Newsletter date: 10 July 2013
Contents:
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: $1.3 billion Native Title deal divides Noongar peoples
* ABC News: Tent embassy group rejects native title offer
* Tracker: Native title deal angers WA Tent Embassy
* SBS World News Video: WA govt offers native title deal to Noongar group
* Tim Bray, CCI: State Government Native Title offer to provide positive benefits
* University of Otago, NZ: Setting up the Tent Embassy [Nyoongar Tent Embassy]
* Background to the Nyoongar Tent Embassy, Heirisson Island (sacred site of Matagarup), Perth, WA
* Background to the Aboriginal sovereignty movement and the Aboriginal tent embassies
* Background to Mabo and Native Title
* Vicky Validakis, Australian Mining: Protestors line up to stop Whitehaven's Maules Creek mine [Gomeroi traditional owners]
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: $1.3 BILLION NATIVE TITLE DEAL DIVIDES NOONGAR PEOPLES
- Analysis
The Stringer: $1.3 billion Native Title deal divides Noongar peoples
http://thestringer.com.au/1-3-billion-native-title-deal-divides-noongar-...
6 Jul 13: "Twenty months ago the Western Australian State Government offered the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) a one billion dollar package to settle native title over Noongar Country. Last week, the Government upped the ante with another $300 million but it is the final offer according to Premier Colin Barnett. ... Highly respected Whadjuk Nyungar Traditional Owner Richard Wilkes said most Elders have not been included and consulted. He certainly has not. ... Noongar Tent Embassy’s Marianne Mackay called the SWALSC a sham." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* ABC NEWS: TENT EMBASSY GROUP REJECTS NATIVE TITLE OFFER
- News
ABC News: Tent embassy group rejects native title offer
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-07/native-title-reax/4804260
8 Jul 13: "A group of Aboriginal people opposed to the south-west native title settlement has rejected the WA government's latest offer of more money and more land. ... Marianne Mackay says the members of the 'tent embassy' group are yet to discuss the offer in detail, but the initial reaction is negative. "Noongar tent embassy will always stand for sovereignty," she said. "We promote sovereignty, we will not promote any native title offer to go over the latest agreement. "Our first obligation is to our culture and this native title offer is an insult to Aboriginal people on Noongar country.""
- Related News
ABC News: West Australian Government offers Noongar people $1.3 billion native title deal
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-06/noongar-offer/4803700
8 Jul 13: "The West Australian Government has put forward an offer worth $1.3 billion to the Noongar people in a bid to settle native title claims over Perth and the South West. ... Premier Colin Barnett says the trust is designed to support social, cultural and economic development of WA's Noongar population. He says if the offer is accepted, it will represent the most comprehensive agreement of its kind in Australian history. ... Mr Barnett says it will put an end to long and expensive disputes."
* TRACKER: NATIVE TITLE DEAL ANGERS WA TENT EMBASSY
- News
newsTracker: Native title deal angers WA Tent Embassy
Tracker: http://tracker.org.au/2013/07/native-title-deal-angers-wa-tent-embassy/
9 News: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/07/07/19/19/native-title-deal-a...
9 Jul 13: "A group of Aboriginal activists has objected to a $1.3 billion native title deal offer by the West Australian government to the Noongar people of the state's South West region. ... The WA government has given the groups six months to finalise the agreement and wants to start implementing it from July next year. Negotiations have so far taken three and a half years. If the deal is accepted, all native title rights to land in the area will be surrendered. It compares to a previous package worth $1 billion, which included 200,000 hectares of land."
* SBS WORLD NEWS VIDEO: WA GOVT OFFERS NATIVE TITLE DEAL TO NOONGAR GROUP
- Video
SBS World News: WA govt offers native title deal to Noongar group
SBS: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/video/36375619545/WA-govt-offers-native-title...
AAP/NITV News: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1786932/Native-title-deal-angers-WA-T...
8 Jul 13: "It was the first claim of its kind on an Australian capital city - now a massive Native Title Agreement Proposal has been made by the West Australian Government to a Noongar consortium. The Colin Barnett Liberal government has made a final offer to a group, headed by the South West Land and Sea Council with six Noongar representative bodies."
- Related News
SBS World News: WA offers Noongar people $1.3b title deal
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1786868/WA-offers-Noongar-people-13b-...
8 Jul 13: "The West Australian government has made an historic $1.3 billion offer to settle the Noongar people's native title claim over Perth and the state's southwest. Premier Colin Barnett proposes to settle the Noongar claim with the transfer of 320,000 hectares of crown land and a massive injection of government funding. Central to the offer is a pledge to spend $50 million a year on a perpetual trust fund for social and economic development, as well as the establishment of six regional Noongar corporations."
The West Australian: WA native title offer lifted to $1.3b
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/17888328/wa-native-title-o...
6 Jul 13: "The State Government's offer to settle native title claims over Perth and the South West has been expanded and increased, taking the cash and land package to an estimated $1.3 billion. Premier Colin Barnett handed a Cabinet-approved agreement to Noongar leaders yesterday, which, if accepted, will be the biggest settlement of its kind in Australia. In return for giving up land rights over 106 local government areas, the estimated 35,000 Noongar people would receive an indexed sum of $50 million each year for 12 years into a perpetual trust for economic projects and ... " Colleen Egan, The West Australian
* TIM BRAY, CCI: STATE GOVERNMENT NATIVE TITLE OFFER TO PROVIDE POSITIVE BENEFITS
- Statement
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCI): State Government Native Title offer to provide positive benefits
http://www.cciwa.com/news-articles/2013/07/06/state-government-native-ti...
6 Jul 13: "Statement by CCI General Manager - Corporate Communications, Tim Bray.
The offer made by the State Government today regarding Native Title in the South-West region of WA has been welcomed by WA’s peak business group. "This offer recognises the rights of the Noongar community through significant investment in social, cultural and economic benefits", CCI General Manager Corporate Communications Tim Bray said. "If accepted, it will settle native title claims over Perth and the South-West, and could also provide business with greater certainty for future investment decisions in the region," Mr Bray said. ... "
* UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO, NZ: SETTING UP THE TENT EMBASSY [NYOONGAR TENT EMBASSY]
- Upcoming NZ Event
University of Otago, New Zealand: Setting up the Tent Embassy
http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/events/otago049875.html
"This report by Thor Kerr and Shaphan Cox examines how a problem of Aboriginal 'protestors' requiring policing was constructed by popular news media in Perth in early 2012. This construction worked to legitimise violent police raids against the Nyoongar Tent Embassy, which had assembled peacefully to affirm native title at the sacred site of Matagarup. ... By ignoring native title and Aboriginal heritage law, news reports could blame embassy participants for the confrontations that reporters, editors, politicians, police and senior bureaucrats produced for the consumption of media audiences."
* BACKGROUND TO THE NYOONGAR TENT EMBASSY, HEIRISSON ISLAND (SACRED SITE OF MATAGARUP), PERTH, WA
Last updated: 20 May 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/02/nyoongar-tent-embassy-heirisson-islan...
* BACKGROUND TO THE ABORIGINAL SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT AND THE ABORIGINAL TENT EMBASSIES:
Last updated: 27 June 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-aboriginal-sovereig...
* BACKGROUND TO MABO AND NATIVE TITLE:
Last updated: 26 June 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/07/02/background-to-mabo-and-native-title
* VICKY VALIDAKIS, AUSTRALIAN MINING: PROTESTERS LINE UP TO STOP WHITEHAVEN'S MAULES CREEK MINE [GOMEROI TRADITIONAL OWNERS]
- News
Australian Mining: Protestors line up to stop Whitehaven's Maules Creek mine
http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/news/protestors-line-up-to-stop-whiteh...
8 Jul 13: "Protestors have formed a picket line at Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek mine development, vowing to continue their fight against the project that received final approval last week. Workers reportedly walked off the job at the Maules Creek development site this morning as more than fifty Gomeroi traditional owners formed a picket line. Gomeroi traditional owner Stephen Talbot says the Maules Creek mine would see more than 4000 acres of "culturally significant forest, artefacts and cultural values" cleared and said it has not been properly assessed." Vicky Validakis
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