Newswire

From The Stringer
It doesn't take much!
by Suresh Rajan
July 2nd, 2013
Every now and then I am surprised at the level of racist abuse and tirades that emanate from our
community. Today was a very significant day for the Australian Parliament and multiculturalism in
general. Ed Husic is a new Parliamentary Secretary in the reborn Kevin Rudd government. He
took his oath with the Governor General, Her Excellency, Ms Quentin Bryce on Monday 1 July
2013. What was significant was that Ed Husic is the first person of Muslim faith to be elected to

Newsletter date: 3 July 2013

Contents:

* Northern Territory Government: Robyn Lambley - Minister of Health: Day One of Alcohol Mandatory Treatment
* NIRS: NT compulsory treatment policy gets through Parliament
* Malcolm Sutton, The Guardian UK: NT move to mandatory alcohol rehabilitation sparks controversy
* Julie Edwards, The Guardian UK: Northern Territory alcohol mandatory treatment is an affront to liberty
* Concerned Territorians: Time to Stop and Re-think our Approach to Alcohol Policy in the Territory
* Current Campaigns: NAAJA opposes the Mandatory Alcohol Treatment Bill

Reposted from Green Left Weekly by kind permission of Mel

By David T. Rowlands

Nearly 60 years have passed since Totem 1, a British nuclear test in the Australian desert, was recklessly conducted in unfavourable meteorological conditions.

Nuclear testing of any sort, even in the most "controlled" of circumstances, is inherently abusive, a crime against the environment and humanity for countless generations to come. Yet the effects of Totem 1 were particularly bad, even by the warped standards of the era.

TODAY NSW Community Services Minister Pru Goward announced the imposition of a ‘bed tax’ on public housing tenants with a ‘spare’ bedroom.

This is part of an ongoing process of harassment and displacement of long term public housing tenants as the NSW government attempts to shift housing responsibility onto the non-government and private sectors.

Why should public housing tenants be forced to move out of homes they have occupied for years, sometimes decades, and into smaller accommodation, which may not have been as well maintained as their own homes.

Newsletter date: 1 July 2013

Contents:

* CAAMA: What does a change of PM mean for Aboriginal people? [Featuring Michael Mansell]
* NITV News: Warren Mundine welcomes Rudd's return
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: The downfall of Prime Minister Gillard began with broken promises about the Intervention

* Living Black's Marc Tong interviews Sylvie Ellsmore: Local Council Says No to Income Management

* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* Background to 'Stronger Futures' new NT Intervention laws

While Kevin Rudd was in the media yesterday committing his ‘in-principle’ support to increase Newstart and help single parents, the Government and Tony Abbott’s coalition joined together on the same day to vote down a motion calling for a $50 per week increase to Newstart.

Once again the Australian Greens were the only party taking a stand on the floor of Parliament – where actions speak louder than words.

- The following article has been republished on a number of sites in various formats, originally from various versions on The Stringer and in The National Indigenous Times. - Gerry Georgatos' investigations reveal the beginning of the end for Julia Gillard as Australia’s Prime Minister started with the revelations of the involvement of the Office of the Prime Minister to use the 40th anniversary Aboriginal Tent Embassy celebrations to wedge Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott. Gerry broke the story nationally that parliamentary staffer, Tony Hodges did not act alone.

Newsletter date: 29 June 2013

Contents:

* Let's Talk's Tiga Bayles interviews Barbara Shaw about the Northern Territory Intervention
* Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese: Six years of the NT Intervention Six Years Too Long
* NIRS: Six years of NT Intervention marked

* 9 News: Doubts over NT intervention extension
* Sydney Indymedia Event Calendar: July 1 2013: Press Conference and Rally to stop further expansion of income management
* Living Black's Marc Tong interviews Paddy Gibson about the expansion of Income Management