Newsletter date: 8 March 2014
Contents:
* Karen Ashford, SBS World News Radio: APY elders share sacred songline with the world
* Darren Mara, SBS World News Radio: The Native Title Act, 20 years on
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Vote on Noongar Native Title deal must be all Noongars & in accordance with lore
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: [Noongar Elder] John Pell slams SWALSC [South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council]
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Mixed response to Premier Barnett's draft Recognition Bill [to recognise Noongar People as Traditional Owners of southwest WA]
* Background to the Nyoongar Tent Embassy, Heirisson Island (Matagarup), Perth, WA
* Background to Mabo and Native Title
* Northern Land Council: Don’t forget Aboriginal landowners
* Central Land Council & Northern Land Council: Land Councils conclude talks in Canberra
* Adam Brereton, New Matilda: Tracker Mag Shut Following Abbott Spray
* Chris Graham, Tracker: Michael Mansell calls for 7.5 per cent of state land tax
* KAREN ASHFORD, SBS WORLD NEWS RADIO: APY ELDERS SHARE SACRED SONGLINE WITH THE WORLD
- Audio
SBS World News Radio: APY elders share sacred songline with the world
By Karen Ashford
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/320402/APY-eld...
27 Feb 14: " A painstaking project to capture one of Aboriginal Australia's most important creation stories is set to be unveiled in Adelaide. The endeavour has overcome controversy to preserve one of Central Australia's oldest intact songlines called the Ngintaka, or Perentie Lizard, dreaming. ... Canvases sheathed in bubble wrap fill the cramped offices of Ananguku Arts, where a group of APY* elders is busy selecting the final works for one of Australia's most ambitious exhibitions." By Karen Ashford
* DARREN MARA, SBS WORLD NEWS RADIO: THE NATIVE TITLE ACT, 20 YEARS ON
- Audio
SBS World News Radio: The Native Title Act, 20 years on
By Darren Mara
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/320574/The-Nat...
28 Feb 14: "It's been two decades shaped by land rights revolution. ... The Native Title Act, introduced under the Keating Labor government 20 years ago, was a landmark piece of legislation. Its goal was to create a framework through which Indigenous Australians could claim back their traditional lands. But how effective has the Native Title Act been? ... But he [Glen Kelly, a Noongar man who heads the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council in WA] says legislation has still been divisive within Indigenous communities because it's often misunderstood. "It's a white fella legal construct and what it is actually designed to do, in my view, is not to enliven traditional law and custom but to control traditional law and custom."" By Darren Mara
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: VOTE ON NOONGAR NATIVE TITLE DEAL MUST BE ALL NOONGARS & IN ACCORDANCE WITH LORE
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Vote on Noongar Native Title deal must be all Noongars & in accordance with lore
http://thestringer.com.au/vote-on-noongar-native-title-deal-must-be-all-...
6 Mar 14: "The Western Australian Government’ $1.3 billion Native Title deal should go to vote by postal ballot according to Noongar Elders, academics and rights advocates. Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Western Australia, Professor Len Collard has long argued that the Australian Electoral Commission should coordinate a postal ballot. However, the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council said on occasion that they were bound by the legislation in that the vote had to take place on Country and the only votes allowed were by those physically present - proxy votes are not permitted." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: [NOONGAR ELDER] JOHN PELL SLAMS SWALSC [SOUTH WEST ABORIGINAL LAND AND SEA COUNCIL]
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: John Pell slams SWALSC
http://thestringer.com.au/john-pell-slams-swalsc/
26 Feb 14: "Noongar Elder John Pell, a working party representative for the Busselton to Margaret River Noongar people to the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) in their deliberations over the State’s $1.3 billion Native Title proposal said he believes most Noongars have lost faith in the negotiation process and that the SWALSC had failed to legitimately consult with the Noongar people. The Noongar nation represents several clans and numbers more than 40,000 Noongars, more than any other First Nations People, and has a geographical area that covers the south west of Western Australia and includes Perth." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: MIXED RESPONSE TO PREMIER BARNETT'S DRAFT RECOGNITION BILL [TO RECOGNISE NOONGER PEOPLE AS TRADITIONAL OWNERS OF SOUTHWEST WA]
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Mixed response to Premier Barnett's draft Recognition Bill
http://thestringer.com.au/mixed-response-to-premier-barnetts-draft-recog...
28 Feb 14: "Premier Barnett has launched a draft Bill to recognise Noongar People as the Traditional Owners of the Country that is southwest Western Australia and includes Perth. The Bill has the support of the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council but it has been slammed by Noongar Tent Embassy and other dissenters. Tears streamed among Noongar Elders who attended a press conference by Premier Barnett on the steps of Parliament as he announced the draft Recognition Bill (Koorah, Nitja, Boordahwan - Past, Present, Future) but others throughout the southwest said that the Bill carries little weight in terms of healing and ways forward on myriad social ills." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* BACKGROUND TO THE NYOONGAR TENT EMBASSY, HEIRISSON ISLAND (MATAGARUP), PERTH, WA
Last updated: 8 November 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/02/nyoongar-tent-embassy-heirisson-islan...
* BACKGROUND TO MABO AND NATIVE TITLE:
Last updated: 19 December 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/07/02/background-to-mabo-and-native-title
* NORTHERN LAND COUNCIL: DON'T FORGET ABORIGINAL LANDOWNERS
- Media Release
Northern Land Council: Don’t forget Aboriginal landowners
http://www.nlc.org.au/media-releases/article/dont-forget-aboriginal-land...
2 Mar 14: "THE Northern Land Council has called on government and all other interested parties to place Aboriginal people front and centre in any future planning of the north.
NLC CEO, Joe Morrison, has reiterated calls for traditional owners to be front and centre in the negotiation, planning and implementation of development of the region.
Traditional Owners in the NLC region are major landowners through the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (1976) and have significant rights and interests recognised through the Native Title Act (1996). Indigenous people continue to represent enormous economic and social opportunity and market advantage not only for themselves but the nation as a whole.
"We simply cannot develop the region without recognising Indigenous people’s unique interests and desire to be front and centre of northern development," Mr Morrison said.
"We face a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have development that sustains people, the unique environment and the world’s oldest living culture." ... "
* CENTRAL LAND COUNCIL & NORTHERN LAND COUNCIL: LAND COUNCILS CONCLUDE TALKS IN CANBERRA
- Media Release
Central Land Council & Northern Land Council: Land Councils conclude talks in Canberra
CLC: http://www.clc.org.au/media-releases/article/land-councils-conclude-talk...
NLC: http://www.nlc.org.au/media-releases/article/land-councils-conclude-talk...
12, 13 Feb 14: "THE executives of the Northern and Central Land Councils have concluded three days of talks in Canberra with federal politicians and officials, and have argued for protection of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Land Rights Act.
The concerns of both land councils focused on federal government plans to permanently devolve their powers to smaller Aboriginal corporations which might not be democratic or accountable to Traditional Owners, and to create 99-year township leases which would be held by a Commonwealth official.
The land councils want the authority over any leases to remain with the traditional owners.
Meetings were held with Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion, and Labor and Greens members.
The land councils also met with Warren Mundine, chairman of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council, and welcomed his commitment to work closely with them as elected representatives of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. ... "
* ADAM BRERETON, NEW MATILDA: TRACKER MAG SHUT FOLLOWING ABBOTT SPRAY
- Analysis / Opinion
New Matilda: Tracker Mag Shut Following Abbott Spray
https://newmatilda.com/2014/03/04/tracker-mag-shut-following-abbott-spray
4 Mar 14: "Was NSW Aboriginal Land Council magazine Tracker closed because of a blistering front-page attack on Tony Abbott? Adam Brereton spoke to NSW Indigenous Minister Victor Dominello. The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council will close its trailblazing magazine Tracker by June, citing problems with "cost and effectiveness". But the magazine's closure comes after a front-page attack on Tony Abbott, published soon after the 2013 federal election, drew the ire of NSW Indigenous Affairs Minister Victor Dominello." Adam Brereton
* CHRIS GRAHAM, TRACKER: MICHAEL MANSELL CALLS FOR 7.5 PER CENT OF STATE LAND TAX
- News
newsTracker: Michael Mansell calls for 7.5 per cent of state land tax
http://tracker.org.au/2014/01/michael-mansell-calls-for-7-5-per-cent-of-...
31 Jan 14: "TAS: Mr Mansell said: “Parliament has made clear that private freehold lands will not be returned to Aborigines under the Aboriginal Lands Act 1995. We should be compensated for those lands lost by receiving a small portion of land tax revenue. Under current figures the payment would be about $6.5m annually. The payments should run for 20 years. "In her last budget speech, Premier Giddings based the Tasmanian budget on ‘reducing inequality’. There was next to nothing for Aborigines in that budget. ... " By Chris Graham, a Walkley Award and Human Rights award winning writer, a monthly columnist
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