter Buckskin
Introduction to the symposium
Associate Professor Irene Watson (Convenor)
Speaker presentations:
* Ron Barnes (via Skype)
* Kevin Buzzacott
* Amy Cleland
* Pat Dudgeon
* Gary Foley
* Debra Harry
* Michael Mansell
* Russell Means
* Jill Milroy
* Glenn T. Morris
* Barbara Shaw
* Dianne Stokes Nampinjinpa and Mark Chungaloo
* Sharon Venne
* Irene Watson
* Frances Wyld
Additional speakers:
* Monica Morgan
* Nellie Patterson"
Here is the conference program:
http://www.unisa.edu.au/ducier/research/symposium/symposium.pdf
"Introduction
This symposium on the 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People – Indigenous Survival: Where to From Here? is a gathering of community, international lawyers, academics, students, policy makers and activists who have worked in the area of international law and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, some from the 1970s. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on September 13, 2007.
After the adoption of the Declaration expectations were high. The implications were that Indigenous Peoples’ rights to survival were protected forever. However, some commentators have criticised the Declaration as being less concerned with the rights of Indigenous Peoples to survive as distinct Peoples than it is with their broad universal human rights. ... [introduction continues on page 5 of conference program link: http://www.unisa.edu.au/ducier/research/symposium/symposium.pdf ]"
THE DESECRATION OF THE SACRED ALUM MOUNTAIN:
[BlackGreen)] Continuing vandalism of The Sacred Alum Mountain
http://lists.perthimc.asn.au/pipermail/blackgreensolidarity/2011-Februar...
8 Feb 11: "Mr Burke, You allowed further blasting to take place on The Sacred Alum Mountain on 7th February 2011 at 1.45 pm. This explosion was much stronger and louder than the first one. The noise and vibration of the machinery after the blast was also much louder, and in fact louder than the townspeople have ever heard it. ...
Worimi and Cynthia Dates, Custodians in Aboriginal Law of the Worimi People’s Sacred Mountain Estate, went to the entrance of The Alum Mountain Park just prior to the blast. There were a number of Environmental Protectors (what you no doubt would call ‘protesters’) with them. Worimi wanted to go to his Totem Poles that are in the Park, to show his respect, but he was stopped by Security Guards. ...
I am advised that the behaviour of one of the security guards was totally unacceptable. ...
How long do you intend sitting on Cynthia Dates Application for Protection of Alum Mountain under the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Heritage Protection Act, Mr Burke? ...
You must either declare that the mountain is NOT significant to the Worimi people, as your predecessor did, and that a dual-carriageway ‘near by’ the acknowledged ‘significant top’ of the mountain will not negatively affect it in any way, or you must declare that the mountain is HUGELY significant, not only to Indigenous Australians but to the nation and to the world, and protect it from further harm." Maureen Brannan
[BlackGreen)] Stop this blasting, Mr. Burke.
http://lists.perthimc.asn.au/pipermail/blackgreensolidarity/2011-Februar...
5 Feb 11: "Minister Burke, Why don't you come and drive through Bulahdelah while the RTA are blasting its sacred mountain? Bring your family too and expose them all to a few lung-fulls of this deadly airborne respirable crystalline silica/sulphuric acid rock dust. In fact, why don't all those ministers who refuse to do anything about this abomination, do the same to themselves and the people they love most in this world? Go and join the townspeople in the spike of cancer and silicosis that will be evident in future years. Not prepared to risk it? THEN DON'T ALLOW HUNDREDS OF OTHERS AND THEIR LOVED ONES TO RISK IT."
[BlackGreen)] Urgent Call Out & background on the Desecration of The Sacred Alum Mountain
http://lists.perthimc.asn.au/pipermail/blackgreensolidarity/2011-Februar...
5 Feb 11: "The RTA have announced (by dumping a few leaflets on the counter of a shop in Bulahdelah town) that sometime Monday morning they intend once again to undertake controlled explosions through the mid-slopes of The Sacred Alum Mountain, Boolah Dillah, and expose the residents (and anyone driving through the town), to yet another layer of respirable silica-bearing volcanic rock dust, just one inhalation of which can cause irreversible and progressive terminal lung disease. After coating the town with a thick layer of this deadly dust from the first blasting on 24/1/11, a great many residents experienced sore eyes, one of the documented symptoms of inhalation.* ... "
[BlackGreen)] Blasting to commence on The Sacred Alum Mountain
http://lists.perthimc.asn.au/pipermail/blackgreensolidarity/2011-January...
21 Jan 11: "Minister, The following flyer, printed in pale ink on an A4 sheet of paper, was posted in the Rural Transaction Centre (housing a part-time Centrelink & Credit Union office - only occasionally frequented by residents) and the Bulahdelah Post Office on Friday 21st January - No other notification has been given to residents: BULAHDELAH UPGRADE BLASTING NOTIFICATION ... "
ACTU INDIGENOUS CONFERENCE IN DARWIN:
CPSU: ACTU Indigenous Conference, Darwin, 16-18 February 2011
http://www.cpsu.org.au/aboutus/news/21688.html
15 Feb 11: "Creating decent and sustainable jobs to enhance indigenous economic development, the role of unions in promoting social justice, and the future of reconciliation will be on the agenda when the ACTU holds its inaugural Indigenous Conference in Darwin next week. ... Delegates will also hear a report back from a fact-finding mission to Central Australia on the Northern Territory intervention. Other issues to be discussed will include the future of the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), income management, and land rights."
- Media Release
Australian Council of Trade Unions:
Unions to form new partnership to advance economic and social justice for Indigenous Australians
http://www.actu.org.au/Media/Mediareleases/Unionstoformnewpartnershiptoa...
16 Feb 11: "Unions will today announce a new partnership with Indigenous Australians to campaign to improve the lives of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through decent jobs and sustainable economic development. ...
“Australian unions have always stood by our Indigenous brothers and sisters,” said ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence, who will open the ACTU Indigenous Conference in Darwin today. “We stood with Indigenous workers in the Wave Hill Station walk out; fighting for land rights, and stolen wages. ...
Mr Lawrence will today present a report on a delegation of Australian union officials that visited central Australia in November last year to observe first-hand the Northern Territory Emergency Response (“the Intervention”).
The delegation has identified shortcomings in self-determination, empowerment and representation in the Intervention. The union delegation was also told about the failures of the Community Development Employment Program, which has further entrenched Aboriginal people in economic dependency, along with the lack of opportunities for formal employment and training."
- Opening Address
Your Rights at Work:
Opening address by ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence at ACTU Indigenous Conference
http://www.rightsatwork.com.au/Home/Media/Opening-address-by-ACTU-Secret...
17 Feb 11: "The turn out for this conference is impressive and I believe demonstrates the union movement’s commitment to improving life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers, their families, and communities. ... as one elder has put it more bluntly: “The union helped my family when they walked off Wave Hill Station . . . Like you helped my ancestors, I need your help now.” I’m here at this conference because I think it’s time that a greater emphasis and focus of the union movement needs to be on what is happening to Indigenous people and communities now. ... Recently I was fortunate to participate on a delegation to Central Australia – what stuck with me, was the real need for us to be ready to be here for the long hall. We know while unions have been able to achieve significant gains for members and communities though bargaining and community campaigning, thousands of Indigenous workers remain without basic rights and are usually employed in the most vulnerable and insecure types of work." Jeff Lawrence
TWO SURVEYS ON RACIAL RELATIONS IN AUSTRALIA:
(1) CHALLENGING RACISM: THE ANTI-RACISM RESEARCH PROJECT:
University of Western Sydney:
Challenging Racism: The Anti-Racism Research Project
http://www.uws.edu.au/social_sciences/soss/research/challenging_racism
"A Project based at the University of Western Sydney
An important finding of the Challenging Racism Project is that Australians are in large part secure with cultural difference. However, there are still pockets of the country that hold on to ‘old-fashioned’ racist views.
The presence of any form of racism is harmful for both the targets of the prejudice and for Australian society as a whole. To assist in counteracting the existence of racism, the Challenging Racism Project team have compiled a list of useful, practical anti-racism initiatives and strategies - that local governments and individuals can access and use to address cultural prejudices in their own backyards."
- Analysis / Opinion
Treaty Republic: Largest ever racism study finds ... Australians are Racist
http://treatyrepublic.net/content/largest-ever-racism-study-finds-austra...
"Although the survey is questioned based and most people don't believe they are racist, there is still plenty of material here to prove what we already know. The only problem with a survey such as this is that it places people into pressures for answers that they know are not percieved to be politically correct - many will not own up to admitting racism towards Indigenous people; "I'm not prejudiced against Aboriginal people, but ... "
The survey reveals that nearly half of Australians are freely admitting to be racist is some way, albeit more racist towards Muslems than Aboriginals within the survey period - The few Australian media reporters that have picked up the story have been reading the survey with their usual prejudiced blinkers - All is fairly OK, apparently!"
- News
SMH: Race debate
http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/management/blogs/management-line/r...
2 Mar 11: "Muliticultualism is back on the agenda again with a new survey showing more than 41 per cent of Australian feel that Muslims, Aboriginals, Asians or Jews don't fit into Australian society ... Multiculturalism is back in the news and with the debate now focused on the Opposition’s position on multiculturalism, questions are being raised about whether xenophobia is a deep part of the Australian psyche evolved from an island nation. But is it fair to generalise?"
Warrnambool Standard: Study puts spotlight on racism
http://www.standard.net.au/news/local/news/general/study-puts-spotlight-...
2 Mar 11: "MANY south-west residents are uncomfortable with family members marrying foreigners, according to a major social science survey. A national study of attitudes towards race and multiculturalism has found Australians are mostly tolerant of cultural difference, including those living in south-west Victoria. However, the region reported higher than average opposition to the prospect of their relatives marrying people of different ethnicity or religion to themselves."
SMH: In a tolerant society, racists hear this: your race is run
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/in-a-tolerant-society-...
26 Feb 11: "Saddened and galled. That's how I felt when I read this week's news about Australians' attitudes to racial and cultural minorities, their prejudices against Muslims, Jews, Asians, and, most ludicrously of all, the original inhabitants of this country, the Aboriginal people. ... I was so dispirited with the University of Western Sydney's findings on racism that I had to read the results for myself. But when I went to the university's website, an unexpectedly heartening picture emerged. The findings weren't all bad."
Age: Survey finds NSW has most racial tension
http://www.theage.com.au/national/survey-finds-nsw-has-most-racial-tensi...
23 Feb 11: "NEW South Wales is exposed as the nation's locus of racial tensions in a comprehensive survey of racial attitudes and experiences across Australia, released today by the University of Western Sydney. ... The findings challenge Immigration Minister Chris Bowen's assertion last month that Australia's multiculturalism is the world's best, while mapping widespread racial unease across metropolitan and rural Australia."
Herald Sun: Australia a land of racists: Survey finds many anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/were-a-land-of-racists-survey-...
23 Feb 11: "HALF of Australians harbour anti-Muslim sentiments and a quarter are anti-Semitic, according to the biggest survey ever done on racism in this country. One in three also admit some level of racist feelings against indigenous people. The 12-year-survey, conducted by leading universities, found NSW and QLD to be the most racist states, while Victoria was one of the most tolerant."
NT News: Racism alive, survey finds
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/02/23/214041_ntnews.html
23 Feb 11: "ONE in five Top Enders consider themselves racist, according to a new survey. The results of the Challenging Racism Project showed 19.3 per cent of people from Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield admitted to being racist. The Territory figure was slightly lower at 16.9 per cent, with the national figure put at 12.3 per cent. These results were compiled after 12 years of research and 12,500 interviews and are aimed at providing a national picture of racism and ethnic diversity."
(2) AUSTRALIAN RECONCILIATION BAROMETER 2010:
Reconciliation Australia:
Australian Reconciliation Barometer 2010
http://reconciliation.org.au/barometer2010
"The Barometer is a national research study that looks at the relationship between Indigenous and other Australians. Designed to be repeated every two years, the Barometer explores how we see and feel about each other, and how these perceptions affect progress towards reconciliation and closing the gap.
This is the first time we have compared core attitudes and values of Indigenous Australians to those of other Australians. The Barometer is an indicator of how we see ourselves and where we aspire to be as Australians.
In 2010, we conducted the Barometer again, to measure the progress we’ve made as a nation since 2008. We surveyed the attitudes of non-Indigenous Australians as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians from across the country. "
- Media Release
ANTaR: Barometer cause for optimism but we need to build trust
http://www.antar.org.au/barometer_cause_for_optimism_but_we_need_to_buil...
14 Feb 11: "ANTaR is heartened by the findings in the most recent Reconciliation Barometer report that relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are perceived to be improving and that this relationship is viewed as important by the majority of Australians.
“While the report reveals low levels of awareness about Indigenous peoples and cultures, it encouragingly shows a genuine desire among non-Indigenous Australians to learn more about our First Peoples,” said Dr Peter Lewis, ANTaR National President.
“The Constitutional recognition referendum process offers us an historic opportunity to inform and educate the community about Indigenous history, culture, identity and rights.”
However, the low levels of trust between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (at just 9%) and high levels of prejudice suggest that we all have work to do to reset relationships on a footing of mutual respect and recognition."
- Audio
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
Snapshot shows how we feel about each other.
http://caama.com.au/15571
18 Feb 11: "Reconcilation Australia’s Ara Cresswell talks about the latest survey on relationship between Non-Indigenous & Aboriginal people"
CAAMA Radio News 16-02-2011
http://caama.com.au/caama-radio-news-16-02-2011
16 Feb 11: " ... Overseas media has taken great interest in the latest snapshot on race relations between indigenous and non indigenous Australians. ... "
- News
Lismore Northern Star: Racial discrimination still alive
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2011/02/17/racial-discrimination-al...
17 Feb 11: "RACIAL discrimination is still alive and well, according to Aboriginal elder Aunty Bertha Kapeen, of Ballina. Commenting on the results of a survey released by Reconciliation Australia, she said many Aboriginal children were still subjected to racism at school and there was a long way to go before the gap between indigenous and other Australians closed. “I don’t think much has changed,” she said. “There is not a lot happening to encourage Aboriginal children.” She said there were many gaps in the Federal Government’s “closing the gap” commitment."
Koori Mail: Relationship improving but prejudice remains: barometer
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
15 Feb 11: "A NEW social barometer has revealed that relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are improving and that the majority of Australians are optimistic about the future. The Australian Reconciliation Barometer also shows that we still don’t trust each other and that there are high levels of prejudice between the two groups. RA Co-Chair Prof Mick Dodson said the research tells us that overall attitudes are positive and that we value the relationship."
Canberra Times: Indigenous, non-indigenous relations improving: study
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/indigenous-nonin...
14 Feb 11: "A new study reveals relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians are improving, but few people believe the level of trust between the two groups is good. The results are in the 2010 Australian Reconciliation Barometer, a study that provides a snapshot of the views of Australians about reconciliation and tracks how indigenous and non-indigenous Australians feel about each other. ... "
IOL: Aussies ‘giving up on Aborigines’
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/aussies-giving-up-on-aborigines-1.1025851
14 Feb 11: "Sydney - Australians are losing interest in the plight of Aborigines, a survey found on Monday, days after the prime minister urged the country's indigenous people to take more control of their lives. The Australian Reconciliation Barometer survey, gauging relations between Aborigines and their mostly white counterparts, showed a drop in the number of people who considered the relationship important. The poll showed that Australians increasingly blame Aborigines, ... for their own problems."
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