Newsletter date: 24 October 2013
Contents:
* Kaitlin Morris, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange: Young, Indigenous and Imprisoned, Australia's National Disgrace
* Let's Talk's Tiga Bayles interviews Marianne Mackay about First Nations rights within the WA criminal justice system
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Geraldton's racial tension - "colour should not matter"
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Coroner's inquiry - "prisoners are treated like animals"
* Tracker: Abbott urged to visit jails
* Mitchell Nadin, The Australian: Mundine picks fight with Hockey over Aboriginal legal aid cuts
* Jan Mayman: Tracker: Historic apology a long time coming [for the death of John Pat]
* Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT): ALS News: High Court decides on Mr William Bugmy - ALS
* Background to Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
* KAITLIN MORRIS, JUVENILE JUSTICE INFORMATION EXCHANGE: YOUNG, INDIGENOUS AND IMPRISONED, AUSTRALIA'S NATIONAL DISGRACE
- Analysis / Opinion
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange: Young, Indigenous and Imprisoned, Australia’s National Disgrace
http://jjie.org/young-Indigenous-and-imprisoned-australias-national-disg...
16 Oct 13: "ALICE SPRINGS, AUSTRALIA - It has been 22 years since a major report by the government here found a shockingly high death rate for indigenous people locked up in Australia’s prisons and jails. The Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report detailed myriad problems in the relationship between indigenous people and the criminal justice system here. Twenty years later, in 2011, another report, Doing Time -- Time for Doing showed not only that little had improved, but that some issues, particularly those involving young indigenous people and crime, had grown even worse." By Kaitlin Morris
* LET'S TALK'S TIGA BAYLES MARIANNE MACKAY ABOUT FIRST NATIONS RIGHTS WITHIN THE WA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Audio Interviews
Indigenous radio station 98.9FM Brisbane:
Let's Talk - Marianne Mackay
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/lets-talk/
18 Oct 13: "Marianne Headland Mackay, Campaigner for First Nations rights within the Western Australia criminal justice system"
Listen to this interview on-line:
http://www.989fm.com.au/podcasts/lets-talk/marianne-mackay-2/
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STINGER: GERALDTON'S RACIAL TENSION - "COLOUR SHOULD NOT MATTER"
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Geraldton's racial tension - "colour should not matter"
http://thestringer.com.au/geraldtons-racial-tension-colour-should-not-ma...
19 Oct 13: "With racial tensions boiling over in the West Australian coastal town of Geraldton over the hit-and-run death of two 40-year-old Yamatjis, police finally charged the young non-Aboriginal driver eleven days after the tragic incident. The Yamatji community gathered in the hundreds outside Geraldton police station to protest, and the next day the young driver was formally charged. Family and community members said that if the driver had been a Yamatji, he or she "would have been locked up, denied bail and would be facing a jail time."" By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STINGER: CORONER'S INQUIRY - "PRISONERS ARE TREATED LIKE ANIMALS"
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Coroner's inquiry - "prisoners are treated like animals"
http://thestringer.com.au/coroners-inquiry-prisoners-are-treated-like-an...
18 Oct 13: "The Alice Springs Coroners Court heard from a distraught daughter how her dying father was humiliated and maltreated by an uncaring and inflexible prison system. She said her father was "treated like an animal" and that he was shackled to a hospital bed while frail and ill and despite being only days away from parole. He died two weeks later, shackled to the bed. "It was absolutely disgusting, appalling. Prisoners are treated like animals," said daughter Kylie Hampton to Coroner Greg Cavanaugh." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* TRACKER: ABBOTT URGED TO VISIT JAILS
- News
newsTracker: Abbott urged to visit jails
http://tracker.org.au/2013/10/abbott-urged-to-visit-jails/
18 Oct 13: "NATIONAL: A prominent Aboriginal leader has challenged Prime Minister Tony Abbott to visit Aboriginal offenders in Australian prisons to better understand their disadvantage. Les Malezer urged Mr Abbott to listen to the stories of Indigenous offenders in his keynote speech at an Anti Poverty Week event in Melbourne. Poverty and disadvantage is often an underlying factor in offending. "If the PM wants to help our people to develop, then he should visit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people in the prisons around Australia," Mr Malezer said." AAP
* MITCHELL NADIN, THE AUSTRALIAN: MUNDINE PICKS FIGHT WITH HOCKEY OVER ABORIGINAL LEGAL AID CUTS
- News
The Australian: Mundine picks fight with Hockey over Aboriginal legal aid cuts
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/mundine-picks-fight-wit...
15 Oct 13: "THE Prime Minister's chief indigenous adviser last night chastised the federal government's move to cut Aboriginal legal aid. Warren Mundine said he was having a "very public" argument with Treasurer Joe Hockey about the cuts, which he said were made too quickly without fully looking at the consequences. "The money should not have been withdrawn in regards to the legal service stuff," Mr Mundine told the ABC TV's Q&A." Mitchell Nadin
* JAN MAYMAN: TRACKER: HISTORIC APOLOGY A LONG TIME COMING [FOR THE DEATH OF JOHN PAT]
- News
newsTracker: Historic apology a long time coming
http://tracker.org.au/2013/10/historic-apology-a-long-time-coming/
8 Oct 13: "NATIONAL: It could be a turning point in Western Australia’s dark racial history: the Parliamentary apology for the death of John Pat. Thirty years after his cruel death, his white-haired mother Mavis Pat was an honoured guest of the state’s Parliament. She sat in quiet dignity before the Legislative Assembly Chamber as members of all parties stood in a minute’s silence to share her mourning, and then voted to apologize to her for the loss of her first-born son. They took turns to express grief, remorse and hope for the future." By Jan Mayman
* ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE (NSW/ACT): ALS NEWS: HIGH COURT DECIDES ON MR WILLIAM BUGMY - ALS
- News
Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT): ALS News: High Court decides on Mr William Bugmy - ALS
http://www.alsnswact.org.au/news_items/95
2 Oct 13: " The High Court has today unanimously allowed Mr Bugmy's appeal. The High Court has further ordered the matter be re-heard by the Court of Criminal Appeal. The ALS welcomes the decision and th...e clarification of the law on the question of how social deprivation is relevant to sentencing. Preparations are already underway for the re-hearing of the matter in the NSW Court. Importantly, the High Court has unanimously rejected the argument advanced by the Crown in the Court of Criminal Appeal that Mr Bugmy's life as an Aboriginal man from Wilcannia had no relevance to the appeal."
* BACKGROUND TO JUSTICE REINVESTMENT, ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY:
Last updated: 9 October 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment...
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