WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
WGAR Website: http://wgar.info/
Contents:
New Laws that extend Income Management (IM) Australia-wide
"Muckaty Voices": radioactive waste concerns go global
Background to Muckaty Station nuclear waste dump
Articles on the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
NEW LAWS THAT EXTEND INCOME MANAGEMENT (IM) AUSTRALIA-WIDE:
- Greens Special Feature
Rachel Siewert: Income Management
http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/content/income-management
Updated since 12 May 10: "The Rudd Government's new laws give them the power to extend Income Management across Australia to people on many kinds of Centrelink payments. These laws could affect your family. ... The Rudd Government's new laws to give it the power to extend income management across Australia are still before the Senate. They were listed to be voted on in the Senate on Wednesday 12 May, but were put off at the last minute. They are still likely to be voted through at the next sitting of the Senate sometime between 15th and 24th June. So we have a few more weeks to increase the pressure and convince the major parties not to push through these unfair laws."
- Jumbunna Research Project
Jumbunna Indigenouse House of Learning:
A response to the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform and Reinstatement of Racial Discrimination Act) Bill 2009
Why the proposed bill should be delayed
Researched and written by Terry Priest with Eva Cox
for Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning - May 2010
http://www.whatsworking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/extension-of-i...
Also, What's Working: http://www.whatsworking.com.au/what-now/response-to-reform-bill/
- Greens Dissenting Report
Senator Siewert has written a dissenting report as part of the Inquiry into the provisions of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform and Reinstatement of the Racial Discrimination Act) Bill 2009 and related legislation.
To download the 92.5 kb Word document, click on this link: http://greensmps.org.au/webfm_send/358
- Action
Stop the Intervention: What can I do?
http://stoptheintervention.org/rda-new-legislation/what-can-i-do
"The combined legislation is now likely to come back in the week of 15th June before the Senate which greatly weakens the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) in regard to the NT Intervention and which also begins the national rollout of Income Management to non-Aboriginal - and of course in the process to many more Aboriginal people - under Centrelink."
- Background
Parliament of Australia: Senate Community Affairs Committee
Inquiry into Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment ...
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/soc_sec_welfare_reform_...
[Includes: Submissions received by the Committee; Documents Tabled at hearings; Additional Information received]
WGAR News: New NT Intervention laws that extend welfare quarantining (12 Feb 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/02/11/wgar-news-new-nt-intervention-laws-th...
WGAR News: New NT Intervention laws that extend income management (19 Mar 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/03/19/wgar-news-new-nt-intervention-laws-th...
Stop the Intervention: Racial Discrimination Act - New Legislation
http://stoptheintervention.org/rda-new-legislation
"MUCKATY VOICES": RADIOACTIVE WASTE CONCERNS GO GLOBAL:
- Media Release
Beyond Nuclear Initiative's weblog:
From the campfire to cyberspace: Radioactive waste concerns go global
http://beyondnuclearinitiative.wordpress.com/2010/05/09/muckaty-voices-l...
17 May 10: "Aboriginal Traditional Owners opposed to a radioactive waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory of Australia have taken their campaign to a global online audience. The short film “Muckaty Voices” has now been uploaded to youtube, documenting the story and concerns of people directly affected by the controversial federal government plan. ... Traditional Owners are increasing their efforts against the nuclear dump plan and their campaign is the focus of a growing national fight."
- News
Tennant & District Times: Muckaty concerns go global
http://tennantcreek.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/muckaty-con...
21 May 10: "“We made the film to show we are the Traditional Owners for our Grandmothers and Grandfathers,” Muckaty Traditional Owner Doris Kelly Nakamarra said. “We want to be even with people, even talking about who is on the right and wrong. We want people to sit down and see the picture properly, to look at it and see how things should be.”"
BACKGROUND TO MUCKATY STATION NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP:
Beyond Nuclear Initiative’s weblog:
http://beyondnuclearinitiative.wordpress.com/
http://beyondnuclearinitiative.wordpress.com/audio/
WGAR News: Nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory (2 Mar 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/03/02/wgar-news-nuclear-waste-dump-in-the-n...
WGAR News: Muckaty Station Nuclear Waste Dump (20 Mar 10)
http://groups.google.com.au/group/foblmail/browse_thread/thread/ddc393bb...
WGAR News: Nuclear Waste Dump … (28 Mar 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/03/28/wgar-news-nuclear-waste-dump-close-th...
WGAR News: Muckaty Radioactive Waste Dump … (4 Apr 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/04/03/wgar-news-muckaty-radioactive-waste-d...
WGAR News: National day of action against Muckaty nuclear waste dump: 12th April!
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/04/10/wgar-news-national-day-of-action-agai...
WGAR News: Nuclear Waste Dump: Senate inquiry in Darwin; Nationwide protests (17 Apr 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/04/16/wgar-news-nuclear-waste-dump-senate-i...
WGAR News: … Update: Muckaty Station Nuclear Waste Dump (23 Apr 10)
[scroll down page] http://indymedia.org.au/2010/04/22/wgar-news-raw-sewage-dumped-in-ampila...
WGAR News: Update on Muckaty Station Nuclear Waste Dump (2 May 10)
http://wgar.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/02052010-update-on-muckaty-station-...
WGAR News: "Muckaty Voices" film; Senate Report into nuclear waste dump plan (16 May 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/05/16/wgar-news-muckaty-voices-film-senate-...
ARTICLES ON THE NORTHERN TERRITORY (NT) INTERVENTION:
- Opinion/Analysis
On Line Opinion: Labor complacent as Indigenous gap widens
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=10450
21 May 10: "Seven houses - that's not bad for three and a half years work and expenditure in the hundreds of millions. At that rate the gap will be closed in about 7,000 years. It's good to see Labor on the job. A paragraph later, Macklin remarks that a recent review of the program had shown that everything was on track. This is a measure of her complacency about the worsening disaster over which she presides." Jack Waterford
Comment by Marion Scrymgour MLA
[scroll down to end of article to read comments]
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2010/05/17/does-macklins-office-have-...
18 May 10: "The [Income Management] researchers are well qualified, the study is based on concrete sales data (not subjective anecdotal reporting like the Federal Governments own commissioned study) and it has the imprimatur of the highly respected Menzies School of Health Research. The stated conclusion is “income management independent of the government stimilus payment appears to have had no beneficial effect on tobacco and cigarette sales, soft drink or fruit and vegetable sales”."
See: WGAR News: New research questions the effectiveness of NT income management (19 May 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/05/19/wgar-news-new-research-questions-the-...
- News
Medical News Today:
NT Intervention Unlikely To Improve Long-term Health Of Aboriginal People, Australia
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/188943.php
17 May 10: "A health impact assessment undertaken by the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA), using methods endorsed by the World Health Organization, predicts potential health outcomes for Aboriginal communities of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER). ... "The health impact assessment findings speak for themselves and show that the intervention does more harm than good," Prof O'Mara said."
See: eMJA - The Medical Journal of Australia: Health impacts of the Northern Territory intervention
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/192_10_170510/oma10307_fm.html
See: Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association [AIDA]: Health Impact Assessment of the Northern Territory Emergency Response
http://www.aida.org.au/hia.aspx
Green Left: Alyawarr Protest House film draws crowds
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/44105
15 May 10: "More than 60 people attended Brisbane's premiere screening of a new documentary by Sydney's Actively Radical TV about the construction of the Alyawarr people's Protest House at their walk-off camp near Ampilatwatja in the Northern Territory. The film has interviews with unionists from across the country who worked with the community to build the house. It also features community members and leaders."
See: Intervention walk-off's Blog: http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/
BACKGROUND TO THE NORTHERN (NT) INTERVENTION:
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Northern Territory National Emergency Response
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Territory_intervention
STICS (Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney):
http://stoptheintervention.org/
IRAG (Intervention Rollback Action Group):
http://rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com/
Intervention walk-off's Blog:
http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/
WGAR (Working Group for Aboriginal Rights):
http://wgar.info/
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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)