Indymedia Australia | News and views from the progressive grass roots.

Aunty Bonita Mabo, wife of Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo: My reflections on the Mabo Decision 20 years on

Submitted by Gerry Georgatos on Sun, 03/06/2012 - 9:05pm

Courtesy of The National Indigenous Times - Wednesday May 30 edition - Editor Stephen Hagan's interview with Aunty Bonita Mabo, wife of Eddie 'Koiki' Mabo

http://nit.com.au/chat/1147-aunty-bonita-mabo-wife-of-eddie-koiki-mabo-c...

Who's your mob Aunty Bonita?

I was born in Ingham in north Queensland. My people (Neehows) are from the Malanbarra Clan from Palm Island on my mother's side.

My Dad can trace his people to Tanner Island in Vanuatu.

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Rights campaigner Julian Assange acknowledges his Torres Strait Islander form and content

Submitted by Gerry Georgatos on Sat, 02/06/2012 - 3:47pm

Gerry Georgatos
Global justice campaigner and WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange has contributed his life to standing up for the oppressed and in challenging the world’s most powerful governments and clandestine institutions.

Mr Assange was born in Townsville, Queensland however he readily acknowledges a diverse heritage which he proudly said includes a Torres Strait Islander great-great-grandparent. In his form and content is that of a Thursday Islander, his (step) great-great-grandmother.

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Justice for all: WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, the rights of the two women

Submitted by Gerry Georgatos on Thu, 31/05/2012 - 11:12am

“To radically shift regime behaviour we must think clearly and boldly for if we have learned anything, it is that regimes do not want to be changed. We must think beyond those who have gone before us and discover technological changes that embolden us with ways to act in which our forebears could not, “ Julian Assange.

Julian Assange is a 'war' hero in the battle of words and concepts, the argument for freedom of speech and the pursuit of various justices – however all sides, and there are many, in this war have their various heroes, some heralded like Julian, others not.

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Renters rights rally - WA - August 15, & national day of renters rights rallies - October 16

Submitted by Gerry Georgatos on Tue, 29/05/2012 - 4:30pm

Gerry Georgatos
The Renters Alliance (RA) started only several months ago in Western Australia with a number of its original members from Bridgetown and the Blackwood region. The RA spokesperson Lea Keenan said the renters rights movement has spread Australia-wide after the RA was swamped with emails and calls from distressed renters.

To get involved write to rentersalliance@humanrightsalliance.org

or phone 0430 657 309 or 0412 833 733

http://www.4zzzfm.org.au/news/audio/2012/may/22/national-renters-allianc...

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UK Supreme Court to rule on Julian Assange extradition - National rallies occurring

Submitted by Flowerpower on Thu, 24/05/2012 - 10:00pm

The judgment in WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange’s final appeal against extradition to Sweden was handed down by the UK Supreme Court on Wednesday 30 May.

Breaking news: Julian has lost his appeal.

Assange now faces being sent to Sweden by force within 10 days. From Sweden, he could be sent immediately to the US where he faces prosecution for publishing information just like any other journalist.

Rallies on the 31st May: Details on Wikileaks Central

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Australia commits to indefinite military occupation of Afghanistan.

Submitted by Flowerpower on Tue, 22/05/2012 - 10:03pm

The signing of the Long term partnership between Australia and Afghanistan by Julia Gillard and Hamid Karzai at the NATO summit in Chicago on 20th May is being presented by the government and the press as an “aid commitment” as part of the “end of the Afghanistan war”. This is a lie.

Whilst the majority of Australian troops are returning from Afghanistan in 2013, these are the troops involved in training the Afghan army, the agreement is a commitment for Australian Special Forces to occupy Afghanistan indefinitely alongside the U.S. Our Special Forces, the only Australian troops in a combat role, will continue in the name of “security” to operate as defacto assassination squads for the U.S. Peace activist will be saying no to both the U.S. alliance, escalating militarism and the occupation of Afghanistan when they blockade the Swan Island military base where the SAS train in September at the Swan Island Peace Convergence 2012
Related: Text of the Agreement -- Interview with Defence Minister Stephen Smith -- The SAS dirty war -- WSWS analysis

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Cultural imperialism jailed Indonesian children in Australian adult prisons - and the prime minister's deaf ears

Submitted by Gerry Georgatos on Mon, 21/05/2012 - 11:54am

Gerry Georgatos
Ali Jasmin was 13 years old when the Commonwealth of Australia locked him up in an adult prison for being a deckhand on a boat of Asylum Seekers, and hence for assisting people in the safe passage of Asylum to our shores. International maritime laws and the various United Conventions and protocols asserting the rights of those seeking Asylum would cast this young boy as a hero, and rightfully so however not the Australian government and its institutions.

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People are not the property of people; the Northern Territory is a prison built brick by brick by the Commonwealth

Submitted by Gerry Georgatos on Sun, 20/05/2012 - 3:33pm

Gerry Georgatos
“For most of these women, the notion of human rights is unheard of. They have lived all their lives believing that they have no rights at all,” said the founder of Sisters Inside, Debbie Kilroy – who counsels women while they are still in prison.

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Did Jackson, Lawler and Abbott tangle Thomson with the HSU? Who else is involved and why?

Submitted by Gerry Georgatos on Fri, 18/05/2012 - 9:08am

Gerry Georgatos
The Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper dramas have been used to threaten the toppling of the incumbent government however whether this happens or not the dark pall of aspersions, the eerie shadow over Australian politics and the spheres of influence that are imputed to underlay the manifest of government and its orchestrations are increasingly deeply questionable to many folk - however what are the questions for there to be the pursuit of answers - where do we start looking?

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Sisters Inside needs our help as the Queensland government has cut funding

Submitted by Gerry Georgatos on Fri, 18/05/2012 - 7:38am

Gerry Georgatos
"For most of these women, the notion of human rights is unheard of. They have lived all their lives believing that they have no rights at all."

The Queensland Liberal-National government has withdrawn $120,000 annual funding from Sisters Inside, a long-time organisation that has provided counselling services for imprisoned women and for those recently released.

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