WGAR News: Update on Aboriginal Summit in Canberra (23 Jan 10)

Submitted by WGAR - Working ... on Sat, 23/01/2010 - 10:50am

WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

Contents:
Aboriginal Summit in Canberra
Making a submission on the NTER legislation amendments by 1 Feb 2010
Ampilatwatja Walk-off
Racist Website
Peace Walk for Aboriginal Sovereignty: 25, 26 Jan Canberra
Loan shark lends to Aboriginal Centrelink clients
UN Report on conditions of world's indigenous peoples
Recent attacks on Indian students in Melbourne
Other NT Intervention Articles

ABORIGINAL SUMMIT IN CANBERRA:

"NEW WAY SUMMIT: Our Way or No Way

Invitation to national conference open to all in support of
ABORIGINAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

30, 31 January - 1 February 2010

30-31 Jan (Sat-Sun) 9am - 6pm at Haydon-Allen Tank
1 Feb (Mon) 9am - 6pm at Copeland Theatre

Australian National University, Canberra

Convenor: Michael Anderson ... "

Contact details: http://indymedia.org.au/files/Summit%20poster_0.jpg

Updates: www.wgar.info

- Request for support

Indymedia Australia: Canberra billets and transport needed ... for New Way Summit in support of Aboriginal Rights and Freedoms
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/01/21/canberra-billets-and-transport-needed...
[Includes requests for garden produce, kitchen help, firewood, tents, blankets and sleeping bags]

- Media Release

Indymedia Australia: Aboriginal summit: “Be prepared for the fight of your life”
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/01/16/aboriginal-summit-%E2%80%9Cbe-prepare...
16 Jan 10: "The national Aboriginal summit in Canberra from 30 January to 1 February (inclusive) is open for all to hear elders and youth combining to set a ‘New Way’ agenda for our pathway into the future. ...
1. The first day of the ‘summit’ is for listening to the elders and the youth. It will give us a clear and defined agenda for the following two days. Our people are hurting and they are seeking to locate their own solutions to problems. A sanitised national representative body cannot and will not get down in the gutters and mess that has been created by all past government-sponsored programming. This summit is about the blood, guts and tears of our people. It is our intention to deal with the issues that nobody wants to know about, let alone do something about. Murris, Nyoongars, Goories, Koories etc need their space to let it all out. The pent-up pain and suffering requires a free and open environment for it all to be released and that is what we will be offering on the first day. So if you think the heat will be on and you cannot stand the heat then stay away.
2. The second day will be about having the delegates workshop the issues that they seek to address. We need to locate solutions and this will offer the people the freedom to come up with what they see as their ways of addressing issues. It is important to understand that we will expect the people to indicate their visions and outcomes for their planned way forward.
3. The third day is about setting an ‘Agenda of ACTION’. This will include amongst other things a declaration of our will and ‘sovereignty’. It will also include a ‘communiqué’ to be delivered to the Prime Minister and his parliament which we hope can be read into the Parliamentary Hansard. ... Michael Anderson"

- Background

WGAR News: Call to an Aboriginal summit in Canberra (13 Jan 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/01/13/wgar-news-call-to-an-aboriginal-summi...

- News

Koori Mail: Canberra summit shapes up
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
13 Jan 10: "ABORIGINAL Tent Embassy founder Michael Anderson says there's been overwhelming interest in a summit he'll convene in Canberra on 30 January and [until] 1 February. Mr Anderson says he hopes the summit will lead to a communique of grievances and suggestions for a new approach to Indigenous issues that can be read to the Federal Parliament."

MAKING A SUBMISSION ON THE NTER LEGISLATION AMENDMENTS BY 1 FEB 2010:

Australian Senate: Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform and Reinstatement of Racial Discrimination Act) Bill 2009 and the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (2009 Measures) Bill 2009 along with the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Restoration of Racial Discrimination Act) Bill 2009 [introduced by Senator Siewert]
http://202.14.81.230/senate/committee/clac_ctte/soc_sec_welfare_reform_r...
"The Committee invites you to provide a written submission addressing issues that may be of relevance to you. The submission should be lodged by 1 February 2010. The Committee prefers to receive submissions electronically as an attached document – email:
community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au – otherwise by fax (02 6277 5829)."

[Ed. note: The 3rd of these ammendment bills was introduced by Greens Senator Rachel Siewert]

AMPILATWATJA WALK-OFF:

- Background

Intervention walkoff's blog:
http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/

- Video

Intervention walkoff's blog: Video
Support message to Alyawarr people from Murray George and John Hartley
http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/video/
17 Jan 10

- Message

Intervention walkoff's blog: Message from John Hartley
http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/
17 Jan 10: "To be clear, I do not write or speak for or on behalf of the Alyawarr Peoples or anyone for that matter, ... Of late I have listened and watched with interested the early achievements and actions of those members of the Alyawarr Peoples who walked back out into country and think they are a much needed current example of a grassroots non-cooperative cultural response. As I see it, the Alyawarr Peoples response to the racist policies of the rudd government is not simply a reaction to the current manufactured intervention but is borne of the continued and active “dispersal” policies that stem back to earlier colonising objectives. ... " John Hartley

- Opinion

Green Left: 222 years of Aboriginal struggle
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2010/822/42292
16 Jan 10: " “Two hundred years [ago], we had all the country out there, we had freedom to move, freedom of access to all our sites”, Aboriginal leader Richard Downs told Green Left Weekly on January 4. “Then we were herded into missions and our movements restricted across this land. Today the government is taking our last little patch of freedom and imposing their will on us. With the intervention, anger, frustration and resentment [is] building. Aboriginal people are saying we have to come together and not be divided. And we said enough is enough. We’ve got to make a stand somewhere, so we walked off.” " Peter Robson

RACIST WEBSITE:

- Radio

CAAMA Radio PM News
(Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association):
http://caama.com.au/radio/caama-radio-pm-news-18012010/
18 Jan 10: "Links to a Webpage that promotes racist views of indigenous australians has been removed by google."

- News

SMH: Google agrees to take down racist site
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/google-agrees-to-take-d...
15 Jan 10: "Google has agreed to take down links to a website that promotes racist views of indigenous Australians. Aboriginal man Steve Hodder-Watt recently discovered the US-based site by searching "Aboriginal and Encyclopedia" in the search engine."

International Business Times:
Google still linking to racist website
http://ibtimes.com.au/articles/20100118/it-is-reported-google-has-failed...
18 Jan 10: "It is reported that Google has failed to remove search results that linked to a racist website aimed at Indigenous Australians despite requests from an Aboriginal man. ... The search results linking to the site were removed on Friday night following complains by Stephen Watts to Google Australia and the Human Rights Commission."

ABC: Push for Google to develop racism policy
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/18/2795016.htm?site=indigenou...
18 Jan 10: "The lawyer for an Aboriginal Alice Springs man says his client wants internet giant Google to attend mediation with him and produce a racism policy. Aboriginal broadcaster Steve Hodder-Watt complained to the Human Rights Commission about Google's listing of a racist website in its search results."

PEACE WALK FOR ABORIGINAL SOVEREIGNTY: 25, 26 JAN CANBERRA:

http://wgar.info/2010/01/21/sovereignty-walk/

"2010 PEACE WALK

Aboriginal Sovereignty
Nuclear Free Future

25th Jan
10.30am Woden Youth Centre to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy

26th Jan
10.30am Community Walk from Garema Place Civic to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy

Please join us
Alcohol and drug free"

LOAN SHARK LENDS TO ABORIGINAL CENTRELINK CLIENTS:

- Radio

CAAMA Radio PM News
(Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association):
http://caama.com.au/radio/caama-radio-pm-news-18012010/
18 Jan 10: "federal and State Authorities will meet in a bid to stamp out a West Australian Loan shark who is drawing on centrelink payments of hundreds of Aboriginal people."

- News

Australian: Jenny Macklin blasts 'appalling' Laverton loan shark Sam Tomarchio
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/jenny-macklin-blasts-appalli...
16 Jan 10: "FEDERAL Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has described as "appalling" the actions of Laverton loan shark Sam Tomarchio, as both federal and state authorities prepare to hold a crisis meeting in a bid to stamp out the damaging practice."

Australian: Outback loan shark, Sam Tomarchio, seeks police aid
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/outback-loan-shark-seeks-police-aid...
18 Jan 10: "AN outback money lender who controls the Centrelink payments of hundreds of Aborigines has appealed to police to charge clients who refuse to pay up. Sam Tomarchio, who charges his clients interest of between 30 and 50 per cent, demanded in an email to the Major Fraud Squad that it pursue and charge Aborigines who denied him access to their bank accounts."

Australian: Aborigines free to ignore debts to loan shark Sam Tomarchio
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/aborigines-free-to-ignore-de...
19 Jan 10: "WEST Australian Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan has promised hundreds of welfare-dependent Aborigines across central Australia they can default on their debts to outback money lender Sam Tomarchio without fear of criminal prosecution."

UN REPORT ON CONDITIONS OF WORLD'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES:

See State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Report: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/sowip.html

- News

National Indigenous Times:
Aboriginal life expectancy gap highest in world: UN
http://www.nit.com.au/story.aspx?id=19190
15 Jan 10: "Indigenous Australians have the worst life expectancy gap of any Indigenous population in the world, a United Nations report has revealed. Of the 90 countries examined by the report, Indigenous people in Australia and Nepal fared the worst, dying 20 years earlier than their non-Indigenous counterparts. In Guatemala the life expectancy gap is 13 years and in New Zealand it is 11."

Indymedia Australia: UN report paints grim picture of conditions of world’s indigenous peoples
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/01/17/un-report-paints-grim-picture-of-cond...
14 Jan 10: "UN News: ... The world’s 370 million indigenous peoples suffer from disproportionately, often exponentially, higher rates of poverty, health problems, crime and human rights abuses, the first ever United Nations study on the issue reported today, stressing that self-determination and land rights are vital for their survival.
Startling figures contained in The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples include: ...
In Australia, an indigenous child can expect to die 20 years earlier than his non-native compatriot."

Koori Mail: Calma welcomes UN report
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
15 Jan 10: "ABORIGINAL and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma today welcomed the launch of the United Nation’s first report on The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Mr Calma said although Australia had taken some 'giant steps forward', Indigenous people remained marginalised and faced ongoing discrimination and poverty."

Koori Mail: UN report figures outdated: Govt
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
15 Jan 10: "A UNITED Nations report, The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, is based on outdated information, according to the Federal Government. A spokesperson said rather than a 20-year gap in life expectancy, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced in May 2009 the new figures were now between 9.7 years for women and 11.5 years for men."

- Media Release

Australian Human Rights Commission:
Commissioner Calma welcomes first UN publication on the state of the world’s indigenous peoples
http://www.hreoc.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/2010/2_10.html
15 Jan 10: "The report highlights how indigenous communities all over the world face daily issues of violence, continuing assimilation policies, marginalisation, forced removal or relocation, denial of land rights and many other abuses. It also reveals alarming statistics on poverty, health, education, employment, human rights and the environment. Commissioner Calma said that we are not immune in Australia from the challenges and issues raised in this report."

RECENT ATTACKS ON INDIAN STUDENTS IN MELBOURNE:

- Radio

ABC AM: Some Government policies are directly racist: commissioner
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2010/s2792888.htm
15 Jan 10: "The outgoing Aboriginal social justice commissioner says he believes the recent attacks on Indian students in Melbourne may be racially motivated. Tom Calma is finishing up a five-year term as a social justice commissioner. He's also a former race discrimination commissioner. He says some government policies in Australia are directly racist against Indigenous Australians and ethnic minorities. And he says racially motivated violence should not be tolerated by the Australian community."
[includes interview with Tom Calma]