Newsletter date: 23 December 2013
Contents:
* National Congress of Australia's First Peoples: First Peoples Voice will not be Silenced - Statement from Congress National Board
* National Congress of Australia's First Peoples: Congress Condemns Cuts
* NATSILS - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services: Government cuts support for National Congress
* Dan Harrison, SMH: Indigenous organisation to defy Tony Abbott funding cut
* Kaye Lee, The Australian Independent Media Network: Putting our First People last
* Mid North Coast Greens: The Government has proposed cuts to the funding for Aboriginal legal services and the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples
* Patricia Karvelas, The Australian: Aboriginal congress told funding will go
* Patricia Karvelas, The Australian: First Peoples body vows to continue despite funding cut
* Background to National Congress of Australia's First Peoples
* WGAR News: NATSILS Factsheet: funding cuts to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (22 Dec 13)
* NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AUSTRALIA'S FIRST PEOPLES: FIRST PEOPLES VOICE WILL NOT BE SILENCED - STATEMENT FROM CONGRESS NATIONAL BOARD
- Statement
National Congress of Australia's First Peoples: First Peoples Voice will not be Silenced
Statement from Congress National Board
http://nationalcongress.com.au/first-peoples-voice-will-not-be-silenced/
19 Dec 13: "The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (Congress) promised its members and supporters today that it will continue as a strong, fearless national representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Congress Co-Chairs Kirstie Parker and Les Malezer met with Congress Board Directors to assess the Government’s announcement that it will, in all likelihood, renege on an official $15 million funding commitment in the 2013 Budget.
Our founders protected Congress from the whims of Government by ensuring we were established as an independent company owned and operated by our Peoples – not as a construct of the Government.
Congress was also established based on the right to make decisions for ourselves. This is clearly articulated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Article 18:
Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decision-making in matters which would affect their rights, through representatives chosen by themselves in accordance with their own procedures, as well as to maintain and develop their own indigenous decision-making institutions.
We will continue to fight for the issues that are important to us as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. ... "
- Related Audio Interview
National Indigenous Radio Service's 'Weekly News In Review'
Download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9tp8dzesf56veau/MASTER%20WNIR%20201213.mp3
20 Dec 13: "It includes interviews with -
* Congress Co-Chair Les Malezer,
* ATSILS Chair Shane Duffy,
* Australian Green’s Senator Penny Wright,
* Dr Mark McMillan and
* Professor Gillian Triggs."
[The NIRS WNIR may expire after about a week, so if you want to listen to these interviews you will need to download them soon.]
* NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AUSTRALIA'S FIRST PEOPLES: CONGRESS CONDEMNS CUTS
- News
National Congress of Australia's First Peoples: Congress Condemns Cuts
http://nationalcongress.com.au/congress-condemns-cuts/
17 Dec 13: "The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (Congress) strongly opposes the decision by the Federal Government to cut funding to community controlled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations. The government’s ‘hit or miss’ funding cuts to our organisations, at the beginning of their term and before the completion of their highly-publicised inquiries, endangers the collaborative approach offered by the Prime Minister. ... "
* NATSILS - NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LEGAL SERVICES: GOVERNMENT CUTS SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL CONGRESS
- Media Release
NATSILS - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services: Government cuts support for National Congress - 20 December 2013
http://www.natsils.org.au/News/MediaReleases.aspx
http://www.natsils.org.au/portals/natsils/Media%20Releases/20-12-13%20NA...
20 Dec 13: "Today the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) express concern at the Australian Government’s announcement that it will, in all likelihood, renege on an official $15 million funding commitment in the 2013 Budget towards the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (Congress).
NATSILS Chairperson, Shane Duffy, said that Congress fulfils a vital role in representing the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
"Congress was created in respect of the fundamental right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to participate in decision-making in relation to matters which affect them," Mr Duffy said.
"The Government’s announcement that it will be withdrawing support for Congress calls into question whether the Government is committed to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and listening to what they have to say." ... "
* DAN HARRISON, SMH: INDIGENOUS ORGANISATION TO DEFY TONY ABBOTT FUNDING CUT
- News
SMH: Indigenous organisation to defy Tony Abbott funding cut
SMH: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/indigenous-organis...
NACCHO: http://nacchocommunique.com/2013/12/20/naccho-political-news-aboriginal-...
19 Dec 13: "The leaders of the national representative body for indigenous people have vowed to continue as a ''fearless'' voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, despite the Abbott government indicating it is likely to cut its funding. The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples was set up in 2010 with an initial Commonwealth funding allocation of $29.2 million over five years. While it was envisaged that the organisation would become financially self-sufficient over time, it is yet to reach this stage." Dan Harrison, Health and Indigenous Affairs Correspondent for Fairfax Media, based in Canberra
* KAYE LEE, THE AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT MEDIA NETWORK: PUTTING OUR FIRST PEOPLE LAST
- Analysis / Opinion
The Australian Independent Media Network: Putting our First People last.
http://theaimn.com/2013/12/20/putting-our-first-people-last/comment-page-1/
20 Dec 13: " ... So I was somewhat surprised to hear Mr Mundine, in response to the funding cuts to the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, state that his committee was not intended to be a representative body, but was created to provide policy advice to government. Does that imply that policy should not represent what the people want and that the committee will tell the people what they need? Labor’s spokesman on indigenous affairs, Shayne Neumann, said the move brought into question Tony Abbott’s promise to be a Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs. ... " By Kaye Lee
* MID NORTH COAST GREENS: THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROPOSED CUTS TO THE FUNDING FOR ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICES AND THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AUSTRALIA'S FIRST PEOPLES
- News
Mid North Coast Greens: The Government has proposed cuts to the funding for Aboriginal legal services and the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples
http://mncgreens.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/the-government-has-proposed-cut...
20 Dec 13: "The Government has proposed cuts to the funding for Aboriginal legal services and the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples – this makes a complete mockery of the Abbott Government’s ‘commitment’ to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Congress is an important voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We need to let Tony Abbott know that he can't defund this group." Greens Senator Rachel Siewart
* PATRICIA KARVELAS, THE AUSTRALIAN: ABORIGINAL CONGRESS TOLD FUNDING WILL GO
- News
ISX: Aboriginal congress told funding will go - Patricia Karvelas, The Australian
The Australian: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/aboriginal-congr...
ISX: http://www.isx.org.au/forums/read.php?18,11990,11991,quote=1
NACCHO: http://nacchocommunique.com/2013/12/19/naccho-political-news-aboriginal-...
19 Dec 13: "THE peak Aboriginal body has been told it must prepare to lose its federal funding from next July and find another way to support itself. Labor had promised to keep the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples funded with $15 million for another three years in this year's May budget. Since the election, the congress has hoped the Coalition would honour Labor's pledge. But Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said he had met the group's co-chairs yesterday to warn them that was highly unlikely and they must look beyond the government for means of survival."
* PATRICIA KARVELAS, THE AUSTRALIAN: FIRST PEOPLES BODY VOWS TO CONTINUE DESPITE FUNDING CUT
- News
ISX: First Peoples body vows to continue despite funding cut - Patricia Karvelas, The Australian
The Australian: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/first-peoples-bo...
ISX: [scroll down page] http://www.isx.org.au/forums/read.php?18,11990,11991,quote=1
20 Dec 13: "THE nation's peak Aboriginal body has promised its members and supporters that it will continue as a national advocate despite losing its federal funding from next July. The National Congress of Australia's First Peoples said the new "government has shown that they do not support real decision-making for our families and communities through a national representative body chosen by our peoples, for our peoples"."
* BACKGROUND TO NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AUSTRALIA'S FIRST PEOPLES:
Last updated: 16 December 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/05/05/background-to-the-national-congress-o...
* WGAR NEWS: NATSILS FACTSHEET: FUNDING CUTS TO ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LEGAL SERVICES (22 DEC 13)
- Complilation
WGAR News: NATSILS Factsheet: funding cuts to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (22 Dec 13)
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/12/21/wgar-news-natsils-factsheet-funding-c...
"Contents:
* NATSILS - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services: Government to defund Aboriginal Legal Services Peak Body and all Law Reform and Policy Positions
* NATSILS Factsheet: funding cuts to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Legal Services
* CAALAS - Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service: Cuts to Aboriginal legal aid will silence Aboriginal communities
* NACCHO political health news: Abbott Government cuts to impact on Aboriginal health
* SNAICC News: Media Release 18 December 2013 - Cuts to Aboriginal Legal Services
* ANTaR: Cuts to Aboriginal Legal Services will undermine action on Aboriginal jobs and education
* ANTaR: Take Action: Abbott Government delivers a blow to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice ... "
[NACCHO: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation]
[SNAICC: Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care]
[ANTaR: a grassroots movement of Australians in support of justice, rights and respect for Australia’s First Peoples]
- - -
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