Newsletter date: 26 December 2012
Contents:
* Amy McQuire, Tracker: WA govt’s "mean-spirited" refusal to extend Stolen Wages deadline
* Stolen Wages: Many will miss out says ALSWA [Aboriginal Legal Service of WA]
* Robin Chapple MLC: Hundreds will miss out as Government refuses to extend Stolen Wages Scheme
* ABC Indigenous: Payments flow to stolen wage victims
* Stolen Wages offer a 'slap in the face' says ALSWA [Aboriginal Legal Service of WA]
* Gerry Georgatos, Indymedia Australia: Stolen wages remain stolen with $2,000 offer
* Creative Spirits: Stolen Wages
* Martin Lukacs, The Guardian UK: Canada's First Nations protest heralds a new alliance
* Sovereign Union: Howard recognised continuing Aboriginal sovereignty
* Background to the Aboriginal sovereignty movement
* Close The Gap Campaign: Don’t slash Indigenous health funding: Close the Gap
* Close The Gap Committee: Submission to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan
* AMY MCQUIRE, TRACKER: WA GOVT'S "MEAN-SPIRITED" REFUSAL TO EXTEND STOLEN WAGES DEADLINE
- News
newsTracker: WA govt’s "mean-spirited" refusal to extend Stolen Wages deadline
http://tracker.org.au/2012/11/wa-govts-mean-spirited-refusal-to-extend-s...
29 Nov 12: "WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Hundreds of Aboriginal Western Australians who had their wages withheld from successive state governments could miss out on a reparations payment, after the Barnett government refused to extend the deadline. The Stolen Wages Reparations Scheme was announced earlier this year, offering a $2000 ex-gratia payment in exchange for the millions of dollars in Aboriginal wages and entitlements withheld within a system of trust accounts from 1905 to 1972. The withholding of wages and pensions compounded the disadvantage and poverty of Aboriginal people throughout Western Australia." By Amy McQuire, a Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman, editor of Tracker
See:
Stories by Amy McQuire - Tracker
http://tracker.org.au/author/amy/
About Tracker
http://tracker.org.au/about-us/
"Tracker magazine is a publication of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, Australia’s largest Aboriginal organisation."
* STOLEN WAGES: MANY WILL MISS OUT SAYS ALSWA [ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE OF WA]:
- Media Release
Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc.) (ALSWA):
Stolen Wages: Many will miss out says ALSWA
http://www.als.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=242:s...
23 Nov 12: "With only one week to go until the Stolen Wages Reparation Scheme closes, the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (ALSWA) is disappointed that the WA Government has refused to extend the deadline beyond 30th November 2012.
Last month ALSWA wrote to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Peter Collier MLC, seeking an extension, but the Minister has refused. "I am so sad for all of the people who will miss out on making an application, it is really disheartening that after all they have already gone through, they will be further disadvantaged through this exclusionary time limit and limited criteria for eligibility" said ALSWA CEO Dennis Eggington.
Since the scheme was announced in March this year, ALSWA has become aware of approximately 1600 people who have either expressed an interest in applying, or who ALSWA believes may be eligible to apply for the ex gratia payment of up to $2000. "Whilst the amount offered is comparable with tea and flour, or the crumbs off of the table, it is at least some reparation for those who so greatly contributed to the economic power afforded to this state today" said Mr. Eggington. ... "
See:
Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc.) (ALSWA)
http://www.als.org.au/
"Striving for justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Western Australia for over thirty years."
* ROBIN CHAPPLE MLC: HUNDREDS WILL MISS OUT AS GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO EXTEND STOLEN WAGES SCHEME
- News
Robin Chapple MLC: Hundreds will miss out as Government refuses to extend Stolen Wages Scheme
http://robinchapple.com/hundreds-will-miss-out-government-refuses-extend...
28 Nov 12: "Greens Member of Parliament Robin Chapple MLC has lashed out at the Barnett/Grylls Government’s refusal to extend the deadline of the Stolen Wages Reparation Scheme, accusing the Premier and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Peter Collier of being unjust, unfair and mean-spirited. "The WA Government is very good at paying lip service to the needs of Aboriginal people but puts its head firmly in the sand when it comes time to follow through with practical assistance," Mr Chapple said. "The $2,000 payment to compensate Indigenous workers who had their wages held in trust by successive state governments until the 1970s is paltry enough. "But to deny people even that tiny sum by closing the scheme just 9 months after it was announced is nothing short of malevolent. ... ""
See:
Robin Chapple MLC: Aboriginal Issues
http://robinchapple.com/aboriginal-issues
Robin Chapple MLC: Member for Mining and Pastoral Region
http://robinchapple.com/
"Robin Chapple was first elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council on February 10, 2001. He is the first member of the Greens (WA) ever elected for the vast Mining and Pastoral Region."
The Greens (WA): MLC - Robin Chapple
http://wa.greens.org.au/content/mlc-robin-chapple
"With a background in engineering, Aboriginal community development, local government, and mining, Robin Chapple is well qualified to represent the vast Mining and Pastoral Region."
* ABC INDIGENOUS: PAYMENTS FLOW TO STOLEN WAGE VICTIMS
- News
ABC Indigenous: Payments flow to stolen wage victims
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-21/stolen-wages-payments-flow/4440398...
21 Dec 12: "The State Government has begun distributing millions of dollars to Aboriginal Western Australians who had wages withheld until the 1970s. The Minister for Indigenous Affairs opened a nine-month window for eligible people to apply for a $2,000 ex gratia payment. ... There were almost 700 applicant from the south-west and Goldfields, 192 Gascoyne and Pilbara applicants and 500 from the Kimberley. About 600 came from the metropolitan region."
ABC Indigenous: Compensation for stolen Aboriginal wages
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-21/aboriginal-stolen-wage-claims/4440...
21 Dec 12: "The State Government has begun distributing millions of dollars to Indigenous West Australians who had their wages withheld from the 1900s until the 1970s. Earlier this year the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Peter Collier, created a scheme which allowed eligible people to apply for a $2,000 ex gratia payment. The scheme was open for nine months."
See:
ABC Indigenous - Home
http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/
* STOLEN WAGES OFFER A 'SLAP IN THE FACE' SAYS ALSWA [ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE OF WA]:
- Media Release
Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc.) (ALSWA):
Stolen wages offer a 'slap in the face' says ALSWA
http://www.als.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=230:s...
6 Mar 12: "The Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (ALSWA) has slammed the WA State Government’s offer of up to $2000.00 to Aboriginal workers whose past wages were stolen by the state.
"This is a slap in the face and a cruel and heartless offer which offends the very notion of recompense" said ALSWA CEO Adjunct Professor Dennis Eggington. "This is not just about stolen wages or pensions that were withheld, nor is it about coming up with an equitable scheme. This state’s economic power was built upon the backs of hard working, proud Indigenous men and women who had their hard earned wages withheld. To now offer these people such a paltry amount diminishes the contributions that our people have made. Any offer made must also ensure that monies are repaid in terms of today’s monetary value" said Mr. Eggington.
This offer comes six years after ALSWA’s submission to the Senate Inquiry into Stolen Wages recommending the just return of stolen wages to Aboriginal workers. ... "
See:
Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc.) (ALSWA)
http://www.als.org.au/
"Striving for justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Western Australia for over thirty years."
* GERRY GEORGATOS, INDYMEDIA AUSTRALIA: STOLEN WAGES REMAIN STOLEN WITH $2,000 OFFER
- Analysis / Opinion
Indymedia Australia: Stolen wages remain stolen with $2,000 offer
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/03/08/stolen-wages-remain-stolen-with-2000-...
8 Mar 12: "The Stolen Wages campaign has taken an almighty setback in Western Australia when the state government tossed up a disturbingly paltry compensation offer - and which requires one to extinguish all rights to any further claims if they accept the offer. According to the state's Indigenous Affairs Minister, Peter Collier, there are at best only 1,400 'legitimate' claimants and he has ruled out the right of families to claim or benefit. Minister Collier, on behalf of the Colin Barnett government has ruled out 100% redress for the wages withheld by government agencies from Aboriginal workers, and is limiting compensation to a one-off maximum cap $2000 payment." By Gerry Georgatos
- Further Background References
Indymedia Australia: Stolen wages remain stolen with $2,000 offer
[scroll down page to bottom of article] http://indymedia.org.au/2012/03/08/stolen-wages-remain-stolen-with-2000-...
See:
Gerry Georgatos - Indymedia Australia
http://indymedia.org.au/users/gerry-georgatos
About Indymedia Australia
http://indymedia.org.au/about
"Indymedia is a collective providing a platform for grassroots media-makers to create radical, accurate, and passionate coverage of struggles and movements working for social, environmental and economic justice. Everyone is a witness. Everyone is a journalist."
* CREATIVE SPIRITS: STOLEN WAGES
- Background Research
Creative Spirits: Stolen Wages
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/economy/stolen-wages
"From the late 1800s until the 1970s Aboriginal workers were for all intents and purposes enslaved. They were denied access to their wages which in many cases were simply stolen by corrupt officials and employers. It locked them into a cycle of poverty. Governments and churches have made it difficult to access records and there is a general reluctance to pay the monies withheld."
See:
Creative Spirits - Aboriginal Australia, Photography and Poems
http://www.creativespirits.info/index.html
About Creative Spirits
http://www.creativespirits.info/about.html
* MARTIN LUKACS, THE GUARDIAN UK: CANADA'S FIRST NATIONS PROTEST HERALDS A NEW ALLIANCE
- News
The Guardian UK: Canada's First Nations protest heralds a new alliance
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/20/canada-first-nations...
20 Dec 12: "The grassroots IdleNoMore movement of aboriginal people offers a more sustainable future for all Canadians ... Canada's placid winter surface has been broken by unprecedented protests by its aboriginal peoples. In just a few weeks, a small campaign launched against the Conservative government's budget bill by four aboriginal women has expanded and transformed into a season of discontent: a cultural and political resurgence. It has seen rallies in dozens of cities, a disruption of legislature, blockades of major highways, drumming flash mobs in malls, a flurry of Twitter activity under the hashtag #IdleNoMore and a hunger strike by Chief Theresa Spence, in a tepee minutes from Ottawa's parliament." By Martin Lukacs, an independent journalist, an editor with the Canadian grassroots newspaper the Dominion
See:
Martin Lukacs - The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/martin-lukacs
Information - The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/info
* SOVERIEGN UNION: HOWARD RECOGNISED CONTINUING ABORIGINAL SOVEREIGNTY
- Media Release
Sovereign Union: John Howard recognised continuing Aboriginal sovereignty in his Ten Point Plan for limiting Native Title
http://nationalunitygovernment.org/content/john-howard-recognised-contin...
21 Dec 12: "Michael Anderson, Tamworth, NSW ...
With the passage of time it is now painfully obvious that former Prime Minister, John Howard, fully realised that Aboriginal peoples maintain a very powerful position in Australia, so much so, that by amending the Native Title Act in 1998 he demonstrated the inherent power of Aboriginal peoples, which stems from our continuing sovereignty.
Having now reviewed his Ten Point Plan it is important for us, as First Nations Peoples, to revisit John Howard's amendments and what they meant. ... "
See:
Sovereign Union - First Nations Interim National Unity Government:
Asserting Australia's First Nations Sovereignty into Governance
http://www.sovereignunion.mobi/
http://nationalunitygovernment.org/
About 'Sovereign Union'
http://www.sovereignunion.mobi/node/3
"This is the official website of the Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples in Australia. The Sovereign Union was first formed at a meeting on 12-14 June 1999 on Mt Kaputar, near Narrabri, NSW. A delegation was sent to Geneva to the UN Working Group of the Commission on Human Rights to take our sovereign voices to the international community. The Sovereign Union was further formalised with a Foundation Meeting of the 'Sovereign Union – interim Unity Government' at the Kuradji Tent Embassy, near Wollongong, New South Wales on May 25 2012."
* BACKGROUND TO THE ABORIGINAL SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT:
Last updated: 22 December 2012
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-aboriginal-sovereig...
* CLOSE THE GAP CAMPAIGN: DON'T SLASH INDIGENOUS HEALTH FUNDING: CLOSE THE GAP
- Media Release
Close the Gap Campaign: Don’t slash Indigenous health funding: Close the Gap
AHRC: http://humanrights.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/2012/117_12.html
21 Dec 12: "The Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee today called on the Federal Government to maintain Indigenous health funding, in its submission to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan.
The plan, for which consultations have been held over the past 8 weeks, will replace the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health which expires in 2013.
Close the Gap Campaign co-chair Mick Gooda said the Steering Committee commended the government on its commitment to develop a long term plan to Close the Gap, a longstanding call of the Campaign. ...
Mr Gooda said the campaign was seeking assurances from the Government that investment in Indigenous health funding would continue after this period, given all parties had committed to the 2030 target to close the gap on Indigenous health inequality.
"We cannot take our eye off the ball or fall into any sense of complacency in relation to Indigenous health," he said."
See:
Close the Gap - Campaign for Indigenous Health Equality
http://humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/health/index.html
"The poorer health of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples when compared to the non-Indigenous population is no secret - and something can be done about it. Since 2006, Australia's peak Indigenous and non-Indigenous health bodies, NGOs and human rights organisations have worked together to achieve health and life expectation equality for Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is known as the Close the Gap Campaign. ... "
* CLOSE THE GAP COMMITTEE: SUBMISSION TO THE NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HEALTH PLAN
- Submission
Submission to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan
Close The Gap Campaign Steering Committee
December 2012
AHRC: http://humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/health/20121220_CTG_Health_Plan...
"7 Conclusion:
71. The Campaign Steering Committee believes that it is critical that the Health Plan demonstrates ambition and reach befitting the target to close the life expectancy gap by 2030. It is equally imperative that the Health Plan continue to be developed in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their representative organisations. Furthermore, for the implementation of the Health Plan to be effective it must have a resources strategy and monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
72. The Campaign Steering Committee will continue to work with the NHLF as Health Plan is being developed. It will also actively monitor this process and the subsequent implementation of the Health Plan." page 22
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