Newsletter date: 28 February 2013
Contents:
* The Wire: Aboriginal youth could be silent victims in mandatory sentencing
* Amy McQuire, Tracker: Legal service slams WA govt’s "despicable" plans for mandatory sentencing
* The Stringer: Feed the little children
* The Stringer: Sansbury and Franks say "enough" and time for the SA Government to act
* Background to Aboriginal imprisonment and Deaths in Custody
* The Stringer: Aboriginal peoples finally to be included in SA Constitution - but 'no' to Treaty
* The Stringer: Finally, ABS data to corroborate the horrific extent of homelessness - but who really cares
* Other articles
* THE WIRE: ABORIGINAL YOUTH COULD BE SILENT VICTIMS IN MANDATORY SENTENCING
- Audio Interview
The Wire: Aboriginal youth could be silent victims in mandatory sentencing
Produced by Natalie Muller
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10069
26 Feb 13: "We take a look at the proposed expansion of WA's tough mandatory sentencing laws. Some fear the changes will spark a jump in the number of Aboriginal children in detention, and will do nothing to break the cycle of youth offending. Human rights advocates say they’re alarmed by the Barnett Government’s plan to extend mandatory sentencing laws. The raft of changes would make it possible for kids as young as 11 to be put in detention for 2 years. Amnesty International says the laws are discriminatory and that they will essentially target the most vulnerable ...
Featured in story:
* Monica Morgan - Manager of the Indigenous Rights Program at Amnesty International Australia
* Peter Collins - Director of Legal Services at the WA Aboriginal Legal Service"
* AMY MCQUIRE, TRACKER: LEGAL SERVICE SLAMS WA GOVT'S "DESPICABLE" PLANS FOR MANDATORY SENTENCING
- News
newsTracker: Legal service slams WA govt’s "despicable" plans for mandatory sentencing
http://tracker.org.au/2013/02/legal-service-slams-wa-govts-despicable-pl...
26 Feb 13: "NATIONAL: The Aboriginal Legal Service of WA has slammed the state government’s push to expand mandatory and minimum sentencing laws, saying it will only jail more Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people are 20 times more likely to be jailed in the state than their non-Indigenous counterparts - the highest ratio in the country - and incarceration rates are soaring. Western Australia locks up more Aboriginal juveniles in proportion to population than any other state. An Aboriginal child is 40 times more likely to be put in custody compared to a non-Aboriginal child." By Amy McQuire, a Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman, editor of Tracker
* THE STRINGER: FEED THE LITTLE CHILDREN
- News
The Stringer: Feed the little children
http://thestringer.com.au/feed-the-little-children/
11 Feb 13: "Clint and Deb Durham made up their minds they could no longer bear knowing toddlers and infants were sleeping hungry in the great hypocrisy that is the tourist mecca of Broome on the far north coast of Western Australia. Mr Durham is a 15 year intelligence analyst with the Western Australian police and in this time acknowledged the horrific statistics of many young Aboriginal offenders breaking into homes purely to steal some food or money for food, simply because they were hungry. Earlier this year the Stringer highlighted the plight of endemic Aboriginal homelessness ... "
See:
The Stringer
http://thestringer.com.au/the-stringer/
24 Feb 13: "Independent News, Investigative Journalism, Multi Award winning writers
The Stringer went live on February 19 and was formally launched on February 25, 2013 at The Media at the Crossroads Conference at NSW Parliament’s Theatrette. Independent news media contributes to the unfolding landscape of human rights and social justice. It is our aim to provide every opportunity to the rise of voices that far too often are denied. ...
Kind Regards from The Stringer editors - Gerry Georgatos and Jennifer Kaeshagen."
* THE STRINGER: SANSBURY AND FRANKS SAY "ENOUGH" AND TIME FOR THE SA GOVERNMENT TO ACT
- News
The Stringer: Sansbury and Franks say "enough" and time for the SA Government to act
http://thestringer.com.au/sansbury-and-franks-say-enough-and-time-for-th...
6 Feb 13: "South Australian Greens parliamentarian and Aboriginal Affairs spokeswoman Tammy Franks has called for the criminal justice system to back off from jailing Aboriginal people and to work with them, especially young offenders - instead of ensuring broken lives with destructive jail sentences. The SA Greens have called for increased funding for Aboriginal community-based drug and alcohol treatment facilities. Adelaide based Aboriginal rights campaigner Tauto Sansbury has spent the last year lobbying the SA Labor Government for these programs and for suicide prevention and 24 hour Aboriginal crises centres, ... "
* BACKGROUND TO ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND DEATHS IN CUSTODY:
Last updated: 26 February 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment...
* THE STRINGER: ABORIGINAL PEOPLES FINALLY TO BE INCLUDED IN SA CONSTITUTION - BUT 'NO' TO TREATY
- News
The Stringer: Aboriginal peoples finally to be included in SA Constitution - but 'no' to Treaty
http://thestringer.com.au/aboriginal-peoples-finally-to-be-included-in-s...
26 Feb 13: "Last week the South Australian parliament moved one step closer to amending their Constitution to include Aboriginal peoples and recognise them as having occupied Australia prior to colonialism. ... The Government is seeking to waive any legal consequences ... but Aboriginal Elders said their legal rights will not be denied and will be the case. They said the recognition in the Constitution will permit the legal framing for a call for Treaty. ... Kaurna Elder Lynette Crocker said the opportunity for the call for a Treaty will be pushed by many of the State’s influential Aboriginal peoples."
* THE STRINGER: FINALLY, ABS DATA TO CORROBORATE THE HORRIFIC EXTENT OF HOMELESSNESS - BUT WHO REALLY CARES
- News
The Stringer: Finally, ABS data to corroborate the horrific extent of homelessness - but who really cares
http://thestringer.com.au/finally-abs-data-to-corroborate-the-horrific-e...
12 Feb 13: "The Northern Territory’s homelessness and overcrowding rates remain the worst in the nation, and one of the worst in the world according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Human Rights Alliance (HRA). Grandson of Vincent Lingiari, Maurie Japartu Ryan, and leader of the fledgling Aboriginal political party, First Nations, said it is time Aboriginal people, alongside those who really care, finally take the reins and remedy the impost of wrongs."
* OTHER ARTICLES:
- Audio Interview
SBS Radionews Podcasts: Commissioner 'good for Indigenous children's rights'
By David Crisante
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/255922/Commiss...
27 Feb 13: "An Indigenous child care organisation is hailing the appointment of the first National Children's Commissioner. The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, or SNAICC, says it should have a positive impact on the lives of Indigenous children. SNAICC says it hopes to work closely with the new commissioner, Megan Mitchell, to help Australia meet international human rights obligations on the care of children. SNAICC's CEO, Frank Hytten, says he also wants the commissioner to help reduce the over-representation of Indigenous children in the juvenile justice system. He spoke with David Crisante."
- News
National Indigenous Radio Service: Call for National Children's Commissioner to work on closing the gap
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7883-call-for-national-childrens...
27 Feb 13: "The national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children welcomes the appointment of Megan Mitchell as the first National Children's Commissioner. ... The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care CEO Frank Hytten says it's a positive step forward to protect and promote the rights of children and young people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. "I would hope that she would work to raise the profile of closing the gap-type issues, particularly with relation to children and families. ... ""
National Indigenous Radio Service: Senate debates Act of Recognition
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7884-senate-debates-act-of-recog...
27 Feb 13: "The Federal Government's Act of Recognition legislation was debated in the Senate yesterday, appearing likely to receive multi-party support when it's voted on in the Upper House. The Act provides the framework for moves towards a referendum on constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians. Shadow Attorney-General George Brandis told Parliament it's now time for politicians to significantly increase their efforts towards ensuring a referendum would be successful."
If interested in info from hansard:
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/chamber/hansards/3a4c3452-9...
[senate hansard page 1 (website 25) - constitutional recognition]
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