WGAR News: "Work Not Welfare: Investing in a waged employment program in remote NT" APO NT

Newsletter date: 27 April 2012

Contents:
* APO NT: Work Not Welfare
* Jumbunna, UTS: Jobs With Justice
* ACTU Congress: The fight for Aboriginal Rights in the NT
* Union Campaign Letter on Bankstown Income Management
* 'Our Generation' to broadcast on NITV
* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* Background to the proposed Muckaty nuclear waste dump
* Interview with Olga Havnen on 'Stronger Futures' funding
* More 'Stronger Futures' Legislation related articles
* Background to 'Stronger Futures' new NT Intervention laws

* APO NT: WORK NOT WELFARE

- Current Issues and Campaigns

Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory - APO NT:
Work Not Welfare: Investing in a waged employment program in remote Northern Territory
http://www.amsant.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15...
"APO NT, in partnership with strong local Aboriginal organisations is launching a campaign calling on the Australian Government to continue to invest in a waged employment program in remote areas of the Northern Territory. APO NT is deeply concerned about forthcoming amendments to the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP). Following the drastic scaling back of waged CDEP positions, the remaining waged positions are due to transition to welfare this year with the likelihood that the current Commonwealth review of remote participation and employment will fail to include a waged employment component. ... "

"Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory-APO NT-is an alliance comprising the Central Land Council (CLC), Northern Land Council (NLC), North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (CAALAS) and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the NT (AMSANT)."

See:

APO NT - Work not Welfare - CEEDS summary document (19 Apr 12)
http://www.amsant.org.au/documents/article/154/120419%20-%20APO%20NT%20-...

APO NT - CDEP waged employment benefits remote Aboriginal communities (19 Apr 12)
http://www.amsant.org.au/documents/article/154/120419%20-%20APO%20NT%20-...

* JUMBUNNA, UTS: JOBS WITH JUSTICE

- Background

Jumbunna - UTS: Jobs With Justice
http://www.jumbunna.uts.edu.au/researchareas/newmedia/jobswithjustice.html
"Demand 3:
Create a new Aboriginal employment program to replace Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) that have been gutted through recent reforms and are exploiting Aboriginal workers. Jobs created must pay at least award wages, with rights to join unions and collectively bargain. The program must be administered by community based organisations, with development needs and priorities set through broad community consultation. All willing workers should be employed."

Jumbunna - UTS: "Rebuilding from the Ground up" Alternatives to the NT Intervention
http://www.jumbunna.uts.edu.au/researchareas/alternatives.html

See:

Stop the Intervention: Rebuilding from the Ground up - An alternative to the NT Intervention
http://stoptheintervention.org/alternatives-to-the-intervention/rebuildi...

Rollback the Intervention: Alternative to the Intervention
http://rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com/alternative-to-the-interven...

Stop the Intervention: Alternatives to the Intervention
http://stoptheintervention.org/alternatives-to-the-intervention

Jobs with Justice
http://jobswithjustice.wordpress.com/

Defending Indigenous Rights
http://defendingindigenousrights.wordpress.com/

* ACTU CONGRESS: THE FIGHT FOR ABORIGINAL RIGHTS IN THE NT

- Upcoming event

Event: Tue 15 May 2012: Sydney, NSW
ACTU Congress 2012
Fringe events:
The fight for Aboriginal Rights in the NT
"Come hear about the struggles against the
NT Intervention (renamed “stronger futures”),
income management and the proposed
Muckaty radioactive waste dump. ... "
Event details: http://www.actucongress.org.au/site/eventinfo/fringe-events
About Congress: http://www.actucongress.org.au/site/about/about-congress

* UNION CAMPAIGN LETTER ON BANKSTOWN INCOME MANAGEMENT:

- Letter

Union Campaign Letter on Bankstown Income Management of 16 April 2012
STICS: http://stoptheintervention.org/uploads/files_to_download/Past%20Events/C...
16 Apr 12: "Dear Friend,
The union movement has consistently supported Aboriginal peoples’ rights to land and self-determination since the 1960s, and has opposed the damaging effects of the racist and authoritarian NT Intervention on Aboriginal communities imposed by the Howard government in 2007 and continued by the Gillard Government.
Now, new legislation is set to extend the NT Intervention for a further 10 years and to expand its provisions for compulsory income management to communities across the country.
Bankstown, Sydney, is one of the five trial sites for national compulsory income management. ... "

- Upcoming events

Event: Fri 27 April 2012: Bankstown, Sydney, NSW
Speak Out against Income Management
"As part of the 2011 Federal Budget, the Australian
government announced that it plans to spend $117.5 million
over the next five years to introduce Income Management to
five "disadvantaged" communities across Australia. ...
Income Management will commence in these sites from 1st
July 2012 and will be compulsorily applied to welfare
recipients in the "trial sites" who are assessed by
Centrelink to be "vulnerable to financial crisis" and they
will have 50% of their payment quarantined."
Event details: http://www.stoptheintervention.org/#27Apr12
Event details: http://www.facebook.com/events/333817633347001/
Event details: http://indymedia.org.au/speak-out-against-income-management-sydney
Event details: http://indymedia.org.au/no-to-income-management-not-in-bankstown-not-in-...
Background: http://www.sayno2gim.info/
Background: http://stoptheintervention.org/facts/income-management

Event: Wed 2 May 2012: Bankstown, Sydney, NSW
Stop the expansion of Income Management in Bankstown
Organising meeting for unionists
"STICS is supporting the Say No To Government Income
Management Campaign Coalition in Bankstown call-out to
unionists. Please discuss sending representatives to the
following meetings to build the campaign to stop the
expansion of Income Management in Bankstown"
Event details: http://www.stoptheintervention.org/#May2012
Background: http://www.solidarity.net.au/44/bankstown-basicscard-campaign-reaches-ou...
Background: http://www.sayno2gim.info/
Background: http://stoptheintervention.org/facts/income-management

Event: Sat 26 May 2012: Bankstown, Sydney, NSW
Seminar for unionists and community members:
Income Management (IM) in Bankstown
" ... aimed at workers who will be caught up
implementing Income Management in
Bankstown, as well as other unionists."
Event details: http://www.stoptheintervention.org/#May2012
Background: http://www.solidarity.net.au/44/bankstown-basicscard-campaign-reaches-ou...
Background: http://www.sayno2gim.info/
Background: http://stoptheintervention.org/facts/income-management

* 'OUR GENERATION' TO BROADCAST ON NITV:

- News

Our Generation: OUR GENERATION to broadcast on NITV
http://ourgeneration.org.au/news/our-generation-broadcast-nitv
"Broadcast time and date: 9.30pm, 30 May 2012
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is available on the following channels, depending on your location and setup:
* Terrestrial analog Channel 35 Mt. Isa; Terrestrial analog channel 60 Bourke; Terrestrial analog channel 34 Alice Springs;
* Terrestrial analog in 147 Remote Indigenous Communities in remote Australia;
* Satellite digital direct to home;
* Channel 180 everywhere Foxtel, Austar and Optus;
* Channel 6 on the basic tier of Neighborhood Cable in Geelong, Ballarat and Mildura; and
* Channel 502 on the basic tier of TransACT’s TransTV in Canberra."

About Our Generation
http://ourgeneration.org.au/about

Our Generation Upcoming Screenings
http://ourgeneration.org.au/screenings

* BACKGROUND TO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY (NT) INTERVENTION:

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-northern-territory-...

* BACKGROUND TO THE PROPOSED MUCKATY NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP:

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-proposed-muckaty-nu...

* INTERVIEW WITH OLGA HAVNEN ON 'STRONGER FUTURES' FUNDING:

- Audio Interview

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
NT Coordinator General of Remote Services speaks on Stronger Futures funding
http://caama.com.au/nt-coordinator-general-of-remote-services-speaks-on-...
23 Apr 12: "The NT Co-ordinator General of Remote Services…Olga Havnen… has recently put out a press release which says the Stronger Futures funding is welcomed but needs scrutinising. She speaks to Paul Wiles on Strong Voices about this, and about her role as Co-ordinator General of Remote Services."

* MORE 'STRONGER FUTURES' LEGISLATION RELATED ARTICLES:

- Audio

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
CAAMA Online Radio News 19.04.2012
http://caama.com.au/caama-online-radio-news-18-04-2012
19 Apr 12: "The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social Justice commissioner has voiced his concerns about how Government intends to include Aboriginal people in any talks about changes to the proposed Stronger Futures legislation when sixty eight communities across the Territory have lost their governance structures with the amalgamation of the Shires."

* BACKGROUND TO 'STRONGER FUTURES' NEW NT INTERVENTION LAWS:

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-stronger-futures-new-nt...

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