WGAR News: Aboriginal Researchers Conduct Evaluation on Basic Cards in NT: CAAMA [Featuring Tangentyere Council Research Hub]

Newsletter date: 23 December 2014

Contents:

* Audio: CAAMA: Aboriginal Researchers Conduct Evaluation on Basic Cards in NT [Featuring Tangentyere Council Research Hub Coordinator Matthew Campbell]
* News: Kate Wild, ABC News: More income management flagged for NT, despite report finding 'no evidence' it works
* News: Helen Davidson, The Guardian: Kevin Andrews defies report to argue for more control of welfare recipients' cash
* Report: Evaluating New Income Management in the Northern Territory: Final Evaluation Report

* News: Marie McInerney, Croakey: Our Health Our Way: celebrating NT connections between control, land, culture, employment, education, housing and health

* Analysis / Opinion: Eva Cox, The Conversation: 'Work with us not for us' to end the Indigenous policy chaos
* News: John Robertson, Christian Today: Academic chides government's 'failure' in creating 'effective' Indigenous policies
* Analysis / Opinion: Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: Stop peddling lies - "$30 billion spent on Indigenous disadvantage" is a lie

* Background: Aboriginal Peoples and the impact of the Federal Budget
* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* Background to 'Stronger Futures' new NT Intervention laws

WGAR News Public Google Group: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/wgar-news
WGAR News - Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

- Audio

CAAMA - Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Aboriginal Researchers Conduct Evaluation on Basic Cards in NT
http://caama.com.au/aboriginal-researchers-conduct-evaluation-on-basic-c...
10 Dec 14: "Tangentyere Council Research Hub Coordinator Matthew Campbell says the Income Management report for the Northern Territory has failed at revealing the truth about how people living on welfare cards are spending their money and that the Basic Cards have not achieved what is was set out to, and that there is no evidence of less drinking, school engagement or healthy lifestyle changes."

- News

ABC News: More income management flagged for NT, despite report finding 'no evidence' it works
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-18/govt-flags-more-income-management-...
18 Dec 14: " ... the three-year Evaluating New Income Management in the Northern Territory report, commissioned by the Department of Social Services under the previous Labor government, put the number in the NT at 35,000 and found "no substantive evidence of the program having significant changes relative to its key policy objectives, including changing people's behaviours"." By the National Reporting Team's Kate Wild

- News

The Guardian: Kevin Andrews defies report to argue for more control of welfare recipients' cash
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/18/kevin-andrews-defi...
18 Dec 14: " ... Kevin Andrews says he supports greater levels of income management for welfare recipients, despite a government report released on Thursday showing little evidence of its effectiveness. ... But the report, Evaluating New Income Management in the Northern Territory, found that rather than "promoting independence and the building of skills and capabilities", income management appeared to have led to increased dependence on welfare and simply removed the burden of personal management. It found numerous other significant problems. ... " Helen Davidson in Darwin, a reporter for Guardian Australia

- Report

Bray, J. R., Gray, M., Hand, K., & Katz, I. (2014).
Evaluating New Income Management in the Northern Territory: Final Evaluation Report
(SPRC Report 25/2014). Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW Australia.

Background: http://caepr.anu.edu.au/others/Report-1418859519.php
Full Report: http://caepr.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/cck_misc_documents/2014/12/E...

- News

Croakey: Our Health Our Way: celebrating NT connections between control, land, culture, employment, education, housing and health
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2014/12/18/our-health-our-way-celebra...
18 Dec 14: "This article is the first in a series of three from the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT) covering its Our Health Our Way Conference 2014 held recently in Alice Springs.
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health: Now more than ever ...
Donna Ah Chee, the CEO of Congress explains: “The Aboriginal community set up Congress. It was not an act of government, or any welfare agency… We controlled it from the beginning and still do. In some ways we had no choice, our health status was very poor and the mainstream health system had completely failed us. We had to do something new and different to get access to health care”." Marie McInerney

- Analysis / Opinion

The Conversation: 'Work with us not for us' to end the Indigenous policy chaos
http://theconversation.com/work-with-us-not-for-us-to-end-the-indigenous...
15 Dec 14: "'Deep funding cuts and uncertainty about government plans have created one of the largest-scale upheavals in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs.'
That is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda’s assessment in a report tabled in the federal parliament’s final sitting days of 2014. The Social Justice and Native Title Report 2014 said the changes the federal government made this year occurred without meaningful engagement with the affected communities, their leaders, or their organisations. ... " Eva Cox, Professorial Fellow Jumbunna IHL at University of Technology, Sydney

- News

Christian Today: Academic chides government's 'failure' in creating 'effective' Indigenous policies
http://www.christiantoday.com.au/article/order.of.australia.officer.quer...
17 Dec 14: "Prominent academic, social commentator and activist Eva Cox, ... concluded on Monday that there are no signs indicating that the Coalition government's future Indigenous policy development will not embrace the evidence of what is effective. ... In Ms Cox's mind, Indigenous affairs has seen "continued failures and limited successes" since the Abbott government assumed office, and she outlined the "clear" evidence on Monday: "... success requires collaboration, sharing power, understanding cultural differences, plus avoiding sclerotic bureaucratic and political cultures."" John Robertson

- Analysis / Opinion

The Stringer: Stop peddling lies - "$30 billion spent on Indigenous disadvantage" is a lie
http://thestringer.com.au/stop-peddling-lies-30-billion-spent-on-indigen...
14 Dec 14: "The 2014 Indigenous Expenditure Report has been released by a Government Steering Committee and many will read it, especially the media, in that it is spending on "Indigenous disadvantage". This is how it has been sold by far too many, including Prime Ministers. Australians will buy the crock that $30 billion is spent annually on First Peoples when indeed it is not. Last year, the nation was told expenditure was $25 billion but I proved that this was a lie after disaggregating the spending. Much less than one billion dollars actually effectively reached First Peoples. ... " By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist

- Background: Aboriginal Peoples and the impact of the Federal Budget

WGAR News: Groups call for Government to reject Forrest Review Healthy Welfare Card; pursue decent welfare reform (22 December 2014)
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/12/17/wgar-news-groups-call-for-government...

WGAR News: Where to now? Budget reveals attacks against Culture and our connection to our Land: Dr Woolombi Waters, The Stringer (1 June 2014)
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/05/31/wgar-news-where-to-now-budget-reveal...

WGAR News: This budget could devastate Indigenous Australians: Mick Gooda, ABC The Drum (22 May 2014)
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/05/22/wgar-news-this-budget-could-devastat...

WGAR News: Aboriginal Peoples and the impact of the 2014 Federal Budget (20 May 2014)
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/05/19/wgar-news-aboriginal-peoples-and-the...

- Background

Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
https://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-northern-territory...
(Last updated: 27 May 2014)

- Background

Background to 'Stronger Futures' new NT Intervention laws
https://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-stronger-futures-new-n...
(Last updated: 30 May 2014)

- - -

WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)