WGAR News: "Background Evidence to Support a Declaration of Aboriginal Sovereignty"

Newsletter date: 23 February 2014

Contents:

* Michael Anderson, The Carrington Rand Journal of Social Sciences: Background Evidence to Support a Declaration of Aboriginal Sovereignty
* Background to the Aboriginal sovereignty movement

* Jarvis Ryan: Bilingual education needs to be extended, not scrapped
* Alice Springs News: Indigenous education review: no more ‘biliteracy’; boarding for secondary students
* Background to the use of Aboriginal languages in NT schools (bilingual education)

* SBS News: Big picture needed on Aboriginal education [Featuring Tom Calma]
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Andrew Forrest advises Tony Abbott to ban ‘the dole’ to school dropouts

* Miriam Alveberg, The Wire: Exctinct Aboriginal languages aim digital to survive [Featuring Ghil’ad Zuckerman and Claire McClain]
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Noongar language to be preserved Wikipedia-style
* Andrew Pople, The Wire: Diverse Aboriginal voices now in print thanks to publishing guidelines [Featuring Terri Janke]

* MICHAEL ANDERSON, THE CARRINGTON RAND JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES: BACKGROUND EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT A DECLARATION OF ABORIGINAL SOVEREIGNTY

- Analysis / Opinion

Michael Anderson, The Carrington Rand Journal of Social Sciences: Background Evidence to Support a Declaration of Aboriginal Sovereignty
http://www.carringtonrand.com/The_Carrington_Rand_Journal_of_Social_Scie...
http://www.carringtonrand.com/The_Carrington_Rand_Journal_of_Social_Scie...(2014)_1(1)_CRJSS_101_files/Background%20Evidence%20to%20Support%20a%20Declaration%20of%20Aboriginal%20Sovereignty.pdf
March 2014: "This article’s significance lies in its identification of many legal and administrative references, over a very long and substantial time, amounting to a de facto recognition of Aboriginal sovereignty subsisting in Aboriginal ancient lands. It shows that sovereignty was neither ceded nor lawfully transferred. The paper asked whether or not the various legal sources examined amounted to recognition of subsisting Aboriginal sovereignty and concurrent allodial title. It argued that the various references to Aboriginal sovereignty and allodial subsisting within the Aboriginal ancient lands were overwhelming, and could not be denied as amounting to de facto subsisting sovereignty and allodial title."

* BACKGROUND TO THE ABORIGINAL SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT:

Last updated: 17 February 2014

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-aboriginal-sovereig...

* JARVIS RYAN: BILINGUAL EDUCATION NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED, NOT SCRAPPED

- Analysis / Opinion

Jarvis Ryan: Bilingual education needs to be extended, not scrapped
http://jarvisryan.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/bilingual-education-needs-to-...
20 Feb 14: "The release of the draft report of the NT government’s review of Indigenous education has generated a lot of alarm in remote Indigenous communities. Yet again Aboriginal people have been singled out for treatment that no one would even contemplate proposing for other social groups - specifically, closing remote education centres and forcing all secondary age children to go away to boarding school, which a former student of mine said reminded her of the sort of thing that went on with the Stolen Generations. ... "

About me - Jarvis Ryan
http://jarvisryan.wordpress.com/about/
"I taught in western Sydney for five years before moving to a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory in 2012."

* ALICE SPRINGS NEWS: INDIGENOUS EDUCATION REVIEW: NO MORE 'BILITERACY'; BOARDING FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS

- News

Alice Springs News: Indigenous education review: no more ‘biliteracy’; boarding for secondary students
http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/2014/02/07/indigenous-education-revie...
7 Feb 14: "The draft review of Indigenous education in the Territory by consultant Bruce Wilson, released today, does not support "continued efforts to use biliteracy approaches"; says secondary education for bush students should be delivered in the Territory’s major towns with appropriate residential support; and on the fraught issue of attendance, says effort should be preferentially targeted to early childhood and primary children and to secondary children already attending on average at least three days per week. On biliteracy Mr Wilson says ... "

* BACKGROUND TO THE USE OF ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES IN NT SCHOOLS (BILINGUAL EDUCATION):

Last updated: 15 February 2014

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/05/05/background-to-the-use-of-aboriginal-l...

* SBS NEWS: BIG PICTURE NEEDED ON ABORIGINAL EDUCATION [FEATURING TOM CALMA]

- News

SBS News: Big picture needed on Aboriginal education
Source AAP
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/20/big-picture-needed-aborigi...
20 Feb 14: "Indigenous leader Tom Calma has urged the federal government to look at the big picture in its attempts to improve indigenous education outcomes. ... Dr Calma said improving indigenous education outcomes needed a holistic approach. "Attendance is only one measure of success," Dr Calma said. "Getting people in the door is not going to mean you're going to learn." He said the involvement of indigenous parents in children's education through reading programs was critical to classroom success. Other factors included bilingual lessons, ... "

* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: ANDREW FORREST ADVISES TONY ABBOTT TO BAN 'THE DOLE' TO SCHOOL DROPOUTS

- Analysis / Opinion

The Stringer: Andrew Forrest advises Tony Abbott to ban ‘the dole’ to school dropouts
http://thestringer.com.au/andrew-forrest-advises-tony-abbott-to-ban-the-...
15 Feb 14: "In a risky piece of advice, however well meaning, mining magnate Andrew Forrest has advised Prime Minister Tony Abbott to ban the dole to teenagers who drop out of school, and of course this will disproportionately affect First Nations teenagers. Mr Forrest has delivered to the Government an interim report with a range of recommendations on how to reduce the social and economic inequities that are the every day ordeal of many First Nations communities. But others have suggested that "broadbrush" measures such as prohibiting welfare payments would compound social ills endured by far too many ... " By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist

* MIRIAM ALVEBERG, THE WIRE: EXCTINCT ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES AIM DIGITAL TO SURVIVE [FEATURING GHIL'AD ZUCKERMAN AND CLAIRE MCCLAIN]

- Audio Interview

The Wire: Exctinct Aboriginal languages aim digital to survive
Produced by Miriam Alveberg
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=11240
18 Feb 14: "Though only 4 people in Australia speak the Aboriginal language Yawru fluently, hard work into preserving the language is giving results. With funding from the government, digital products like language apps and electronic dictionaries will continue to learn the community of Broome the extinct language. Also, the importance of language goes beyond identity. Professor Zuckerman explains how important language can be to people.
Featured in story:
* Professor of Linguistics & Endangered Languages, Ghil’ad Zuckerman
* Language Centre coordinater Claire McClain"

* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: NOONGAR LANGUAGE TO BE PRESERVED WIKIPEDIA-STYLE

- Analysis / Opinion

The Stringer: Noongar language to be preserved Wikipedia-style
http://thestringer.com.au/noongar-language-to-be-preserved-wikipedia-style/
17 Feb 14: "The Noongar people number more than 40,000 but with less than 250 fluent speakers of Noongar the language is considered endangered. But an online project to record the language in its entirety may well save the language. University of Western Australia School of Indigenous Studies stalwart, Professor Len Collard is heading a project to record the language online. Professor Collard has dedicated decades to Noongar and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history. In recent times he has been responsible for restoring Noongar place names to many natural icons and regions of south west Western Australia." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist

* ANDREW POPLE, THE WIRE: DIVERSE ABORIGINAL VOICES NOW IN PRINT THANKS TO PUBLISHING GUIDELINES [FEATURING TERRI JANKE]

- Audio Interview

The Wire: Diverse Aboriginal voices now in print thanks to publishing guidelines
Produced by Andrew Pople
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=11233
17 Feb 14: "Not so long ago Aboriginal stories were published without so much as consulting the communities they came from. But Australian publishing has been growing up, and more recently, a set of guidelines has been helping to bring a diverse set of Aboriginal and Islander voices into the spotlight. Terri Janke is a lawyer and author. Back in 2007, she created a set of ‘Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Writing’. She says that these protocols have been helping to bring indigenous voices into the spotlight to tell their own stories. ...
Featured in story: Terri Janke - Author and Lawyer"

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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

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http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/30/about-wgar-news-working-group-for-abo...

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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)