Newsletter date: 30 April 2014
Contents:
* 'concerned Australians': Survey of Aboriginal Adults residing outside the Northern Territory on The Intervention and Stronger Futures Legislation, Constitutional Change and Treaties
* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* Background to 'Stronger Futures' new NT Intervention laws
* Background to Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples
* Background to Treaties with Aboriginal Sovereign Nations of Australia
* Australian Government: Department of the Senate: Notification of disallowance
* Central Land Council & Northern Land Council: Regulations not in the interests of Traditional Owners - CLC/NLC
* Northern Land Council: Senate disallowance of regulations welcomed
* Max Chalmers and Frances Mao, New Matilda: Police Checks Targeting Aboriginal People In The NT
* Marni Cordell and Lucy Watson, New Matilda: Locked Up Without Legal Representation
* Background to the NT Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Bill
* Max Chalmers and Frances Mao, New Matilda: Why Are There Police Outside NT Bottle Shops?
* Wendy Bacon and Marni Cordell, New Matilda: Tough on crime? An NM special investigation
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Prisoners come out worse than what they went in
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Eddie Murray to be remembered 33 years later, nationally
* ABC News: Legal Aid offices in WA may close due to budget pressures
* Background to Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
* 'CONCERNED AUSTRALIANS': SURVEY OF ABORIGINAL ADULTS RESIDING OUTSIDE THE NORTHERN TERRITORY ON THE INTERVENTION AND STRONGER FUTURES LEGISLATION, CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE AND TREATIES
- Survey
'concerned Australians': Survey of Aboriginal Adults residing outside the Northern Territory on The Intervention and Stronger Futures Legislation, Constitutional Change and Treaties
http://www.concernedaustralians.com.au/#Survey
http://www.concernedaustralians.com.au/media/Survey_2013_2014_Report.pdf
December 2013 to February 2014: "This survey was conducted over a two month period with Aboriginal adults residing outside the Northern Territory. The surveys contained twenty-three questions and sought the views of Aboriginal people on the Intervention in the Northern Territory, constitutional change and treaty (ies). ... "
* BACKGROUND TO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY (NT) INTERVENTION:
Last updated: 30 March 2014
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-northern-territory-...
* BACKGROUND TO 'STRONGER FUTURES' NEW NT INTERVENTION LAWS:
Last updated: 30 March 2014
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-stronger-futures-new-nt...
* BACKGROUND TO CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION OF ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES
Last updated: 7 March 2014
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/08/11/background-to-constitutional-recognit...
* BACKGROUND TO TREATIES WITH ABORIGINAL SOVEREIGN NATIONS OF AUSTRALIA
Last updated: 19 March 2014
http://indymedia.org.au/2014/02/16/background-to-treaties-with-aborigina...
* AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT: DEPARTMENT OF THE SENATE: NOTICE OF DISALLOWANCE
- Information
Australian Government: Department of the Senate: Notification of disallowance
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2014G00472
20 Mar 14: "IT IS HEREBY NOTIFIED for general information that the Senate on 20 March 2014 passed a resolution disallowing the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment (Delegation) Regulation 2013, as contained in Select Legislative Instrument 2013 No. 272 and made under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 [F2013L02122]." Rosemary Laing, Clerk of the Senate
* CENTRAL LAND COUNCIL & NORTHERN LAND COUNCIL: REGULATIONS NOT IN THE INTERESTS OF TRADITIONAL OWNERS - CLC/NLC
- Media Release
Central Land Council & Northern Land Council: Regulations not in the interests of Traditional Owners - CLC/NLC
http://www.clc.org.au/media-releases/article/regulations-not-in-the-inte...
26 Mar 14: "THE Northern and Central Land Councils have welcomed the further protection of traditional owners’ rights following the disallowance by the Senate of regulations made under s28A of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. ... "
* NORTHERN LAND COUNCIL: SENATE DISALLOWANCE OF REGULATIONS WELCOMED
- Media Release
Northern Land Council: Senate disallowance of regulations welcomed
http://www.nlc.org.au/media-releases/article/senate-disallowance-of-regu...
24 Mar 14: "NORTHERN Land Council (NLC) Chief Executive, Joe Morrison, described the response of the Indigenous Affairs Minister, Nigel Scullion, to last Thursday’s Senate disallowance of Government regulations as "ideological", "irresponsible", and "disingenuous".
The regulation was tabled last December under s 28A of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (inserted by amendment in 2006), and the scheme aims to destroy Land Councils by requiring that they devolve their leasing functions (including for township leases) to ‘delegate’ Aboriginal corporations.
"This is a victory for common sense," Mr Morrison said.
"Minister Scullion has abjectly failed to respond to grave concerns from all Land Councils that the scheme is unworkable because it will foster intra-community disputes, conflict and potential litigation." ... "
* MAX CHALMERS AND FRANCES MAO, NEW MATILDA: POLICE CHECKS TARGETING ABORIGINAL PEOPLE IN THE NT
- Analysis / Opinion
New Matilda: Police Checks Targeting Aboriginal People In The NT
https://newmatilda.com/2014/04/24/police-checks-targeting-aboriginal-peo...
24 Apr 14: "Aboriginal people in the NT have been left 'humiliated' by a policing tactic that many claim has unfairly targeted them on the basis of race. Max Chalmers and Frances Mao report ... Barbara Shaw, an Indigenous activist, has been observing police monitoring bottle shops in the town [Alice Springs], and claims to have seen several instances of racial profiling. "They’re only pulling up Aboriginal people," Shaw said. "Police are very selective of whom they can choose to ask for ID and … it is Aboriginal people that are in fact getting targeted - and it is racist."" By Max Chalmers and Frances Mao
Max Chalmers - new matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/max-chalmers
"Max Chalmers is an Editorial Assistant at New Matilda and a former editor of Honi Soit. ... "
fmao - new matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/fmao
"Frances Mao is a journalism/law student at the University of Techology Sydney. She is a former editor of Vertigo magazine."
* MARNI CORDELL AND LUCY WATSON, NEW MATILDA: LOCKED UP WITHOUT LEGAL REPRESENTATION
- Analysis / Opinion
New Matilda: Locked Up Without Legal Representation
https://newmatilda.com/2014/04/24/locked-without-legal-representation
24 Apr 14: "Legal sources say a treatment program for problem drinkers in the NT, described as 'unprecedented' under Australian law, has only locked up Aboriginal people. Lucy Watson and Marni Cordell report. The Alice Springs Alcohol Mandatory Treatment facility has a sign on its locked front gate: "Family Visiting: Saturdays 1-4pm". Like a low-security prison, residents are fenced in, watched, and restricted from seeing loved ones. But unlike ordinary prisoners, those locked up under the Northern Territory’s Mandatory Alcohol Treatment Act do not get to argue their case in a court of law, nor are they provided with legal representation. ... " By Marni Cordell and Lucy Watson
marnic - new matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/marnic
"Marni Cordell is the editor of New Matilda. ... "
lucyw - new matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/lucyw
"Lucy Watson is a Media and Communications Honours student at the University of Sydney, and a former Honi Soit editor. ... "
* BACKGROUND TO THE NT ALCOHOL MANDATORY TREATMENT BILL
Last updated: 5 March 2014
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/07/03/background-to-the-nt-alcohol-mandator...
* MAX CHALMERS AND FRANCES MAO, NEW MATILDA: WHY ARE THERE POLICE OUTSIDE NT BOTTLE SHOPS?
- Analysis / Opinion
New Matilda: Why Are There Police Outside NT Bottle Shops?
https://newmatilda.com/2014/04/24/why-are-there-police-outside-nt-bottle...
24 Apr 14: "Frances Mao and Max Chalmers explain the latest police measures to combat alcohol abuse in the Northern Territory - as well as the broader push towards punishing individual drinkers. ... However, Aboriginal organisations, community groups and the police association have all pointed to the BDR [Banned Drinking Register] as the better system. According to Boffa, "photo licensing at the point of sale was very effective, and a more equitable system, as it wasn’t based on race, wasn’t based on where they lived but actually on whether they had a serious problem with alcohol." ... " By Max Chalmers and Frances Mao
Max Chalmers - new matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/max-chalmers
"Max Chalmers is an Editorial Assistant at New Matilda and a former editor of Honi Soit. ... "
fmao - new matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/fmao
"Frances Mao is a journalism/law student at the University of Techology Sydney. She is a former editor of Vertigo magazine."
* WENDY BACON AND MARNI CORDELL, NEW MATILDA: TOUGH ON CRIME? AN NM SPECIAL INVESTIGATION
- Analysis / Opinion
New Matilda: Tough on crime? An NM special investigation
https://newmatilda.com/2014/04/24/tough-crime-nm-special-investigation
24 Apr 14: "Today we launch our investigative series into the justice system. We start in the Northern Territory - where locals claim racist policing is unfairly targeting Aboriginal people ... More than a quarter of all prisoners in Australia - 27 per cent - are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, which means that if you are an indigenous Australian you are 15 times more likely than a non-indigenous person to spend tonight in a prison. You would think all of this would make news - but rarely does the media do more than run the statistics, and some do not even manage that." By Wendy Bacon and Marni Cordell
wendy bacon - new matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/wendy-bacon
"Wendy Bacon is a contributing editor to New Matilda, an activist, media researcher and blogger at WendyBacon.com. She is on the board of the Pacific Media Centre."
marnic - new matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/marnic
"Marni Cordell is the editor of New Matilda. ... "
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: PRISONERS COME OUT WORSE THAN WHAT THEY WENT IN
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Prisoners come out worse than what they went in
http://thestringer.com.au/prisoners-come-out-worse-than-what-they-went-in/
27 Apr 14: "Proportionate to both prison population and to total national population, Australia has one of the world’s highest ongoing records of deaths in prison custody. From a racialised perspective, the rates of custodial deaths of First Peoples launched the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Prison reform advocates are speaking up about the rising rates of incarceration and the need for urgent justice and penal reforms. Western Australia incarcerates adult Aboriginal males at the world’s highest rate." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: EDDIE MURRAY TO BE REMEMBERED 33 YEARS LATER, NATIONALLY
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Eddie Murray to be remembered 33 years later, nationally
http://thestringer.com.au/eddie-murray-to-be-remembered-33-years-later-n...
27 Apr 14: "This year, one of the custodial deaths which launched the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, will be remembered, 33 years later, with a national day of action, rallies and marches and a three-decade-old-call for justice. Eddie Murray died while in police custody in 1981 and his family and supporters are demanding a new inquiry into his death claiming missing clothes and a Coroner’s report which proved he suffered a broken sternum while in custody were proof that he was murdered. Last year, three decades later, 16 year old Yindjibarndi John Pat was remembered with a national day of action. ... " By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* ABC NEWS: LEGAL AID OFFICES IN WA MAY CLOSE DUE TO BUDGET PRESSURES
- News
ABC News: Legal Aid offices in WA may close due to budget pressures
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-17/legal-aid-offices-in-wa-to-close-a...
18 Apr 14: "Budget pressures have prompted Legal Aid to consider closing two of its metropolitan offices and centralise services at its Perth headquarters. The service is jointly funded by the state and federal governments and provides free services to people who cannot afford to pay for a lawyer. ... The Member for Fremantle Simone McGurk has described the proposal as a "tragedy". "Remember that this service is being cut for metropolitan centres because the Barnett government has prioritised vanity projects over people," she said."
* BACKGROUND TO JUSTICE REINVESTMENT, ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY:
Last updated: 27 April 2014
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment...
- - -
WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)