WGAR News: "If Tony Abbott badly wants it, it won't be in the interests of First Nations people and will be in the interests of international mining giants".

Newsletter date: 6 July 2015, 5:30pm AEST; last updated 7 July 2015, 12:59pm AEST

Contents:

* News & Photos: SBS News: Indigenous protesters call for a Treaty

* Timeline Photos: Sovereign Union, facebook: Constitutional Recognition - The arguments that mainstream media is hiding from you

* Audio: Ninah Kopel, The Wire: A step closer to Recognition [featuring Alice Haines, organiser of protest for Sovereignty & Treaty]

* Background:

Survey: IndigenousX: Constitutional Recognition Survey - Data Analysis by Celeste Liddle and Survey Conducted by IndigenousX
Analysis: Celeste Liddle for IndigenousX, The Guardian: 87% of Indigenous people do not agree on recognition. You'd know if you listened
Sovereign Union: Constitutional History and Independent Constitutional Reform links
WGAR Background to Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples
WGAR Background to the Aboriginal Sovereignty Movement
WGAR Background to Treaties with Aboriginal Sovereign Nations of Australia

WGAR News Public Google Group: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/wgar-news
WGAR News - Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

- News & Photos

SBS News: Indigenous protesters call for a Treaty
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/07/06/indigenous-protesters-call...
6 July 2015 - 12:14pm: "Angry protesters have gathered outside a Sydney meeting between indigenous leaders and politicians who are working to set the path forward for constitutional recognition. About 50 protesters, including children, from the Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples in Australia have jostled with police as they chanted at those gathered in Kirribilli. "Shame, shame, shame. Treaty, treaty now, treaty," protesters yelled as they waved placards on Monday morning."

- Timeline Photos

Sovereign Union - Timeline Photos, facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/340478969357448/photos/a.389414821130529.88692....

"If Tony Abbott badly wants it, it won't be in the interests of First Nations people and will be in the interests of international mining giants".

"The people voted Yes for Constitutional Recognition and the big Mining Companies Lived happily ever after
'NO' to Recognition 'YES' to Self-determination" [Photo Image]

4 July 2015:

"CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION
The arguments that mainstream media is hiding from you

Why is the government pushing it and why is mainstream media hiding it?
- The government wants more control over First Nations people, especially those living on 'valuable mining land'
- The commercial channels (ch7, ch9. ch10 etc) are funded by big business interests and regulated by the government
- The ABC and SBS (NITV) is funded and being bullied by the government

Who is the 'Expert Panel' that advises the government?
- they are (un-elected) people especially selected and funded by the government
- The expert Panel: www.recognise.org.au/about/expert-panel/

Why should I oppose it?
- Because the government wants to name First Nations people in the constitution so they have more power over them.
- It will allow the government to discriminate on the basis of race.
- It fails the test of compliance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf
- It gives the government the power to pass legislation like the 'Northern Territory Intervention' against the First Nations people in the states
- Sovereignty was never ceded - this legislation will remove these sovereign rights - it will kill any chance of workable and grass roots self-determination
- Follow links for some of the many other issues for First Nations people. ...

This was written in haste by SU Facebook admins following requests for more information: ... "

- Audio

The Wire: A step closer to Recognition [featuring Alice Haines, organiser of protest for Sovereignty & Treaty]
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=12907
http://www.thewire.org.au/audio/ninah%20constitutional%20recognition%20a...
6 Jul 15: "Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten have met in an unprecedented act of bipartisanship to discuss what a future referendum might look like. Indigenous leaders from around the country were at the meeting, in what the prime minister describes as a significant step towards a 2017 referendum for constitutional recognition. Outside the meeting, a small but loud crowd gathered in protest, saying that they want sovereignty and not recognition." Produced by Ninah Kopel
"Featured in story:
* Alice Haines, protest organiser
* Tony Abbott, Prime Minister
* Tanya Hosch, Joint Campaign Director at Recognise
* Patrick Dodson, former Chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation
"

- Background

IndigenousX: Constitutional Recognition Survey
- Data Analysis by Celeste Liddle and Survey Conducted by IndigenousX
http://indigenousx.com.au/constitutional-recognition-survey/
" ... In light of this, IndigenousX decided to release their own survey to the community on the topic of Constitutional Recognition. IndigenousX is uniquely positioned in Social Media as one of few Indigenous owned and operated online spaces that actively engages with many sides of the political spectrum, whether they are seen as ‘mainstream’ or not. In the 1.5 weeks this survey has been available for responses, 827 community members have responded. This survey was distributed online, via social media channels, and was shared widely. The results it has reaped have been telling. We will investigate the question responses one by one in the interest of transparency. ... "

The Guardian: 87% of Indigenous people do not agree on recognition. You'd know if you listened
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/19/87-of-indigenous-pe...
19 Jun 15: "Constitutional recognition is a hotly debated issue in Indigenous Australia. @IndigenousX host Celeste Liddle thinks it’s time to put Indigenous voices front and centre in this debate ... In the vast wilderness that is "the media", it never ceases to amaze me just how much Indigenous opinion gets moulded and curtailed in order to promote a mainstream agenda. ... Earlier this week, community social media channel IndigenousX released their findings from a community-driven survey into constitutional recognition. ... The reason for IndigenousX creating its own survey was simple: ... " Celeste Liddle for IndigenousX

Sovereign Union: Constitutional History and Independent Constitutional Reform links
http://www.sovereignunion.mobi/content/constitutional-reform-fact-sheet
"Please note: This article was published by Sovereign Union volunteers in June 2012, there has been hundreds of articles explaining the Constitutional Recognition deceit since then, but none of them have 'ever' been published by mainstream media. Yet thousands of the articles in mainstream media have been written by non-indigenous people or from people who are controlled by or have allegiance with governments - BEWARE
Links for access to independent articles:
* Recent 'Constitutional Recognition' Articles: with Teasers http://nationalunitygovernment.org/tags/constitutional-reform
* SU Over 50 related 'Constitutional Recognition' Articles - SU http://sovereignunion.mobi/search/node/Constitutional%20Reform
* Red Flag - Constitutional Recognition articles https://redflag.org.au/search/node/constitutional%20recognition
* New Matilda - Constitutional Reform https://newmatilda.com/search/node/constitutional%20reform
* Facebook: Vote 'NO' To Constitutional Change https://www.facebook.com/VotenoToConstitutionalChange "

WGAR Background to Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples
https://indymedia.org.au/2013/08/11/background-to-constitutional-recogni...
(Last updated: 30 April 2014)

WGAR Background to the Aboriginal Sovereignty Movement
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/12/24/wgar-background-to-the-aboriginal-so...
(last updated: 4 July 2015)

WGAR Background to Treaties with Aboriginal Sovereign Nations of Australia
https://indymedia.org.au/2015/03/26/wgar-background-to-treaties-with-abo...
(last updated: 4 July 2015)
 
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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

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'WGAR News' monitors the media, including alternative media, focusing on:

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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

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Comments

- Audio

The Wire: A step closer to Recognition

Featuring Alice Haines, protest organiser

Produced by Ninah Kopel

http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=12907
http://www.thewire.org.au/audio/ninah%20constitutional%20recognition%20a...

6 July 2015:

"Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten have met in an unprecedented act of bipartisanship to discuss what a future referendum might look like. Indigenous leaders from around the country were at the meeting, in what the prime minister describes as a significant step towards a 2017 referendum for constitutional recognition. Outside the meeting, a small but loud crowd gathered in protest, saying that they want sovereignty and not recognition."

Featured in story:
* Alice Haines, protest organiser
* Tony Abbott, Prime Minister
* Tanya Hosch, Joint Campaign Director at Recognise
* Patrick Dodson, former Chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation