Newsletter date: 9 October 2013
Contents:
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Australia's Aboriginal suicide epidemic - Whose child will be the next to die?
* Background to Suicide and Self-harm in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Communities
* CAAMA's Lorena Walker interviews Marianne Mackay about Aboriginal children who are in care of the state in WA
* Background to 'Keeping Them Home': Campaign against Forced Aboriginal Adoption in the NT
* The Wire: A culturally safe health system for everyone [Featuring Dr Tammy Kimpton, President of AIDA]
* NACCHO Aboriginal Health News: Trust, integrity and respect confirmed as cornerstones of effective Indigenous engagement
* NACCHO Aboriginal Health News: Cancer risk greater for Indigenous Australians-AIHW report download
* CAAMA: Diabetes expert calls for bigger Aboriginal health workforce
* CAAMA interview with Felicity Graham from the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service about the High Court decision
* Natasha Boddy, The West Australian: Warning on mentally ill held in jails
* Natasha Boddy, The West Australian: Banksia Hill rioter wins appeal
* Background to Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL SUICIDE EPIDEMIC - WHOSE CHILD WILL BE THE NEXT TO DIE?
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Australia's Aboriginal suicide epidemic - Whose child will be the next to die?
http://thestringer.com.au/australias-aboriginal-suicide-epidemic-whose-c...
4 Oct 13: "Aboriginal people are killing themselves at the world’s highest rates. Why? Premature deaths in Aboriginal Australia are a way of life, mourning and grief a common occurrence, and far too many Aboriginal communities have come to accept the deaths as their lot, refusing to speak about them. Why? Despite the general quiet and acceptance of death and grief in Aboriginal communities there is however a rise in Aboriginal voices calling for change. The horror of dramatic disproportionate rates of suicide for Aboriginal peoples is played out the world over but Australia’s Aboriginal peoples are at the top of this tragic list." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* BACKGROUND TO SUICIDE AND SELF-HARM IN ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMUNITIES:
Last updated: 5 October 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/08/13/background-to-suicide-and-self-harm-i...
* CAAMA'S LORENA WALKER INTERVIEWS MARIANNE MACKAY ABOUT ABORIGINAL CHILDREN WHO ARE IN CARE OF THE STATE IN WA
- Audio Interview
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Marianne Mackay from Western Australia talks on CAAMA
http://caama.com.au/marianne-mackay-from-western-australia-talks-on-caama
7 Oct 13: "Youth justice advocate and law student Marianne Mackay shares her views on Aboriginal children who are in care of the state in Western Australia. Marianne talks to Lorena Walker about the Department of Child Protection in WA."
* BACKGROUND TO 'KEEPING THEM HOME': CAMPAIGN AGAINST FORCED ABORIGINAL ADOPTION IN THE NT
Last updated: 29 September 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/07/03/background-to-keeping-them-home-campa...
* THE WIRE: A CULTURALLY SAFE HEALTH SYSTEM FOR EVERYONE [FEATURING DR TAMMY KIMPTON, PRESIDENT OF AIDA]
- Audio Interview
The Wire: A culturally safe health system for everyone
Produced by Eduardo Jordan
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10898
4 Oct 13: "The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association kicked off its annual symposium in Canberra by taking on the big issues. The theme Beyond Cultural Awareness is about working towards a culturally safe health system. The number of Indigenous doctors has increased and it is expected to continue growing in the following years. Seeing a GP who understands their background will help give indigenous patients more confidence to seek medical help. ...
Featured in story: Dr Tammy Kimpton - President of AIDA and GP"
* NACCHO ABORIGINAL HEALTH NEWS: TRUST, INTEGRITY AND RESPECT CONFIRMED AS CORNERSTONES OF EFFECTIVE INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT
- News
NACCHO Aboriginal Health News: Trust, integrity and respect confirmed as cornerstones of effective Indigenous engagement
[NACCHO: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation]
http://nacchocommunique.com/2013/10/04/naccho-aboriginal-health-news-tru...
4 Oct 13: "Relationships built on trust, integrity and respect are crucial for effective engagement with Indigenous communities, according to two papers released today on the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse website. Engaging with Indigenous Australia-exploring the conditions for effective relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities reviews the evidence on engagement and outlines the conditions required for effective engagement."
* NACCHO ABORIGINAL HEALTH NEWS: CANCER RISK GREATER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS-AIHW REPORT DOWNLOAD
- News
NACCHO Aboriginal Health News: Cancer risk greater for Indigenous Australians-AIHW report download
[NACCHO: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation]
http://nacchocommunique.com/2013/10/03/naccho-aboriginal-health-news-can...
3 Oct 13: "Indigenous Australians being approximately 50% more likely to die from cancer than non-Indigenous Australians….with lung cancer at the top of the rankings. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have higher rates of new cancer cases and cancer deaths than non-Indigenous Australians, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and Cancer Australia. Cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia: an overview is the first comprehensive summary of cancer statistics for Indigenous Australians."
* CAAMA: DIABETES EXPERT CALLS FOR BIGGER ABORIGINAL HEALTH WORKFORCE
- Audio Interview
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Diabetes expert calls for bigger Aboriginal health workforce !
http://caama.com.au/diabetes-expert-calls-for-bigger-aboriginal-health-w...
3 Oct 13: "A world expert in the field of diabetes has added his voice to calls for a a more ” basic grass roots workforce” of Aborignal community health workers ….which can help drive major lifestle changes for their people. Professor Paul Zimmet…….Director Emeritus of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute lead the first national diabetes and obesity study in Australia and is widely recognized for his studies into type 2 diabetes and obesity in Indian and Pacific Ocean populations as well as the role of socio-cultural change."
* CAAMA INTERVIEW WITH FELICITY GRAHAM FROM THE NSW ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE ABOUT THE HIGH COURT DECISION
- Audio Interview
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: High Court ruling sends important message- but we’re still behind Canada !
http://caama.com.au/high-court-ruling-sends-important-message-but-were-s...
3 Oct 13: "The Australian High Court has ruled that Aboriginal disadvantage does not diminish or decrease over time… and that it has to be considered in sentencing processes regardless of how many times a defendant has appeared before a court. Felicity Graham from the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service says she hopes the the High Court decision will be an important message for sentencing courts about the importance of taking into account the background of aborignal offenders."
See:
WGAR News: Indigenous imprisonment rates: Australia needs better sentencing: Louise Taylor, The Guardian [About the High Court finding] (6 Oct 13)
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/10/05/wgar-news-indigenous-imprisonment-rat...
* NATASHA BODDY, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: WARNING ON MENTALLY ILL HELD IN JAILS
- News
The West Australian: Warning on mentally ill held in jails
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/19282867/warning-on-mentally-ill...
7 Oct 13: "Limited bed space in the State's only high-security unit for the mentally ill is forcing vulnerable prisoners to be kept in jails instead of centres that can address their needs, the WA Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board chief has warned. Robert Cock praised the State Government's decision to build two declared places for people who cannot stand trial but said the disability justice centres would cater only for cognitively impaired accused - about half the number of people the board managed. "It would be disastrous for the mentally ill accused to be forgotten," ... " Natasha Boddy, The West Australian
* NATASHA BODDY, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: BANKSIA HILL RIOTER WINS APPEAL
- News
The West Australian: Banksia Hill rioter wins appeal
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/19280392/banksia-hill-rioter-win...
7 Oct 13: "A teenager given two months detention for breaking a fan and smashing a window during the Banksia Hill riot has won an appeal against his sentence because of harsh conditions he faced in an adult jail. Lawyers for the teenager, who was 15 at the time of the January riot at the juvenile detention centre, argued his sentence was manifestly excessive, failed to consider the harshness of conditions he faced at Hakea Prison and was inconsistent with sentences given to other offenders. In a decision published last week, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Hall allowed the teenager's appeal ... " Natasha Boddy, The West Australian
* BACKGROUND TO JUSTICE REINVESTMENT, ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY:
Last updated: 6 October 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment...
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