Newsletter date: 10 April 2013
Contents:
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: National inquiry into Justice Reinvestment
* Let's Talk's Tiga Bayles interviews Gerry Georgatos about The Australian Prison system
* CAAMA Radio: Priscilla Collins, NAAJA CEO on funding for NT youth
* SBS Living Black Audio: WA's Courts Raise Concerns Over Children In Hakea Prison
* SBS Radionews Audio: Indigenous detention centres 'at crisis point'
* The Stringer: "Paraded like zoo animals"
* Background to Aboriginal imprisonment and Deaths in Custody
* SBS Living Black Audio: Looking at the health system and cancer
* NIRS: Boot camps must include health support: AMSANT
* Suresh Rajan, The Stringer: Is Australia a Racist country?
* Tracker: Racist taunts an ongoing problem: inquiry
* Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer: ALS boss attacks racist cabbies
* SNAICC News: The Australian Community Sector Survey due 19 April 2013
* SNAICC News: New online governance toolkit launched to help strengthen success
* The Wire Audio: Experts cautiously welcome support for Aboriginal languages in NSW
* NIRS: Ryan slams lack of political representation
* Other articles
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: NATIONAL INQUIRY INTO JUSTICE REINVESTMENT
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: National inquiry into Justice Reinvestment
http://thestringer.com.au/national-inquiry-into-justice-reinvestment/
9 Apr 13: "Federal Senator Penny Wright initiated the national inquiry into the "Value of a Justice Reinvestment approach to criminal justice in Australia." Senator Wright, a lawyer, has been appointed as the Chair to the inquiry. Hearings begin in Perth on April 17 and in Sydney the following week. Incarceration rates Australia-wide have skyrocketed. The prison population has doubled from 15,000 in 1992 to 31,000 in 2012. Aboriginal incarceration rates keep on rising and they are damaging the fabric of Aboriginal communities. It is argued that Justice Reinvestment can reduce incarceration rates." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, and a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* LET'S TALK'S TIGA BAYLES INTERVIEWS GERRY GEORGATOS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN PRISON SYSTEM
- Audio Interview
Indigenous radio station 98.9FM Brisbane:
Let's Talk - Gerry Georgatos
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/lets-talk/
5 Apr 13: "Speaking about The Australian Prison system and various First Nations issues in Western Australia and his blog site The Stringer"
Listen to this interview on-line:
http://www.989fm.com.au/podcasts/lets-talk/gerry-georgatos-10/
* CAAMA RADIO: PRISCILLA COLLINS, NAAJA CEO ON FUNDING FOR NT YOUTH
- Audio Interview
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Priscilla Collins, NAAJA CEO on funding for NT youth…
http://caama.com.au/priscilla-collins-naaja-ceo-on-funding-for-nt-youth
8 Apr 13: "NAAJA, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, has welcomed news from the Commonwealth Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus of the decision to fund NAAJA’s Indigenous Youth Justice Program in the top end. The program aims to identify underlying issues which result in youth becoming involved in the criminal justice system, and focuses on early intervention and prevention for young people at risk. Priscilla Collins, the CEO of NAAJA joined Nerida Currey on Strong Voices this morning, to share more about the program and the importance ... "
- Related Audio
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
http://caama.com.au/radio#tabs-6
http://caama.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/am-9-04.mp3
9 Apr 13: "* The head of the Territory’s peak Aboriginal justice representative body says too many of her people are just getting locked up and prison should be a last resort.
* A Canberra-based academic says Australian history remains almost a site of segregation – where only the white explorers and pioneers are remembered."
* SBS LIVING BLACK AUDIO: WA'S COURTS RAISE CONCERNS OVER CHILDREN IN HAKEA PRISON
- Audio Interview
SBS Living Black: WA's Courts Raise Concerns Over Children In Hakea Prison
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/highlight/page/id/261794/t...
9 Apr 13: "Western Australia's courts are continuing to raise public concerns over the incarceration of children in an adult prison. ... Legal action has now been launched in the Supreme Court. The action will challenge the validity of the decision of the Minister for Corrective Services to declare parts of an adult prison as a youth detention facility, and that the decision breaches the Young Offenders Act. Anna Copeland, Director of Clinical Legal Programs at Murdoch University tells Michelle Lovegrove, detailed information is difficult to access."
* SBS RADIONEWS AUDIO: INDIGENOUS DETENTION CENTRES 'AT CRISIS POINT'
- Audio
SBS Radionews Podcasts: Indigenous detention centres 'at crisis point'
By Alan Clarke & Darren Mara
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/261736/Indigen...
8 Apr 13: "In a Living Black report, calls are made for more treatment centres offering an alternative to prison for non-violent Aboriginal offenders. ... They say the situation is at a crisis point as the population in detention centres swells with Indigenous youths. Many have suffered from addictions and become caught up in the justice system, and Allan Clarke, of Living Black, met up with some of them. He spoke with Darren Mara about what he found."
* THE STRINGER: "PARADED LIKE ZOO ANIMALS"
- News
The Stringer: "Paraded like zoo animals"
http://thestringer.com.au/paraded-like-zoo-animals/
4 Apr 13: "At least 125 Aboriginal juveniles continue to be held in an adult prison - Perth’s Hakea Prison. Yesterday, a legal action was launched against the Commissioner for Corrective Services, Ian Johnson and State Minister for the Department of Corrective Services, Joe Francis, in the WA Supreme Court in a bid to have the children released. The writ alleges that there have been breaches of the Youth Offenders Act in detaining the juveniles in an adult prison. ... George Newhouse said that the children are in an unhealthy environment and should be immediately relocated."
* BACKGROUND TO ABORIGINAL IMPRISONMENT AND DEATHS IN CUSTODY:
Last updated: 5 April 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/17/background-to-aboriginal-imprisonment...
* SBS LIVING BLACK AUDIO: LOOKING AT THE HEALTH SYSTEM AND CANCER
- Audio
SBS Living Black: Looking at the health system and cancer
By Michelle Lovegrove
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/highlight/page/id/261796/t...
9 Apr 13: "The rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths from cancer will be a major focus of new research being undertaken by the Cancer Council. ... Most of Australia's Aboriginal population live in New South Wales, and the research will focus on the experiences of people in that state. Professor Dianne O'Connell will help lead the way, by looking at cancer care patterns, supporting the needs of patients and families, innovative care models, and the distinct cancer care needs of Aboriginal peoples."
* NIRS: BOOT CAMPS MUST INCLUDE HEALTH SUPPORT: AMSANT
- Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: Boot camps must include health support: AMSANT
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29013/Boot-camps-must-include-h...
9 Apr 13: "The Northern Territory Minister for Correctional Services, John Elferink, says the Government wants to support at-risk young people by putting them through rehabilitation boot camps. ... CEO of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the NT (AMSANT), John Paterson, says he hopes a boot camp strategy would include medical and psychological support."
* SURESH RAJAN, THE STRINGER: IS AUSTRALIA A RACIST COUNTRY?
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: Is Australia a Racist country?
http://thestringer.com.au/is-australia-a-racist-country/
7 Apr 13: "This is a question I, along with many others, have pondered at length. Studies have been done by a variety of people and institutions that address the question. The modern equivalent of empirical research (Googling that question!!!) reveals around 18 million pages in 0.43 seconds. Having had a cursory glance at a few pages of those results, it would appear that the majority of the authors indicate that, in their view, this country has a very firm and pronounced racist streak running through it." By Suresh Rajan
* TRACKER: RACIST TAUNTS AN ONGOING PROBLEM: INQUIRY
- News
newsTracker: Racist taunts an ongoing problem: inquiry
http://tracker.org.au/2013/04/racist-taunts-an-ongoing-problem-inquiry/
9 Apr 13: "If the NSW government makes racist taunts a crime, people could push back making life worse for minority groups, a state parliamentary inquiry has been warned. ... John McKenzie, chief legal office for the Aboriginal Legal Service, says racist taunts are an ongoing problem and often lead to acts of retaliation. "One cannot escape how incredibly hurtful it is to the individual person," he said. But he warned against including the laws under the criminal code, saying Australians would "react in very adverse and negative ways" if they felt the government was intruding too far ... "
* GERRY GEORGATOS, THE STRINGER: ALS BOSS ATTACKS RACIST CABBIES
- Analysis / Opinion
The Stringer: ALS boss attacks racist cabbies
http://thestringer.com.au/als-boss-attacks-racist-cabbies/
4 Apr 13: "Aboriginal Legal Services WA (ALSWA) CEO Dennis Eggington has backed up racialist claims by David Wirrpanda that were cast by taxi drivers. Mr Eggington said that he and his colleagues from the ALSWA have on occasion been subjected to racial discrimination from taxi drivers. ... Racism period needs to end but its time is yet not done." By Gerry Georgatos, a life-long human rights and social justice campaigner, and a multi-award winning investigative journalist
* SNAICC NEWS: THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY SECTOR SURVEY DUE 19 APRIL 2013
- News
SNAICC News: The Australian Community Sector Survey due 19 April 2013
[SNAICC: Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care]
http://www.snaicc.org.au/news-events/fx-view-article.cfm?loadref=32&id=1035
9 Apr 13: "The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) needs your assistance in the Australian Community Sector Survey. In a Federal election year, where major changes are occurring across State and Commonwealth community services, the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) is calling for assistance in the Australian Community Sector Survey to ensure that issues for the sector and the people we serve are central to the public debate. The Australian Community Sector Survey is the key national source of information about the community services sector and the issues that face our clients."
* SNAICC NEWS: NEW ONLINE GOVERNANCE TOOLKIT LAUNCHED TO HELP STRENGTHEN SUCCESS
- News
SNAICC News: New online governance toolkit launched to help strengthen success
[SNAICC: Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care]
http://www.snaicc.org.au/news-events/fx-view-article.cfm?loadref=32&id=1036
9 Apr 13: "Reconciliation Australia has launched a new web-based Indigenous Governance Toolkit. The toolkit aims to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups strengthen their governance. Drawing on research from the Indigenous Community Governance Project, and updated with success stories from the Indigenous Governance Awards, the resource contains a diversity of information including case studies, text, visual and audio resources. ... Reconciliation Australia believe that strong and effective governance is the foundation for success and an essential element of reconciliation."
* THE WIRE AUDIO: EXPERTS CAUTIOUSLY WELCOME SUPPORT FOR ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES IN NSW
- Audio
The Wire: Experts cautiously welcome support for Aboriginal languages in NSW
Produced by Tim Roxburgh
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10221
8 Apr 13: "The NSW government has launched what it says is a new 'partnership' approach to Aboriginal affairs. The policy has a big emphasis on the teaching of Aboriginal languages. Language experts are cautiously welcoming the plan, but they say they're keen to see more details. The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Victor Dominello, says that the plan provides a path for indigenous language learners to add to their skills from kindergarten right through to university. But some experts in the field aren’t so sure ...
Featured in story:
* Victor Dominello - Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in NSW
* John Hobson - Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the Unversity of Sydney"
- Related Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: Language at centre of new NSW strategy
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/28996/Language-at-centre-of-new...
8 Apr 13: "By ABC: The New South Wales Government has placed the teaching of five Aboriginal languages at risk of being lost at the heart of a new strategy to encourage Indigenous children to continue onto employment and university."
- Related News
National Indigenous Radio Service: New plan to boost Aboriginal languages
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29008/New-plan-to-boost-Aborigi...
9 Apr 13: "A new plan to boost the teaching of Aboriginal languages could create new jobs in the far west. NSW Aboriginal Affairs Minister Victor Dominello has announced a new strategy that would include "language nests" where native languages would be fostered to improve education outcomes."
* NIRS: RYAN SLAMS LACK OF POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
- Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: Ryan slams lack of political representation
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29012/Ryan-slams-lack-of-politi...
9 Apr 13: "The founder of Australia’s First Nations Political Party says the holder of the Indigenous affairs portfolio in the Federal Government should be an Indigenous person."
* OTHER ARTICLES:
- Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: Culture not 'lost': Healing Foundation head
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29007/Culture-not-%27lost%27%3A...
9 Apr 13: "The head of a Stolen Generations victims’ advocacy group has called for more sensitivity when discussing the issue of past government removal policies."
- News
National Indigenous Radio Service: Call for victims to give evidence to Royal Commission
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/28998/Call-for-victims-to-give-...
8 Apr 13: "The head of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency says she hopes Indigenous Australians who were abused in institutions are encouraged to speak up to the Royal Commission."
National Indigenous Radio Service: NSW to commission Indigenous War Memorial
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29009/NSW-to-commission-Indigen...
9 Apr 13: "A MEMORIAL to Aboriginal servicemen and women will be built in Sydney's Hyde Park, a move former Defence Force chief Peter Cosgrove described as bringing them long overdue recognition."
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