WGAR News: NT legal services express concern about operation of Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Scheme

Newsletter date: 5 March 2014

Contents:

* NT legal services express their serious concern about the operation of the Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Scheme
in a joint submission to the NTG's Six Month Review of the Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Act.
* Background to the NT Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Bill

* NACCHO Congress Alice Springs News: Effective partnerships in Aboriginal community controlled health sector could be copied in housing and employment
* Nicholas Biddle, CAEPR ANU: Residential Segregation: Income and Housing Dimensions
* Radio Adelaide: Shelter SA - Brian Butler & the Stolen Story
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: End the homelessness, reopen Swan Valley Nyungah Community
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Family evicted the day before Christmas

* NACCHO Aboriginal health funding news: How can our health services achieve financial independence?
* Santilla Chingaipe, SBS News: Is racism affecting health outcomes for some Australians?

* NT LEGAL SERVICES EXPRESS THEIR SERIOUS CONCERN ABOUT THE OPERATION OF THE ALCOHOL MANDATORY TREATMENT SCHEME
IN A JOINT SUBMISSION TO THE NTG'S SIX MONTH REVIEW OF THE ALCOHOL MANDATORY TREATMENT ACT.

- Joint Submission

Submission to the Northern Territory Government - Six Month Review of the Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Act (NT) - February 2014
CAALAS: http://www.caalas.com.au/Portals/caalas/Submissions/Legal%20Services%20S...(1)%20(1).pdf
CAALAS: [scroll down page] http://www.caalas.com.au/HOME.aspx
"1 Executive Summary
This submission is endorsed by:
• The Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (CAALAS);
• The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA);
• The Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission (NTLAC);
• The Central Australian Womens Legal Service (CAWLS); and
• Darwin Community Legal Service (DCLS).
Together, we have serious concerns about the operation of the Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Act (AMT Act) and the related scheme of mandatory treatment. We also raise concerns relating to the review process and the transparency of the scheme. ... "

* BACKGROUND TO THE NT ALCOHOL MANDATORY TREATMENT BILL

Last updated: 25 January 2014

http://indymedia.org.au/2013/07/03/background-to-the-nt-alcohol-mandator...

* NACCHO CONGRESS ALICE SPRINGS NEWS: EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY CONTROLLED HEALTH SECTOR COULD BE COPIED IN HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT

- News

NACCHO Congress Alice Springs News: Effective partnerships in Aboriginal community controlled health sector could be copied in housing and employment
[NACCHO: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation]
http://nacchocommunique.com/2014/02/27/naccho-congress-alice-springs-new...
27 Feb 14: ""There are two separate but interdependent health systems, the hospital for the really sick, and Congress for primary health care, minimising the need for hospital admissions. In that way the primary health care of Congress, identifying patients’ health issues early, works hand in glove with the NT’s hospital system. This "effective partnership" in health between the NT and Federal governments and the Aboriginal community controlled health sector could readily be copied in the housing and employment fields, leading to equally positive results." Donna Ah Chee, (pictured above left with Pat Anderson) CEO of the $38m a year Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, "Investing in Aboriginal community controlled health makes economic $ense"

* NICHOLAS BIDDLE, CAEPR ANU: RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION: INCOME AND HOUSING DEMENSIONS

- Analysis / Opinion

Nicholas Biddle, CAEPR ANU: Residential Segregation: Income and Housing Dimensions
http://caepr.anu.edu.au/Publications/census-papers/2013CP16.php
Dec 13: "Abstract: Where a person lives has the potential to shape their choices and outcomes. It is reasonably well established that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians are more likely to live in remote areas than the non-Indigenous population and that this has implications for their ability to maintain important aspects of their life whilst, at the same time, constraining the services and jobs available to them. However, this paper demonstrates that even within an urban area, there is a large degree of residential segregation. ... "

* RADIO ADELAIDE: SHELTER SA - BRIAN BUTLER & THE STOLEN STORY

- Audio

Radio Adelaide: Shelter SA - Brian Butler & the Stolen Story
https://radio.adelaide.edu.au/shelter-sa-brian-butler-the-stolen-story/
13 Feb 14: "Today we celebrate the 6th anniversary of Apology Day to the Aboriginal people. Adrian chats with Brian Butler, a respected Aboriginal elder about the apology, stolen generation and the disintegration of the family across Australia as well as other important issues including the appropriate governance for Aboriginal people."

* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: END THE HOMELESSNESS, REOPEN SWAN VALLEY NYUNGAH COMMUNITY

- Analysis / Opinion

The Stringer: End the homelessness, reopen Swan Valley Nyungah Community
http://thestringer.com.au/end-the-homelessness-reopen-swan-valley-nyunga...
26 Feb 14: "All of Perth’s Swan Valley Nyungah Community residents were evicted from their homes on 20 acres of Country by an Act of Parliament in 2003 after then Premier Geoff Gallop rushed it through in response to the Sue Gordon Inquiry into various alleged child abuses in Western Australian Aboriginal communities. The Government was criticised for denying natural justice and for not just chasing down the perpetrators of any child or sexual abuse allegations – and instead decided to evict all the residents. Many would finish up chronically homeless and many have died on Perth’s streets." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist

* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: FAMILY EVICTED THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS

- Analysis / Opinion

The Stringer: Family evicted the day before Christmas
http://thestringer.com.au/family-evicted-the-day-before-christmas/
27 Feb 14: "Western Australia has the highest eviction rate of First Nation families in the nation. In recent months, The Stringer has reported the sad plight of several families who have been evicted – one family with 13 children, another with 11, another with 9 children. In the last week, The Stringer has met with seven more families that have been evicted, including one family evicted the day before Christmas. The Stringer has also met with grandparents who are taking in as many of the children as possible to help them through schooling but the parents remain homeless while looking for work." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist

* NACCHO ABORIGNIAL HEALTH FUNDING NEWS: HOW CAN OUR HEALTH SERVICES ACHIEVE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE?

- News

NACCHO Aboriginal health funding news: How can our health services achieve financial independence?
[NACCHO: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation]
http://nacchocommunique.com/2014/03/03/naccho-aboriginal-health-funding-...
3 Mar 14: ""From the very outset of establishing an organisation or program, a plan to achieve financial independence should be part of your overall business plan. This does not mean you have to be financially independent in order to start, however, by starting with this goal in mind, all your decisions and actions moving forward should help you avoid becoming dependent on funding.
Our thanks to Ray Gates for this article"

* SANTILLA CHINGAIPE, SBS NEWS: IS RACISM AFFECTING HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR SOME AUSTRALIANS?

- Audio

SBS News: Is racism affecting health outcomes for some Australians?
By Santilla Chingaipe
(Transcript from World News Radio)
SBS: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/21/racism-affecting-australia...
Sovereign Union: http://nationalunitygovernment.org/node/819
21 Feb 14: "It's well known that Indigenous Australians have much lower life expectancy than other Australians, and have disproportionately high rates of diseases and other health problems. Could that in part be due to racism? The Social Determinants of Health Alliance is a group of Australian health, social services and public policy organisations. It lobbies for action to reduce inequalities in the outcomes from health service delivery. Chair of the Alliance, Martin Laverty, has no doubt racism sometimes comes into play when Indigenous Australians seek medical attention." By Santilla Chingaipe

- - -

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