Newsletter date: 3 June 2013
Contents:
* Jeremy Geia, NITV News: Torres Strait region pushes for autonomy
* Jeremy Geia, SBS Radionews: Torres Strait continues autonomy push
* NIRS: New push for Torres Strait self governance
* Ian Lloyd Neubauer, TIME: Australia's Aborigines Launch a Bold Legal Push for Independence
* Audio Boo: Audio - Fred Hooper, Murrawarri Republic - 4ZZZ
* Audio Boo: Audio - Murrawarri Republic - Fred Hooper, spokesperson - 'The wire'
* Background to the Murrawarri Republic declaration
* Sovereign Union: Anderson challenges Prof. George Williams and the Commonwealth Attorney-general to publicly debate First Nations continuing Sovereignty at the Sydney Opera House
* NIRS: Larrakia woman slams Native Title
* Westender: A plea for understanding: "Kaitlyn Lawrence suggests it's time we took a fresh look at Aboriginal Tent Embassies"
* NIRS: Sovereignty protest at WIN Conference
* SBS Radionews: Indigenous knowledge to combat climate change
* SBS Radionews: Australian Indigenous rangers join UN network
* NIRS: James Anaya wants Indigenous rights awareness
* World Indigenous Network (WIN) Conference
* Background to the Aboriginal sovereignty movement and the Aboriginal tent embassies
* Other articles
* JEREMY GEIA, NITV NEWS: TORRES STRAIT REGION PUSHES FOR AUTONOMY
- Video
SBS World News: Torres Strait region pushes for autonomy
Source: Jeremy Geia, NITV News
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1772256/Torres-Strait-region-pushes-f...
29 May 13: "The Torres Strait region wants to become a self-governing territory within 15 years. Island representatives are in Canberra pushing for action they hope will lead to a new jurisdiction with its own parliament."
* JEREMY GEIA, SBS RADIONEWS: TORRES STRAIT CONTINUES AUTONOMY PUSH
- Audio
SBS Radionews: Torres Strait continues autonomy push
By Jeremy Geia
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/269626/Torres-...
29 May 13: "Torres Strait Island representatives are in Canberra pushing for action that they hope will lead to self-government. ... The Torres Strait Region says it wants to become a self-governing Territory within the next 15 years. Island representatives from the area are in Canberra pushing for action that they hope will lead to a new jurisdiction with its own parliament. Jeremy Geia reports."
* NIRS: NEW PUSH FOR TORRES STRAIT SELF GOVERNANCE
- Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: New push for Torres Strait self governance
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29339/New-push-for-Torres-Strai...
31 May 13: "There’s been a new push by Torres Strait Islanders for self-determination and self-governance. ... It comes after a number of tries by Torres Strait authorities to have the issue on the table and the previous Premier Anna Bligh said she’d talk to the Federal Government about the issue. Mayor Pedro Stephen had this to say about Torres Strait independence."
* IAN LLOYD NEUBAUER, TIME: AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINES LAUNCH A BOLD LEGAL PUSH FOR INDEPENDENCE
- Analysis / Opinion
TIME: Australia’s Aborigines Launch a Bold Legal Push for Independence
http://world.time.com/2013/05/30/australias-aborigines-launch-a-bold-leg...
30 May 13: "If a determined group of indigenous people get their way, the world’s newest country won’t be in Africa or the Balkans but on the eastern periphery of Australia’s outback. A bleak, foreboding, flood-prone savannah the size of Austria 750 km northwest of Sydney, the Murrawarri Republic was home to an Aboriginal nation that lived in the Culgoa River region of the state of New South Wales (NSW) tens of thousands of years before the arrival of British settlers." By Ian Lloyd Neubauer
* AUDIO BOO: AUDIO - FRED HOOPER, MURRAWARRI REPUBLIC - 4ZZZ
- Audio
Audio Boo: Audio - Fred Hooper, Murrawarri Republic - 4ZZZ
http://audioboo.fm/boos/1414792-audio-fred-hooper-murrawarri-republic-4zzz
"An interview with Fred Hooper on Brisban'es 4ZZZ's 'Anarchy Show'"
* AUDIO BOO: AUDIO - MURRAWARRI REPUBLIC - FRED HOOPER, SPOKESPERSON - 'THE WIRE'
- Audio
Audio Boo: Audio - Murrawarri Republic - Fred Hooper, spokesperson - 'The wire'
http://audioboo.fm/boos/1415730-audio-murrawarri-republic-fred-hooper-sp...
"The Murrawarri people have proclaimed their traditional land a sovereign republic independent of the Commonwealth.
Fred Hooper, convener of the People's Council of the Murrawarri Republic.
Source: TheWire Community Radio
Radio Adelaide, 2SER in Sydney and 4EB in Brisbane"
* BACKGROUND TO THE MURRAWARRI REPUBLIC DECLARATION
Last updated: 24 May 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/04/20/the-murrawarri-republic-declaration
* SOVEREIGN UNION: ANDERSON CHALLENGES PROF. GEORGE WILLIAMS AND THE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY-GENERAL TO PUBLICALLY DEBATE FIRST NATIONS CONTINUING SOVEREIGNTY AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE
- Media Release
Sovereign Union: Anderson challenges Prof. George Williams and the Commonwealth Attorney-general to publicly debate First Nations continuing Sovereignty at the Sydney Opera House
http://nationalunitygovernment.org/content/anderson-challenges-prof-geor...
27 May 13: "Michael Anderson, Convenor of the Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples in Australia said today: "A recent comment [1] made by one of Australia's leading constitutional lawyers, Prof George Williams, demonstrates the incapacities on non-Aboriginal legal experts to see beyond the legal system that they are sworn to serve and uphold. Prof Williams was responding to statements by Fred Hooper on the recent Declaration of Independence by the Murrawarri Nation.
"Clearly Prof Williams lacks objectivity in his radio interview with The Wire, because his teachings and his practice focus primarily on the system that affords him his status in his society, which is the same society that seeks to steal our patrimony, citizenship and usurp our sovereignty without any legal foundation.
"Many established lawyers fail to come to terms with other aspects of the Mabo decision. ... ""
- Related Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: Dual citizenship raised at sovereignty talks
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29294/Dual-citizenship-raised-a...
21 May 13: "The Convenor of the Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples says dual citizenship has been raised as a possible course of action for sovereign tribal nations. ... Euahlayi man, Michael Anderson from northern New South Wales, says dual citizenship will allow Indigenous people to continue to access social benefits in Australia."
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
http://caama.com.au/radio#tabs-6
http://caama.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/am-21-05.mp3
21 May 13: "Aboriginal sovereignty campaigners say that their struggle to decolonize and achieve independence of their own tribal areas within Australia has gone to another level, and that the Government could be confronted by UN peacekeepers if it tries to destabilize their attempts at self determination."
* NIRS: LARRAKIA WOMAN SLAMS NATIVE TITLE
- Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: Larrakia woman slams Native Title
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29328/Larrakia-woman-slams-Nati...
29 May 13: "A Northern Territory Larrakia rights campaigner says recognition of sovereignty would better protect land rights than declarations of Native Title. Donna Jackson says land and sea rights are important for Larrakia people, but they’ve suffered from non-Indigenous people taking too much from their country, including commercial fishers."
* WESTENDER: A PLEA FOR UNDERSTANDING: "KAITLYN LAWRENCE SUGGESTS IT'S TIME WE TOOK A FRESH LOOK AT ABORIGINAL TENT EMBASSIES"
- Analysis / Opinion
Westender: A plea for understanding
http://www.westender.com.au/news/1480
"Kaitlyn Lawrence suggests it's time we took a fresh look at Aboriginal Tent Embassies. The question of indigenous rights and Australian heritage is one that may never be answered wholly or to the satisfaction of all who call Australia home; however there are many people and organisations, such as the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy, striving to achieve a more harmonious understanding of the first nation's people. The Aboriginal Sovereign Embassies or tent embassies have been set up in different cities across Australia as an organisation for the first nation's people to gather and discuss community issues."
* NIRS: SOVEREIGNTY PROTEST AT WIN CONFERENCE
- Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: Sovereignty protest at WIN Conference
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29326/Sovereignty-protest-at-WI...
29 May 13: "There’s been a protest at a major global gathering of Indigenous representatives in Darwin. Sovereignty campaigner Wayne Coco Wharton has rallied at the World Indigenous Network Conference, which is reportedly being attended by 12 hundred delegates. Mr. Wharton says the plight of Indigenous Australians was not being properly addressed at the conference."
* SBS RADIONEWS: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
- Audio
SBS Radionews: Indigenous knowledge to combat climate change
By Michael Kenny
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/269432/Indigen...
28 May 13: "An international forum in Darwin has been told that traditional land management practices are helping to combat the effects of climate change. ... Indigenous representatives from around the world have told a forum in Darwin that traditional land management practices are helping to combat the effects of climate change. The inaugural World Indigenous Network Conference has brought together 1200 delegates from countries across the Asia Pacific region as well as from South-East Asia, South America and Africa. ... Michael Kenny has the details."
* SBS RADIONEWS: AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS RANGERS JOIN UN NETWORK
- Audio
SBS Radionews: Australian Indigenous rangers join UN network
By Michael Kenny
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/269636/Austral...
29 May 13: "Australia says programs involving Indigenous land and sea managers are to become an official part of a network managed by the United Nations. The federal government has announced the move at the network's inaugural conference in Darwin (26-31 May). The World Indigenous Network was launched by Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the U-N Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil last year. But the government has now decided the U-N is in a better position than Australia to manage the network and expand it around the globe. Michael Kenny has the details."
* NIRS: JAMES ANAYA WANTS INDIGENOUS RIGHTS AWARENESS
- Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: James Anaya wants Indigenous rights awareness
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29331/James-Anaya-wants-Indigen...
30 May 13: "The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, says he wants to encourage groups in Australia to stand up for their rights as Indigenous people. Professor Anaya has been in Australia as a special guest at the World Indigenous Network Conference in Darwin."
* WORLD INDIGENOUS NETWORK (WIN) CONFERENCE
- Past Event
Event: 26 to 31 May 2013: Darwin, NT
World Indigenous Network (WIN) Conference
"The Australian Government with partner countries and the
Larrakia Nation are proud and excited to host the
inaugural WIN Conference in Darwin, Northern Territory,
Australia from Sunday 26 to Friday 31 May 2013.
For thousands of years, the Aboriginal Traditional Custodians
of Darwin, the Larrakia Nation have lived on and maintained
their cultural ties to this thriving, vibrant, multicultural city of
more than 120,000 people.
The Conference will call on all delegates to help build a strong
foundation for an innovative and well-grounded enduring
World Indigenous Network. It will be a fantastic opportunity for
Indigenous Peoples and Local Community land and sea
managers to come together, connect and share stories and
experiences."
Event details: http://www.theblackbook.com.au/whatson_detail.asp?id=1002&si=0&mi=5&yi=2013
* BACKGROUND TO THE ABORIGINAL SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT AND THE ABORIGINAL TENT EMBASSIES:
Last updated: 29 May 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-aboriginal-sovereig...
* OTHER ARTICLES:
- Audio
SBS Radionews: More Indigenous languages for Australian schools?
By Malarndirri McCarthy
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/268454/More-In...
22 May 13: "Indigenous languages may soon take a more prominent role in the national school curriculum, beginning as early as the first term next year. The Australian Curriuclum and Reporting Authority, known as ACARA, has released a framework for discussion on Indigenous languages. ACARA's also about to embark on a two-month tour to consult around the country. CEO Robert Randall told NITV's Malarndirri McCarthy about the importance of having Indigenous languages in schools."
- News
PS News: Curriculum to revive Indigenous languages
http://www.psnews.com.au/Page_psn3639.html
28 May 13: "The first national curriculum document outlining how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages can be taught in schools has been released for public consultation. Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett said the draft Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages would support community language revival and maintenance. Under the framework there will be three different learning pathways to best cater for particular groups of students including the First Language Learner Pathway, which will cater for students whose first language is still spoken ... "
Redfern-Waterloo Community Action: Study Tour to the UK and US for Indigenous Australians
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Redfern-Waterloo/message/7156
31 May 13: "Are you an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student or graduate interested in postgraduate study overseas? Why not apply for the 2013 Aurora Scholars' Study Tour to the UK and the US? For those contemplating postgraduate study overseas, the Aurora Scholars' Study Tour provides an invaluable opportunity to travel with a group of like-minded students, visit universities and meet with academics, administrators and current postgraduate students in your area of interest at Cambridge and Oxford universities in the UK, and Columbia, Harvard, New York University (NYU) and Stanford in the US."
Australian: Land rights move to see owners lose control
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/land-rights-...
30 May 13: "THE Coalition's plan to devolve land rights responsibilities to Aboriginal community organisations could see traditional owners lose control of their country, sparking cultural and legal disputes, the Northern Land Council's head has warned. A Coalition government would encourage community organisations to apply to the big Northern Territory land councils, the NLC and the Central Land Council, to take over certain functions, such as control of leasing." Amos Aikman, Northern correspondent
Australian: Liberals promise to take on land councils
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/liberals-pro...
29 May 13: "THE Coalition has begun a stoush with Aboriginal land councils by promising, if elected, to devolve some of their functions to indigenous community organisations. Breaking up the Northern and Central land councils - which cover about 50 per cent of the Northern Territory - has not been ruled out, but a Coalition government would be more likely to proceed cautiously by weakening their power instead." Amos Aikman, Northern correspondent
Australian Human Rights Commission: UN hears Australian commitment to Indigenous rights
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/stories/un-hears-australian-commitmen...
24 May 13: "The Australian Human Rights Commission, the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, and the Federal Government have presented a historic joint statement to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. A Federal Government representative, Mandy Doherty, and a Commission representative, Jenny Bedford, delivered the joint statement to the United Nations in New York this week. The joint statement confirmed Australia's support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples and committed the Federal Government to giving "practical effect" to the Declaration's goals."
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