Canberra, 1 February 2010 – The Aboriginal assertion of sovereignty is to be put to the Federal Parliament by the Greens Senator Rachel Siewert at the request of the New Way Summit convened here.
Senator Siewert made the pledge to about 120 Aboriginal delegates from across the continent.
(Pictured are Githabul men and Michael Anderson showing the conference Githabul country on two joined kangaroo skins, and song lines running right across Australia, up to the Morning Star and back down to northern NSW. The Githabul exercise sovereignty based on research of British documents they argue prove that neither the queen nor Australian authorities have a writ over this continent.)
Sovereignty was a key issue at the gathering, convened in the Australian National University by Michael Anderson, last survivor of the four founders of the Aboriginal Embassy in 1972.
The summit elected a task force to examine options like international and domestic sovereignty.
Paul Coe, a lawyer who has studied the issue for decades, said a lot of explaining has to be done in the communities on what sovereignty could mean.
Representatives of the Githabul nation of northern NSW and southern Queensland won a lot of attention with sovereignty plans that have attracted international support.
Relying on research of British documents the Githabul affirm their sovereignty by complete rejection of British law in Australia. “Queen Elizabeth has no writ over our country,” said Mark McMurtrie.
Barbara Shaw, a member of the taskforce and campaigner for her people in Alice Springs town camps, told the summit that their conditions have worsened since Kevin Rudd’s apology. Barbara said, “Nothing is being done. All they want is the land for mining.”
She also expressed deep concern about more uranium mining and the future dumping of nuclear waste on a known fault line in her country.
Marianne Mackay, also a taskforce member, who spoke on WA Deaths in Custody, said that her people argue that nothing has changed in the state since the death of a respected Elder from Laverton in a detention van. Marianne also expressed grave concerns for the over representation of Aboriginal people in custody – 83%. She said that was totally unfair and change has to occur immediately.
The summit demanded the resignation of Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin and for her to be replaced by an Aboriginal person selected by Aboriginal Peoples. Advice from Les Malezer, UN advocate, confirmed that this is possible and he added that the person selected needs to find a parliamentary seat within 45 days.
“Sovereignty will be the major issue of the second New Way Summit to be held in Sydney over the Easter weekend,” Michael Anderson said.
The Canberra summit has set a preliminary agenda for the taskforce to deal with:
- Deaths in Custody
- Over-policing of children and youth
- Institutional racism
- Review of child protection laws in consultation with the Aboriginal nations
- Sustainable Aboriginal economic development
- Respect for Aboriginal religion and spirituality
- Cultural tourism
- Ownership of all Aboriginal programming
Where requested the taskforce is to assist in convening state and regional meetings across the continent.
It is to publish the ‘New Way’ agenda through all media forms including the internet.
The taskforce is to develop an Aboriginal Charter of Rights and establish protocols for inter-nation relations.
It is also to establish joint working plans and relationships with external organisations, such as ANTaR, Oxfam and Amnesty International.
An issue that received a lot of attention was possible need for people to be enrolled as members of their nations.
Criticism of black people in important positions who block grassroots aspirations highlighted a need to establish who owns and controls the institutions that deliver Aboriginal services.
On the last of the three summit days more than 600 visits were counted to the live streaming of proceedings on the internet.
Contact: Michael Anderson 0427 292 492 ngurampaa@bigpond.com
Comments
New Way Summit delegates unanimously reject Calma's rep body
Canberra, 31 January 2010 – The New Way Summit of 150 Aboriginal people has unanimously opposed the proposed Rudd government-sponsored national Aboriginal representative body to be known as ‘The First Nations Congress’ being organised by the former Human Rights Commissioner, Tom Calma.
The summit heard angry comment that it would be just a perpetuation of white government control of Aboriginal lives.
The summit heard that this so-called representative body will have the power to deny Aboriginal people the right to determine their leaders.
There was strong objection to a so-called ‘Ethics Council’ having been hand-picked and putting candidates through highly stringent character checks that do not apply to non-Aboriginal politicians.
The summit heard much anger expressed at elitist Aboriginals in important government jobs blocking Aboriginal aspirations and supporting assimilationist policies.
Michael Anderson, the convenor of the summit said, “The participants, who came from across the continent, urged in the strongest way that the Aboriginal collaborators and traitors be named and shamed through the internet for all to see and this will be done through a descriptive biography.” This was loudly acclaimed.
In a Skype linkup to the conference room from the Northern Territory, Richard Downs, who led the Ampilatwatja walk-off away from the controls of the NT intervention, strongly backed the proposal. He said that these people have done irreparable harm to Aboriginal Peoples across this country and must be cut down in their tracks.
Lez Malezer, UN advocate, informed the summit that Australia is in breach of every UN human rights covenant and must be held accountable. Many delegates were surprised at how many rights international law recognises.
The conference participants established a taskforce to take this New Way radical movement forward on behalf of the grassroots communities.
One of its first major tasks is to examine and educate the nations about sovereignty options.
Contact: Michael Anderson 0427 292 492 ngurampaa@bigpond.com Ph: 02 6829 6355
Aboriginal nations should start making treaties with each other
Canberra, 30 January 2010 – - The hundreds of Aboriginal nations in Australia should start making treaties with each other in a process leading ultimately to full sovereignty, former barrister Paul Coe told a meeting here of Aboriginal Elders and young people.
Mr Coe’s advice to the summit was that Aboriginal people need to learn what sovereignty is.
He noted there are two forms of sovereignty that Aboriginal people must examine. The first is whether they want to be domestic sovereign nations, that is a state within the Australian Commonwealth or, secondly, to become a confederacy of Aboriginal nations recognised in international law.
The summit of about one hundred people from across the continent heard a lot of raw pain and anger on various issues, from continuing deaths in custody to the Northern Territory intervention.
The conference was told by the convenor, Michael Anderson, that “we need to become proactive and not just talk about government controls but wrest control away from the government”.
The summit heard people say that Aboriginal independence has been usurped by state-controlled welfare slavery. The summit acknowledged that drug and alcohol dependency is symptomatic of oppressed Peoples.
The conference also heard that we must address the high incarceration rate that Aboriginal adults and youth suffer across this country. Human rights defenders reported how Aboriginal Legal Services are being starved of funding and are being referred to as Aboriginal Lock-up Services.
The Ambassador of revolutionary Venezuela, Mr Nelson Davila-Lameda, spoke of the strong rights given his country’s Indigenous Peoples since President Hugo Chavez came to power; for example, they have secure representation in the national parliament. He pledged Venezuelan support for the pursuit of Aboriginal sovereignty in international forums.
The New Way Summit continues on Sunday 31st and Monday 1st. It will set an agenda for the way forward. “One key suggestion is to send an Aboriginal delegation to Britain to claim restitution and reparations for the violations since British colonial occupation,” summit convenor Michael Anderson said.
Proceedings at the summit can be followed live on the internet at www.wgar.info.
Contact: Michael Anderson 0427 292 492 ngurampaa@bigpond.com Ph 02 62896355
View the recorded proceedings of the New Way Summit
To view the recorded proceedings of the New Way Summit,
which was live streamed, go to:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wgar
ray jackson
president
indigenous social justice association
Re: View the recorded proceedings of the New Way Summit
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Audio interviews
Four audio interviews made immediately after the summit can be downloaded at http://www.4shared.com/account/dir/23304529/b76cf045/sharing.html?sId=bT....
- Mark McMurtrie on Githabul sovereignty
- An elderly Githabul lady who "had to go to Canberra"
- Marianne McKay about deaths in custody in Western Australia
- Barbara Shaw on the Intervention: "It's just to get our land for mining"
Complete radio piece
http://www.4shared.com/file/218061213/b13ce03f/Aboriginal_summit_package...
Some of the presentations off the summit soundtrack
On Aboriginal deaths in custody -
- By Marianne McKay about Western Australia http://www.4shared.com/file/220840606/4c0b72c1/Marianne_fdull_length.html
- By Ray Jackson about New South Wales
http://www.4shared.com/file/220840606/4c0b72c1/Marianne_fdull_length.html
Complete presentation by Barbara Shaw, Alice Springs town camps, and Aunty Raelene, Hermannsburg outstation, http://www.4shared.com/file/220903279/b8958bc0/Shaw_Complete_presentatio...
Aboriginal female public servant who blew the whistle on the Intervention, had her house raided, was sacked and dragged through the courts - http://www.4shared.com/file/220929722/4186d7e2/Intervention_Aboriginal_f...
The Venezuelan ambassador pledged support to Aboriginal people in international forums and explained the strong rights won by Venezuelan indigenous people under the revolutionary Chavez government - http://www.4shared.com/file/221007829/c66f3778/Venezuelan_ambassador_pre...
Joanna Corbett from Western Australia described her family’s dispossession -http://www.4shared.com/file/221010866/920bfee4/Joanna_Corbett_from_Weste...
A Larrakia woman from the Northern Territory said they no longer trust their land councils. She said her group is helping people get back on country. She appealed for unity to take the new movement forward - http://www.4shared.com/file/221017435/e2b89ac6/Larrakia_woman_from_the_N...
Robert Mills, a Larrakia man who runs a small tours operation in Darwin, urged young Aborigines to work in that field. “Tourism is a way where you can walk around and brag about your people and your culture and your language – it’s all positive.” - http://www.4shared.com/file/221032371/c9e82e0c/Larrakia_tourism.html
Programme on Noosa Community Radio:
- 59 minutes, words only - http://www.4shared.com/file/223363184/5cc999b0/16_Feb_show__words_only.html
- 1 hour 48 minutes with songs by Kev Carmody and Archie Roach - http://www.4shared.com/file/223389469/6abd546d/16_Feb_show_with_music.html
Re: Aboriginal sovereignty to go to the Senate
'What are you focused on when referring to naming and shaming?