Newsletter date: 26 February 2014
Contents:
* Annie Hastwell, The Wire: Good housing keeps people out of gaol [Featuring Shane Duffy, CEO, NATSILS]
* Dylan Clarke, SBS Living Black Radio: Youth Initiatives for Justice Reinvestment [Featuring Kaleesha Morris]
* Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA: Australian prisoner numbers reach 30,000 for the first time - over 27% of them are Aboriginal
* Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT): ALS calls for Justice Targets to be incorporated into Closing the Gap
* Perth Indymedia Radio Show: Qld Indigenous activist Sam Watson on a disturbing case of police brutality against Sheila Oakley
* Margaret Gleeson, Green Left: Rally for woman tasered by QLD police
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: "Where are my brother's clothes?" - Anne Murray will not give up on chasing down the police officers who killed her brother
* Tracker: Calls for permanent Hickey memorial
* Background to Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
* ANNIE HASTWELL, THE WIRE: GOOD HOUSING KEEPS PEOPLE OUT OF GAOL [FEATURING SHANE DUFFY, CEO, NATSILS]
- Audio Interview
The Wire: Good housing keeps people out of gaol
Produced by Annie Hastwell
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=11247
19 Feb 14: "Last week's Closing the Gap figures highlighted the complete lack of success of programs and laws designed to lower the rate of indigenous incaceration. The rates continue to climb. The peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island legal assistance says its time for some justice reinvestment - spending money on improving the living conditions of Aboriginal people so they ahve real alternatives to gaol.
Featured in story:
Shane Duffy, CEO, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services"
* DYLAN CLARKE, SBS LIVING BLACK RADIO: YOUTH INITIATIVES FOR JUSTICE REINVESTMENT [FEATURING KALEESHA MORRIS]
- Audio Interview
SBS Living Black Radio: Youth Initiatives for Justice Reinvestment
By Dylan Clarke
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/highlight/page/id/312498/t...
17 Jan 14: "Youth Ambassador Kaleesha Morris on her focus areas for communities and young people. ... The new Justice Reinvestment NSW Youth Ambassador says she wants to focus on finding the root causes of crime rates within communities and is calling for the youth to make change. Gumbaynggirr woman Kaleesha Morris says communities need to become more active and engaged to create outcomes that will benefit young people. Kaleesha spoke to Living Black explaining what she hopes to achieve in her role as Youth Ambassador."
* DEATHS IN CUSTODY WATCH COMMITTEE WA: AUSTRALIAN PRISONER NUMBERS REACH 30,000 FOR THE FIRST TIME - OVER 27% OF THEM ARE ABORIGINAL
- Analysis
Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA: Australian prisoner numbers reach 30,000 for the first time - over 27% of them are Aboriginal
http://www.deathsincustody.org.au/australian-prisoner-numbers-reach-3000...
6 Feb 14: "The number of prisoners in Australia has reached over 30,000 for the first time, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released Dec 2013. ABS Director of the National Centre for Crime and Justice, Brad Petry, said "At 30 June 2013, there were 30,775 prisoners in Australia's corrective services custody. This represents an increase of five per cent from 2012 and equates to 0.2 per cent of Australia's adult population in Australian corrective services custody". ... "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprised just over a quarter (27 per cent or 8,430) of the total prisoner population", said Mr Petry."
* ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE (NSW/ACT): ALS CALLS FOR JUSTICE TARGETS TO BE INCORPORATED INTO CLOSING THE GAP
- News
Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT): ALS News: ALS calls for Justice Targets to be incorporated into Closing the Gap
http://www.alsnswact.org.au/news_items/102
12 Feb 14: "The Federal Government today delivered it’s 6th Closing the Gap statement reviewing Aboriginal disadvantage against measurable targets including health and education, but failed to announce the inclusion of Justice Targets to tackle the mass imprisonment of Aboriginal adults and young people in Australia today. ... Phil Naden, CEO of Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) says many of the current targets will be hard to achieve until we include Justice Targets in Closing the Gap."
* PERTH INDYMEDIA RADIO SHOW: QLD INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST SAM WATSON ON A DISTURBING CASE OF POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST SHEILA OAKLEY
- Audio interview
Perth Indymedia Radio Show: Qld Indigenous activist Sam Watson on a disturbing case of police brutality against Sheila Oakley
http://perthindymedia.org/2014/02/17/qld-indigenous-activist-sam-watson-...
17 Feb 14: "Qld Indigenous activist Sam Watson on a disturbing case of police brutality against Sheila Oakley"
* MARGARET GLEESON, GREEN LEFT: RALLY FOR WOMAN TASERED BY QLD POLICE
- Report-back
Green Left: Rally for woman tasered by QLD police
https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/55917
22 Feb 14: "About 150 people rallied outside the home of Sheila Oakley in the Brisbane suburb of Logan on February 15. Oakley was tasered in the eye by police outside her home on February 6. She has been hospitalised and will suffer permanent disability. The rally marched from her home to Logan police station to hand over a petition calling for an urgent investigation into the incident, to be carried out by an independent body including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives. The petition also called for the police officer responsible to be identified and charged, ... " By GLW author Margaret Gleeson
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: "WHERE ARE MY BROTHER'S CLOTHES?" - ANNE MURRAY WILL NOT GIVE UP ON CHASING DOWN THE POLICE OFFICERS WHO KILLED HER BROTHER
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: "Where are my brother's clothes?" - Anne Murray will not give up on chasing down the police officers who killed her brother
http://thestringer.com.au/where-are-my-brothers-clothes-anne-murray-will...
23 Feb 14: "The sister of Eddie Murray who died while in police custody in 1981 has demanded a new inquiry into her brother’s death claiming missing clothes and a Coroner’s report which proved he suffered a broken sternum while in custody were proof that her brother was murdered. It is 33 years since the police custodial death of 21 year old champion rugby league Eddie Murray in the northwestern New South Wales town, of Wee Waa. His father and mother, the late Arthur and the late Leila Murray campaigned to the end of their lives for public inquiries and proper investigation ... " By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* TRACKER: CALLS FOR PERMANENT HICKEY MEMORIAL
- News
newsTracker: Calls for permanent Hickey memorial
http://tracker.org.au/2014/02/calls-for-permanent-hickey-memorial/
16 Feb 14: "NSW: About 200 supporters of TJ Hickey marched on Friday through inner Sydney to NSW parliament, demanding a government apology over his death and the reopening of an inquest. TJ’s mother Gail Hickey, her family and supporters symbolically placed a plaque at the fence where he died. Ms Hickey also brought to the site the bicycle TJ was riding as he fled from police. "It’s a sad, sorry day," she told AAP. "I’ve lost my only son." She said she still has trouble sleeping and is often stressed. Ms Hickey wants to see a plaque placed permanently on the fence where her son died." By Tracker
* BACKGROUND TO JUSTICE REINVESTMENT, ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY:
Last updated: 19 January 2014
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment...
- - -
WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
About WGAR News:
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/30/about-wgar-news-working-group-for-abo...
Subscription to 'WGAR News' is free.
'WGAR News' monitors the media, including alternative media, focusing on:
* the Australian Federal government intervention into Northern Territory (NT) Aboriginal communities;
* the Aboriginal sovereignty movement and the Aboriginal tent embassies;
* Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal Deaths in Custody;
* Aboriginal land rights and mining;
* Suicide and self-harm in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities;
* Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing;
* other Aboriginal rights issues; and
* upcoming Aboriginal rights events around Australia.
'WGAR News' gives priority to grassroots Aboriginal voices and grassroots voices in solidarity with Aboriginal peoples' rights.
The role of 'WGAR News' is to facilitate the voices of others, and as such, 'WGAR News' rarely writes its own articles.
'WGAR News' publishes information and opinions from a wide range of sources.
These opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of WGAR.
The e-newsletters include media releases, opinion pieces, news items, audio, videos and events.
Subscribers can expect to receive about 7 e-newsletters each week.
To subscribe, email wgar.news@gmail.com and include the words "subscribe WGAR News" in the message header.
To unsubscribe, email wgar.news@gmail.com and include the words "unsubscribe WGAR News" in the message header.
Sample WGAR News e-newsletters:
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/03/about-wgar-news-sample-wgar-news-e-ne...
WGAR events postings:
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/03/about-wgar-news-wgar-events-postings
WGAR background info web-pages:
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/03/about-wgar-news-wgar-background-info-...
WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)