Newsletter date: 26 August 2015
Contents:
* Take Action Online: Amnesty International Australia: Stop NT's paperless arrest laws from claiming more lives
* Audio: Ninah Kopel, The Wire: Paperless arrest laws to be challenged in High Court [featuring Julian Cleary, Indigenous Campaigner, Amnesty International & Thalia Anthony, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, UTS]
* Audio Interview: Minelle Creed, SBS Living Black Radio: NAAJA to challenge 'paperless arrest' laws in High Court [featuring Jonathon Hunyor, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Association]
* Audio Interview: Michelle Lovegrove, SBS Living Black Radio: Cuts to Legal Aid in NT worry for Aboriginal people in remote communities. [featuring NAAJA's principal legal officer Jonathon Hunyor]
* Homepage of North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA): http://www.naaja.org.au/
* Audio Interview: Kirstyn Lindsay, SBS Living Black Radio: Amnesty International: ATSI kids 24 times more likely to be imprisoned [featuring Tammy Solenec, Amnesty's Indigenous peoples rights manager]
* Audio Interviews: News & features: SBS Living Black Radio: http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/news-features
* Our Work: Amnesty International Australia: Indigenous Peoples' Rights: http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/
* WGAR Background: Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal deaths in custody
WGAR News postings on Indymedia Australia: https://indymedia.org.au/newswire
WGAR News Public Google Group: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/wgar-news
WGAR News - Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
- Take Action Online
Amnesty International Australia: Stop NT's paperless arrest laws from claiming more lives
http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/37819/
"The Northern Territory’s paperless arrest laws put adults and children at risk of arbitrary detention by police and unfairly target disadvantaged Indigenous people. If these laws are not repealed, more Indigenous people will be locked up and more unnecessary deaths in custody will follow. Email Attorney-General John Elferink calling on him to urgently repeal these laws before they cause more Indigenous deaths in custody. ... Last Friday, NT coroner Greg Cavenagh called for these laws to be repealed because they are "manifestly unfair", disproportionately targeting disadvantaged Aboriginal people. ... "
- Audio
The Wire: Paperless arrest laws to be challenged in High Court
Produced by Ninah Kopel
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=13082
http://www.thewire.org.au/audio/final%20paperlessonlinbeNINAH.mp3
25 Aug 15: "There have been calls to repeal Paperless Arrest laws in the Northern Territory after it was revealed that 70 percent of the nearly 2,000 people arrested under them were Aboriginal. The laws, which allow police to detain anyone for up to four hours without any charge, are being challenged in a High Court case next week. Opponents of the law say they’ve created a police state and will lead to more deaths in custody."
"Featured in story:
* Julian Cleary, Indigenous Campaigner at Amnesty International
* Thalia Anthony, Senior Lecturer for the Faculty of Law at The University of Technology Sydney"
- Audio Interview
SBS Living Black Radio: NAAJA to challenge 'paperless arrest' laws in High Court
[featuring Jonathon Hunyor, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Association]
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/en/content/naaja-challenge...
11 Aug 15: "The introduction of the new "Paperless Arrest" regime by the Northern Territory government to lock up Aboriginal people without arresting them, is to be challenged in the High Court. ... paperless arrests have highlighted a number of serious long-term issues. Deaths in custody. ... Experts question the wisdom of the new system by funding more police and more jail cells, when a long-term commitment to justice reinvestment would be better placed to deal with root cases, rather than symtpom. Jonathon Hunyor is the Principle Legal office from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Association, which will head the High Court challenge " By Minelle Creed
- Audio Interview
SBS Living Black Radio: Cuts to Legal Aid in NT worry for Aboriginal people in remote communities.
[featuring NAAJA's principal legal officer Jonathon Hunyor]
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/en/content/cuts-legal-aid-...
19 Aug 15: "NT Legal Aid says it can no longer meet the demands of remote communities due to funding issues, sparking concerns Aboriginal people may be forced to represent themselves in court. The NT's other provider of legal representation in remote areas, the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), said it can't represent all clients due to a conflict of interest. The predicted result: many Aboriginal people will have to go without any legal representation. NAAJA's principal legal officer Jonathon Hunyor says it's a serious issue, with the funding squeeze on all legal services." By Michelle Lovegrove
- Homepage
North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA)
http://www.naaja.org.au/
" ... The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) delivers high quality and culturally proficient Aboriginal legal services to the Top End of the Northern Territory. Our Vision is True Justice, Dignity and Respect for Aboriginal people. Our Mission is to deliver a range of innovative, high quality, culturally proficient legal services to Aboriginal people and the community. ... "
- Audio Interview
SBS Living Black Radio: Amnesty International: ATSI kids 24 times more likely to be imprisoned
[featuring Tammy Solenec, Amnesty's Indigenous peoples rights manager]
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/en/content/amnesty-interna...
19 Aug 15: "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 24 times more like to be imprisoned than non Indigenous children, according to Amnesty International. ... Amnesty's Indigenous peoples rights manager Tammy Solenec presented a submission to a Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee Inquiry in Perth this month. Her submission highlights the issues of incarceration of children, in breech to the Human Rights Convention of the Rights of a Child. In response to the inquiry chief Justice Wayne Martin concluded that Aboriginal people consider jail a rite of passage ... Tammy Solenec says ... justice reinvestment is the key goal for the future." By Kirstyn Lindsay
- Audio Interviews
News and features: SBS Living Black Radio
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/news-features
- Our Work - Amnesty International Australia
Indigenous Peoples' Rights - Amnesty International Australia
http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/
"Amnesty International is committed to ensuring the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ is implemented locally and nationally through legislation, policies and programs. The 46 articles of this Declaration reaffirm the rights of all Indigenous peoples, and represent the standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of all First Peoples across the world.
The Declaration state the rights:
* to self determination
* to freedom from discrimination
* to maintain and enjoy distinct culture
* and to the principles of free, prior and informed consent"
- Background
WGAR Background: Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal deaths in custody
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/12/24/wgar-background-justice-reinvestment...
(last updated: 18 August 2015)
- - -
WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
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'WGAR News' monitors the media, including alternative media, focusing on:
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* Treaties with Aboriginal Sovereign Nations of Australia;
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