Newsletter date: 30 May 2015
Contents:
* Analysis / Opinion: Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: More children taken today than in Stolen Generations 1903-1970
* Bio: Gerry Georgatos - The Stringer
* About Us - The Stringer: http://thestringer.com.au/about-us
* Videos: Filmmaker Fee Plumley's YouTube films of speeches at the #sorryday #stolengeneration rally in Perth
[Featuring Les Coe, Paddy Gibson, Jenny Munro, Debbie Swan, Sue Ellen Tighe & Gerry Georgatos]
* Past Events: GMAR is leading a conference in Perth from May 24 - May 30, to strategise for the future and to march on May 26
* About Grandmothers Against Removals (GMAR): http://stopstolengenerations.com.au/about-gmar
* facebook: Stop Stolen Generations: https://www.facebook.com/stopstolengenerations
* News Analysis: Michele Madigan, Sisters of Saint Joseph: Sorry Day - But Are We?
* Change.org Petition: Restore IAS funding that SA Aboriginal communities need to stay open and sustainable
* WGAR Background: Removal of Aboriginal children and the continuing Stolen Generation
* WGAR Background: Aboriginal Peoples and the impact of the Federal Budget
WGAR News Public Google Group: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/wgar-news
WGAR News - Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: More children taken today than in Stolen Generations 1903-1970
http://thestringer.com.au/more-children-taken-today-than-in-stolen-gener...
28 May 15: "More children of the First Peoples of this continent are removed now than in any year of the Stolen Generations - 1903 to 1970. From a racialised lens the removal of Aboriginal children from their families by Government agencies appears to be the highest child removal rate in the world. ... Recently, the coalface giant, Grandmothers Against Removals, converged to Perth for a national gathering. They have been predominant in highlighting the extensiveness of the child removal crises and of the many cruel wrongs. On May 26, they rallied outside Perth’s Department of Child Protection and called a spade a spade. This is what they had to say. ... Special credit to filmmaker Fee Plumley" By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, a multi-award winning investigative journalist
- Bio
Gerry Georgatos - The Stringer
http://thestringer.com.au/gerry-georgatos-contributing-editor-and-journa...
" ... His predominant work is in suicide prevention research and in unveiling racism and in articulating the ways forward. ... Gerry Georgatos’ campaigns in recent years in highlighting the extensiveness of the suicide crises globally, nationally and among First Peoples in countries with relatively recent colonial oppressor histories are second to none. ... His diverse lived experiences, his compassion for others, his various expertise make him a valued contributing journalist and writer for The Stringer. He writes for The Stringer without charge."
- About
About Us - The Stringer
http://thestringer.com.au/about-us
"The Stringer is an independent online news site, delivering free-to-access independent news to readers daily. ... The Stringer was founded by media academic and producer Jennifer Kaeshagen.
The Stringer team:
Founder, Principal Editor & Producer - Jennifer Kaeshagen: http://thestringer.com.au/production-manager-contributing-editor-writer-...
Co-Editor & Journalist - Gerry Georgatos ...
It is The Stringer’s aim to provide every opportunity to the rise of voices that far too often are denied. If The Stringer believes in the importance of a story we will sustain coverage - this is what The Stringer terms through-care journalism. ... "
Fund The Stringer
http://thestringer.com.au/fund-the-stringer
"We know how much you like reading the news on The Stringer website. If you’d like to help us continue to shine a massive great big flood lamp on the political injustices of this country and, indeed, the world then please contribute whatever you feel able to using the form below. ... "
- Videos
Filmmaker Fee Plumley's YouTube films of speeches at the #sorryday #stolengeneration rally in Perth
[Featuring Les Coe, Paddy Gibson, Jenny Munro, Debbie Swan, Sue Ellen Tighe & Gerry Georgatos]
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqzE1SLVsD3lXUH3b1eCCbA
Wiradjuri social justice stalwart Les Coe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ_6bC6H5DY&feature=youtu.be
Paddy Gibson - senior researcher at Jumbunna House, University of Technology and helping hand to Grandmothers Against Removals (GMAR) https://youtu.be/1CDGkVPrPM0
Jenny Munro - Wiradjuri Elder, social justice stalwart, founder of Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy - one of the original founding members of SNAICC https://youtu.be/JqKC3ZUnhGM
GMAR stalwarts, Debbie Swan (former Department of Family Services whistleblower) and Sue Ellen Tighe http://youtu.be/AinBoN6KBKQ
Gerry Georgatos - suicide prevention researcher http://youtu.be/JDxAn8W65w0
Source of bio info for the speeches: http://thestringer.com.au/more-children-taken-today-than-in-stolen-gener...
- Past Events
Grandmothers Against Removals: GMAR is leading a conference at Matagarup, the Perth Tent Embassy from May 24 - May 30, to strategise for the future and to march on May 26 - Please share
http://stopstolengenerations.com.au/
"On ‘Sorry Day’, May 26, the national network Grandmothers Against Removals (GMAR) will lead a protest in Perth against continuing Stolen Generations. This date marks 18 years since the release of the ‘Bringing Them Home’ report. This report detailed the horrors of the Stolen Generations of the 20th Century and called for urgent action to stop the continued removal of Aboriginal children from their families by ‘child protection’ agencies. Since 1997 however, the number of Aboriginal children being forcibly removed has increased more than five times, with more than 15,000 Aboriginal kids in foster care today. ... "
Stop Stolen Generations: During May 24-30th, 2015, the ... facebook
https://www.facebook.com/stopstolengenerations/posts/420705468091109
16 May 15: "During May 24-30th, 2015, the Grandmothers Against Removals will hold a week long National Gathering on the Forced Removals of Aboriginal children, from family, community and country. The gathering will hold a National Protest on, ‘Sorry Day’, May 26th, as this date marks 18 years since the release, of the ‘Bringing Them Home’ report. ... "
- About
About Grandmothers Against Removals (GMAR)
http://stopstolengenerations.com.au/about-gmar
"Gunnedah grandmothers fight against the removal of Indigenous kids. The group Grandmothers Against Removals (GMAR) was formed in January in an effort to highlight the process of removal used by the New South Wales Department of Children’s Services. With around 6,000 Aboriginal children currently in out-of-home care in New South Wales, the Grandmothers Against Removals refuse to remain silent. They say it’s time to be a voice for other families and children who feel unable to speak against the system being accused of creating a new stolen generation. ... "
Stop Stolen Generations:
https://www.facebook.com/stopstolengenerations
- News Analysis
Sisters of Saint Joseph: Sorry Day - But Are We?
http://www.sosj.org.au/news-events/view_article.cfm?id=2408&loadref=7
26 May 15: " ... The annual Sorry Day of May 26th is the day when official commemoration is made of the wrongs committed against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia -including the forced removal of thousands of their children. ... As a Catholic of my era I know that saying sorry, which can be hard enough, doesn’t mean anything much unless appropriate restitution is made. ... At the time of the Apology, however, the Federal Government was continuing its predecessors’ policy of Intervention in many of its punitive forms in the Aboriginal Communities of the NT. Sadly, seven years on, this reversal of Sorry continues to gain momentum, the latest intervention being the Forced Closure of Communities. ... " Michele Madigan
- About
About Us - Sisters of Saint Joseph
http://www.sosj.org.au/who-we-are/index.cfm?loadref=14
" ... We are about 886 Sisters living and ministering throughout Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Peru, East Timor, Scotland and Brazil. ... We were founded in Penola, South Australia in 1866 by an Australian woman Mary MacKillop, and an English priest Reverend Julian E Tenison Woods. ... "
- Petition
Change.org Petition: Restore IAS funding that SA Aboriginal communities need to stay open and sustainable
Michele Madigan Australia
Change.org: https://www.change.org/p/mr-nigel-scullion-minister-for-indigenous-affai...
Sisters of Saint Joseph: http://www.sosj.org.au/news-events/view_article.cfm?id=2413&loadref=7
"How can SA Aboriginal Communities remain open with 90% slashed off the required funding? This is the question that needs asking of the Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion who has repeatedly said of late that he ‘has no intention of closing Aboriginal Communities.’ No organisation, no small business and certainly no Community can stay open when it loses most of its income. SA Aboriginal Communities have been successfully running essential and effective programs for years providing opportunities for training, support, activities for children and youth, employment for local people, and many other types of community programs designed and run for the Communities by the Communities. With no funds for programs and administration /governance, how can Communities remain open? ...
Please sign and share this petition to restore funding directly to SA Aboriginal Communities."
- Background
WGAR Background: Removal of Aboriginal children and the continuing Stolen Generation
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/12/24/wgar-background-removal-of-aborigina...
(last updated: 26 May 2015)
WGAR Background: Aboriginal Peoples and the impact of the Federal Budget
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/12/24/wgar-background-aboriginal-peoples-a...
(last updated: 28 May 2015)
- - -
WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
About WGAR News:
https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/wgar-news
Subscription to 'WGAR News' is free.
'WGAR News' monitors the media, including alternative media, focusing on:
* The Freedom Summit's National Freedom Movement;
* the Australian Federal government intervention into Northern Territory (NT) Aboriginal communities;
* Plans to close Aboriginal homelands / remote communities in Western Australia (WA), South Australia (SA), [and Northern Territory (NT)?];
* 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;
* Removal of Aboriginal children and the continuing Stolen Generation;
* Aboriginal peoples and the impact of the Australian Federal Budget;
* 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 5-6 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.