Newsletter date: 10 August 2013
Contents:
* SBS Living Black's Marc Tong interviews Michael Mansell, Legal Director of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre: Tasmania's Heritage Protection Weakens
* CAAMA Radio's Pam Reilly interviews Nala Mansell McKenna, Aboriginal Cultural Officer at the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre: Tasmanian Mob want a Say in their Heritage
* ABC News: Tasmanian Aboriginal community prepares for battle over heritage laws
* Audioboo: Tasmanian Aboriginal community prepares for battle over heritage laws
* YouTube: Stoush brews over proposed Tasmanian heritage legislation: ABC News
* Sean McComish, The Age: Protection for [Aboriginal] site
* BigPond News: [Rare Indigenous] Rock art may show first foreigners
* Land Rights and Native Title Articles
* Background to Mabo and Native Title
* SBS LIVING BLACK'S MARC TONG INTERVIEWS MICHAEL MANSELL, LEGAL DIRECTOR OF THE TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL CENTRE: TASMANIA'S HERITAGE PROTECTION WEAKENS
- Audio Interview
SBS Living Black: Tasmania's Heritage Protection Weakens
By Marc Tong
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/highlight/page/id/281491/t...
7 Aug 13: "The Tasmanian government has released a Bill that traditional owners say will give them less powers to protect heritage sites. ... A Tasmanian Bill 20 years in the making will give overriding powers to government taking the state backwards in its protection of heritage sites. Local Aboriginal communities have expressed shock and disappointment with the release of the Bill, saying they will take it to the High Court once it comes into law. ... Legal Director of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Micheal Mansell says the Bill is archaic and pro-development in nature." By Marc Tong
* CAAMA RADIO'S PAM REILLY INTERVIEWS NALA MANSELL MCKENNA, ABORIGINAL CULTURAL OFFICER AT THE TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL CENTRE: TASMANIAN MOB WANT A SAY IN THEIR HERITAGE
- Audio Interview
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Tasmanian Mob want a Say in their Heritage.
http://caama.com.au/tasmanian-mob-want-a-say-in-their-heritage
7 Aug 13: "Tasmanian Aboriginal community have called for the support of the Tasmanian Greens in their opposition to the new Aboriginal heritage Legislation due to be debated in parliament later this year. Nala Mansell McKenna the Aboriginal Cultural Officer at the Tasmania Aboriginal Centre says "It’s about time the Tasmanian Greens stood up to their labor colleagues and worked along side the Aboriginal community who are left powerless when it comes to protection of Aboriginal heritage". Nala spoke to Pam Reilly on Strong Voices about the changes and major concerns of this new legislation."
* ABC NEWS: TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY PREPARES FOR BATTLE OVER HERITAGE LAWS
- News
ABC News: Tasmanian Aboriginal community prepares for battle over heritage laws
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-27/tasmanian-aboriginal-community-pre...
27 Jul 13: "Tasmania's Aboriginal community is gearing up for a stoush with the state government over new laws designed to protect indigenous heritage. The proposed Aboriginal Heritage legislation would see the establishment of a council of indigenous representatives to provide advice on the protection of relics threatened by development. But Michael Mansell from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre said the laws left ultimate power in the hands of the Heritage Minister. He said the laws are pro-development and would only create conflict."
* AUDIOBOO: TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY PREPARES FOR BATTLE OVER HERITAGE LAWS
- Audio
Audioboo: Tasmanian Aboriginal community prepares for battle over heritage laws - sovereignunion
http://audioboo.fm/boos/1525325-tasmanian-aboriginal-community-prepares-...
30 Jul 13: "This audio file was taken from an ABC TV News report"
* YOUTUBE: STOUSH BREWS OVER PROPOSED TASMANIAN HERITAGE LEGISLATION: ABC NEWS
- Video
YouTube: Stoush brews over proposed Tasmanian heritage legislation: ABC News - Bruce Skewes
Source: ABC TV News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfVrgdhXp3I
29 Jul 13: "There are fears Tasmanian Aboriginal heritage legislation will lead to more protests and arrests, along with a High Court challenge. ...
More information: Sovereign Union
Asserting Australia's First Nations Sovereignty into Governance
http://sovereignunion.mobi/
http://nationalunitygovernment.org/ "
* SEAN MCCOMISH, THE AGE: PROTECTION FOR [ABORIGINAL] SITE
- News
The Age: Protection for site
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/protection-for-site-20130804-2r7pq.html
5 Aug 13: "A windswept, craggy outcrop of cliffs and dunes in Warrnambool has been declared one of the most important Aboriginal sites in Australia after the area was cleared for the highest level of state protection. Strict new rules will be enforced to conserve the site at Point Ritchie, next to Warrnambool's Hopkins River mouth, with penalties reaching as high a s $1.4 million for damaging archaeological remains. Local Aboriginal leaders, Premier Denis Napthine (pictured) and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jeanette Powell braved Sunday's rain and gales to announce the measures for the site that dates more than 15,000 years." Sean McComish
* BIGPOND NEWS: [RARE INDIGENOUS] ROCK ART MAY SHOW FIRST FOREIGNERS
- News
BigPond News: Rock art may show first foreigners
http://bigpondnews.com/articles/National/2013/08/01/Rock_art_may_show_fi...
1 Aug 13: "An expedition to a remote Northern Territory island in search of clues for ancient coins has discovered rare indigenous rock art that could depict the first seafarers to reach Australian shores. The art work shows vessels which could pre-date the arrival of Dutch explorers in the 17th century. Five one thousand-year-old African copper coins were initially found on the Wessel Islands, an uninhabited group of islands off Australia's north coast, when troops were stationed there during World War II."
* LAND RIGHTS AND NATIVE TITLE ARTICLES
- Analysis / Opinion
The Age: Time to keep 30-year-old promise of land rights
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/time-to-keep-30yearold-promise-of-land-...
24 Jul 13: "Land rights for Aborigines is the most fundamental initiative to be taken for the regeneration of Aboriginal culture and dignity, and at the same time laying the basis for a self-reliant and more secure economic future for our continent's Aboriginal custodians. That was the thinking of this state's first Aboriginal affairs minister, Frank Walker, 30 years ago when introducing the historic NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act (ALRA). Thirty years should have been long enough to see good progress towards that worthy 1983 vision. Sadly, the practical application of the ALRA has not lived up to its great potential and genuine intent." Father Frank Brennan, long-time Aboriginal rights advocate, professor of law at Australian Catholic University, Adjunct Professor at the Australian National University College of Law and National Centre for Indigenous Studies
agendaTracker: Backtracker: A square peg in a round hole
http://tracker.org.au/2013/08/a-square-peg-in-a-round-hole/
6 Aug 13: "I’m writing this column on my return from the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council’s latest state wide conference. The three day conference had just brought together more than 200 Local Aboriginal Land Council delegates from all across NSW. It was an auspicious occasion. It was timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act and provided valuable insights into all of the work of Local Aboriginal Land Councils across the state to secure and build upon their land rights." By Brian Johnstone, a Walkley and Human Rights award winning journalist, employed by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council
- News
The West Australian: Native title covers uranium project
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/18218765/native-title-covers-ura...
30 Jul 13: "Traditional owners from Wiluna in the northern Goldfields have been officially acknowledged by the Federal Court, enshrining their rights ahead of final negotiations over WA's first uranium mine. At a ceremony in the remote town 950km north-east of Perth yesterday, Justice Neil McKerracher ended 16 years of process by formally recognising the native title determination of the Wiluna claim group. Touted as momentous and "a long time coming", the decision grants the Wiluna traditional owners native title rights over a vast area of central WA that includes working pastoral stations and mine sites." Daniel Mercer, The West Australian
The Stringer: Glen Kelly asks "haven’t the Noongar people waited long enough?"
thestringer.com.au/glen-kelly-asks-havent-the-noongar-people-waited-long-enough/
28 Jul 13: "The South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) has hit back at critics of the Western Australian Government’s offer of a $1.3 billion Native Title package to Noongars. SWALSC CEO Glen Kelly said that ultimately "…the Noongar community will decide whether to accept or reject the Native Title settlement package negotiated with the WA Government."
Mr Kelly said the negotiations between SWALSC and the State Government have taken three years." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
The Australian: Native title future fund tax-free
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/native-title-future-fun...
3 Aug 13: "ABORIGINAL communities will have access to a new tax-exempt community future fund to help pull indigenous Australians out of poverty and dramatically increase economic development opportunities from native title payments, in a bold initiative supported by the mining industry to be unveiled today by the Rudd government. In the biggest shake-up of the native title regime, the Rudd government will vow to legislate early next year to make it easier for Aborigines to accumulate a nest egg that can be spent on business and economic projects to benefit the entire community and create jobs and opportunities in some of the most languishing areas." Patricia Karvelas
* BACKGROUND TO MABO AND NATIVE TITLE:
Last updated: 23 July 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/07/02/background-to-mabo-and-native-title
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