Newsletter date: 2 June 2011
Contents:
* Ngarla Kunoth-Monks, Richard Downs and Barbara Shaw at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York
* Gurindji Walkoff from Wave Hill - 45th Anniversary Commemoration - 26-28 August 2011
* Global Call to Action for Aboriginal Rights: Petition calling on PM Julia Gillard to end the NT Intervention
* Statement by Navi Pillay at Human Rights Council 17th Session
* Other Northern Territory (NT) Intervention articles
* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
NGARLA KUNOTH-MONKS, RICHARD DOWNS AND BARBARA SHAW AT UN THE PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS RIGHTS IN NEW YORK:
- Audio
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
CAAMA Radio News 01-06-2011
http://caama.com.au/caama-radio-news-01-06-2011
1 Jun 11: "A Central Australian Aboriginal delegation which has just returned from the United nations says they were disheartened by the Gillard Labor governments justification of the Northern Territory Intervention at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues."
[Includes comments by Ngarla Kunoth-Monks, Richard Downs and Barbara Shaw.]
- News
Amnesty International Australia: UN forum on Indigenous issues: Intervention at odds with the right to self-determination
http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/25801/
28 May 11: ""The Northern Territory Intervention is completely at odds with the right to self-determination outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," said Richard Downs and Ngarla Kunoth-Monks*. Speaking from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, the two Amnesty International sponsored representatives called for the Australian Government to recognise their basic human rights, instead of forcing policies on them from on high, without free, prior and informed consent. ... Others joining the Amnesty International delegation to the Forum are Monica Morgan and Rodney Dillon, from the Indigenous Rights team with Amnesty International Australia."
See:
WGAR News: UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, 16 to 27 May 2011
[scroll down page] http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/21/wgar-news-un-human-rights-high-commis...
WGAR News: Interview with Richard Downs on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues / Barbara Shaw at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (28 May 11)
[scroll down page] http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/28/wgar-news-canberra-rally-june-14-2011...
See more about Richard Downs:
Intervention walk-off's Blog:
http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/
Six Videos by Eleanor Gilbert of Enlightning Productions:
Opening Protest House Ampilatwatja Walk-off NT:
http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/video/
WGAR News: Protest House at the Alyawarr people's walk-off camp (16 Feb 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/02/16/wgar-news-protest-house-at-the-alyawa...
WGAR News: Speeches from National call out by John Pilger & Richard Downs (3 May 10)
http://indymedia.org.au/2010/05/04/wgar-news-speeches-from-national-call...
Frequency: Richard Downs & Harry Nelson Speaking at Melbourne University Ampilatwatja Walkoff & NT Intervention (14-16 Oct 10)
http://www.frequency.com/video/richard-downs-harry-nelson-speaking-at/47...
See more about Barbara Shaw:
IRAG (Intervention Rollback Action Group): Mparntwe - Alice Springs:
http://rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com/
WGAR News: Darwin gathering for Aboriginal people living in prescribed areas under the NT Intervention, June 19-21, 2011
http://indymedia.org.au/2011/04/29/darwin-gathering-for-aboriginal-peopl...
WGAR News: Interview with Barbara Shaw, of the Intervention Rollback Action Group, on the NT Intervention (7 May 11)
http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/07/wgar-news-interviews-with-barb-shaw-a...
WGAR News: Speech by Aboriginal activist Barbara Shaw on the NT Intervention (10 May 11)
[scroll down page] http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/10/wgar-news-nt-nuclear-waste-dump-plans...
GURINDJI WALKOFF FROM WAVE HILL - 45TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION - 26-28 AUGUST 2011:
- Event
Gurindji Freedom Day - Northern Territory Australia:
Gurindji Walkoff from Wave Hill - 45th Anniversary Commemoration
http://www.gurindjifreedomday.com/
"Dates: 26th - 28th August 2011
Background: Kalkarindji and Daguragu are on the traditional homelands of the Gurindji people, and these communities are linked to the Malgnin, Mudpurra, Bilinara, Ngarinman and Warlpiri peoples through the historic Walkoff from Wave Hill Station, which was initially established on Gurindji traditional lands in 1883. At the time of the Walkoff, Wave Hill Station had been owned by British Lord Vestey's family since 1914. The Gurindji Walkoff was initiated by Gurindji/ Malgnin leader, Vincent Lingiari, on 23 August 1966 and lasted till 1974, an event which lit the fire that became the national land rights movement. ... "
GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION FOR ABORIGINAL RIGHTS:
PETITION CALLING ON PM JULIA GILLARD TO END THE NT INTERVENTION:
- Online Petition
Our Generation: Take Action: Join the Global Call to Action for Aboriginal Rights
http://www.ourgeneration.org.au/action
"On 13th May 2011, Rev. Dr. Djiniyini Gondarra OAM, senior elder and Dhurili Clan Nation leader of the Yolngu peoples of Northeast Arnhem Land, launched the Global Call to Action for Aboriginal Rights outside Australia House in London.
This petition calls on the Australian Prime Minister to end the Northern Territory Intervention and other indigenous policies that have been criticized by the United Nations for their gross breach of human rights.
You can read the full petition below. It expresses the key demands of the Aboriginal people of the Northern Territory and human rights advocates from across Australia. It draws from the Statement by Eminent Australians, made in February 2011, whose signatories include former prime minister Malcolm Fraser, former Indigenous Affairs ministers, church leaders, QCs, academics and Aboriginal leaders cross the country. You can read their full statement at Concerned Australians. http://concernedaustralians.com.au/ "
See:
Statement on Aboriginal Rights by leading Australians (Feb 11):
http://www.concernedaustralians.com.au/media/Statement-by-Eminent-Austra...
WGAR News: Aboriginal elder Rev. Dr. Djiniyini Gondarra raises international awareness of the NT Intervention (14 May 11)
http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/14/wgar-news-aboriginal-elder-raises-int...
WGAR News: Global call to action for Aboriginal rights in Australia (17 May 11)
http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/17/wgar-news-global-call-to-action-for-a...
STATEMENT BY NAVI PILLAY AT HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 17TH SESSION:
- Statement
United Nations Human Rights: Media centre: Human Rights Council 17th Session Opening Statement by Ms. Navi Pillay United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true
30 May 11: "While in Australia last week, I visited immigration detention centres and met with representatives of migrant, refugee and asylum seeker communities. The urgent need for Australia to develop alternatives to the current hardline and unsustainable immigration detention policies, as well as to effectively counter new forms of racism and Islamophobia emerging in this multicultural society, is striking. I should add that while in Australia, I also had the priviledge of visiting Aboriginal communities in Northern Territory and Queensland, where I learned first hand about the discrimination and disadvantages facing indigenous peoples, as well as about policy challenges for the Government in addressing them. The unique identify of Aboriginal people deserves Constitutional recognition, and with it better protection in law and practice would follow."
- Related Analysis / Opinion
The Guardian: UN High Commissioner visit and the NT Intervention
http://www.cpa.org.au/guardian/2011/1503/10-un-high-commissioner.html
1 Jun 11: "The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, visited Australia last week and delivered a diplomatic rebuke over two of the country’s most glaring, ongoing human rights scandals. The major concerns of the South African former high court judge were the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers in detention ... and the Northern Territory Intervention. The Howard era policy dating from 2007 is approaching its 2012 "sunset clause" and assessments of the controversial invasion of remote Aboriginal communities are being drawn up. Alternatives are being considered." Bob Briton
See:
WGAR News: UN Human Rights High Commissioner hears from NT Aboriginal leaders (21 May 11)
http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/21/wgar-news-un-human-rights-high-commis...
WGAR News: UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, criticises the NT Intervention (26 May 11)
http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/26/wgar-news-un-human-rights-commissione...
WGAR News: Interview with UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, on the NT Intervention (29 May 11)
http://indymedia.org.au/2011/05/29/wgar-news-interview-with-un-human-rig...
Navi Pillay's concluding Press Conference statement in Canberra (25 May 11)
http://www.un.org.au/News.aspx?category=1&element=47&PKID=399
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11062&L...
OTHER NORTHERN TERRITORY (NT) INTERVENTION ARTICLES:
Analysis / Opinion
WSWS: The Aboriginal "intervention" in Australia: four years on
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/may2011/ntin-m30.shtml
30 May 11: "As the fourth anniversary of the Northern Territory (NT) intervention approaches, calls are being made for a new round of regressive measures against Aboriginal people, including a “second intervention”. ... As far as Labor is concerned, the first intervention has already served its purpose as a spearhead for draconian measures against welfare recipients. Any turn to a second intervention against Aborigines would inevitably mean a dramatic new escalation of the assault on the living conditions of the most impoverished layers of the working class throughout the country." Susan Allan
Green Left: Shattering the matrix of media white washing
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/47711
28 May 11: "The Australian media, collectively, does a dismal job of telling the story of our silent apartheid, the space between black and white Australians. The new assimilation, well underway in the Northern Territory, has the same intent as government policies of past eras, still aiming to change Aboriginal people, restrict the importance of their law, language and cultural practice, and move many from their ancestral lands into new housing estates that, we are promised, will materialise magically in great little Aussie growth towns." Jeff McMullen
- News
NT News: Court 'required to ignore facts'
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/05/31/236831_ntnews.html
31 May 11: "CHIEF Justice Trevor Riley has taken advantage of a ceremonial sitting of the Supreme Court to take a public swipe at the Federal intervention. He said the intervention was a step backwards in the path to give Aboriginal offenders equal treatment in Territory courts because judges were no longer allowed to recognise customary law or cultural practice. Under emergency laws passed in 2007 judges were directed not to take into account customary law or cultural practice as a reason for offending."
ABC: School attendance gap grows in NT
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/31/3232110.htm
31 May 11: "The latest report card on closing the education gap in the Northern Territory shows a significant drop in school attendance in remote Aboriginal communities. The fall in attendance comes despite the existence of several programs designed to get more children going to school. Every six months, Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin delivers an update on the progress of the Northern Territory Emergency Intervention. ... The latest report shows the gap is being closed in some areas, but not when it comes to school attendance."
- Audio
ABC Queensland Breakfast: Income Management Scheme to be introduced for Rockhampton
http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/05/income-management-scheme-to-b...
11 May 11: "In the Federal Budget last night the government announced plans for Rockhampton to be part of the income management scheme. The scheme is already in place in indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and member for Capricornia Kirsten Livermore lobbied the Prime Minister to extend the scheme to those in Rockhampton on government benefits who are experiencing financial crisis. The Government has proposed extending the scheme to Shepparton, Logan and Rockhampton region."
BACKGROUND TO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY (NT) INTERVENTION:
Creative Spirits: Northern Territory Emergence Response (NTER) - "The Intervention":
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/politics/northern-terr...
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/
CAAMA (Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association) - NT Intervention: http://caama.com.au/?s=NT+Intervention
The Greens: Rachel Siewert: Northern Territory Intervention: http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/category/issues/indigenous-rights...
Treaty Republic - NT Intervention: http://treatyrepublic.net/search/node/NT%20Intervention
IRAG (Intervention Rollback Action Group): Mparntwe - Alice Springs: http://rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com/
ANTaR (Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation) - NT intervention: http://www.antar.org.au/issues_and_campaigns/nt_intervention
Crikey - NT Intervention: http://www.crikey.com.au/topic/nt-intervention/
Jobs with Justice: http://jobswithjustice.wordpress.com/
MAIC (Melbourne Anti-Intervention Collective): http://maicollective.blogspot.com/
'concerned Australians': Without Justice there can be no Reconciliation: http://www.concernedaustralians.com.au/
New Matilda - northern territory intervention: http://newmatilda.com/tag/northern-territory-intervention
Amnesty International Australia: Looking back at the Northern Territory Intervention: http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/comments/24460/
Defending Indigenous Rights: http://defendingindigenousrights.wordpress.com/
Intervention walk-off's Blog: http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/
Australian Human Rights Commission: Northern Territory ‘Emergency Response’ intervention: http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/intervention/index.html
FAIRA; Human Rights Law Resource Centre; NACLC: Australia’s compliance with CERD - Fact Sheet 2: Northern Territory Intervention: http://www.hrlrc.org.au/files/Fact-Sheet-2-NT-Intervention.pdf
Green Left: Northern Territory intervention: myths and facts: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/39732
WGAR (Working Group for Aboriginal Rights): http://wgar.wordpress.com/
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