WGAR News: Maori Party issues scathing letter to Tony Abbott regarding treatment of Aboriginal people: Claire Trevett, New Zealand Herald

Newsletter date: 22 April 2015

Contents:

* Analysis / Opinion: Belinda Grant Geary, Daily Mail Australia: 'The first thing that strikes me about Australia is how racist this place is': Writer claims our treatment of Aborigines is WORSE than apartheid South Africa
* Analysis / Opinion: Sisonke Msimang, Africa is a Country: Is There a Place Where White People Are More Committed to Faux Race Blindness than South Africa?

* News Analysis: Amy McQuire, New Matilda: Maori Leader Brands Tony Abbott A 'Racist B*stard' Over Remote Closure Plans
* News Analysis: Eru Rerekura, Radio New Zealand News: Harawira has message for Australian PM

* Media Release: Maori Party letter to the Australian Prime Minister
* Video: Te Karere TVNZ, YouTube: Maori Party calls out Australian PM on treatment of Aboriginal people
* News Analysis: Claire Trevett, New Zealand Herald: Maori Party issues scathing letter to Tony Abbott regarding treatment of Aboriginal people
* News: Dan Conifer, ABC News: New Zealand Maori Party condemns potential closure of Aboriginal communities in open letter to Tony Abbott

* News Analysis & Video: Numia Ponika-Rangi, Maori Television: Opposition groups enraged ahead of Abbotts arrival to NZ
* News Analysis & Video: Rewa Harriman, Maori Television: Native Affairs - End Of The Dreamtime
* Latest News & Videos: Top topic: Australia - Maori Television

* Statement: Green Left: New NT group says fund and support self-determination for Aboriginal communities
* Audio: Warren Barnsley, NIRS: Community closures threaten spiritual identity: KALACC

* Upcoming Event: 1 May 2015, Rally at Belmore Park, Sydney - National Day of Action: Speakers: Aunty Jenny Munro, John Pilger, Gwenda Stanley & reps from WA communities
* Event Poster: Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia, facebook: "We would like to confirm that that 2nd National Call of Action will be held Friday 1st May 2015."
* Facebook: Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia: https://www.facebook.com/sosblakaustralia

* WGAR Background: Plans to close Aboriginal homelands / remote communities in WA and SA
* WGAR Background: Aboriginal Peoples and the impact of the Federal Budget

WGAR News Public Google Group: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/wgar-news
WGAR News - Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

- Analysis / Opinion

Daily Mail Australia: 'The first thing that strikes me about Australia is how racist this place is': Writer claims our treatment of Aborigines is WORSE than apartheid South Africa
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3041199/The-thing-strikes-Austra...
17 Apr 15: "* Writer Sisonke Msimang said Australians are being racist by denying there are no differences between races
* Msimang slammed Tony Abbott for cutting funds to remote communities
* Many of these communities comprise Indigenous Australians
* She compared treatment of Aboriginal people to South Africa's apartheid
* She thinks Australians need to recognise and celebrate difference rather than deny its existence. ... " By Belinda Grant Geary for Daily Mail Australia

- Analysis / Opinion

Africa is a Country: Is There a Place Where White People Are More Committed to Faux Race Blindness than South Africa?
http://africasacountry.com/tony-abbott-is-the-face-of-monoculturalism-in...
9 Apr 15: "The first thing that strikes you when you arrive in Australia is how racist this place is, and yet how committed many Australians are to not talking about race. As a South African I recognize this purposeful, focussed commitment to faux race blindness. Even as someone slags off Aboriginal people and immigrants, and rants about the need to "reclaim Australia," many here will insist that they are not racist. ... " Sisonke Msimang, a writer who probably tweets too much

- News Analysis

New Matilda: Maori Leader Brands Tony Abbott A 'Racist B*stard' Over Remote Closure Plans
https://newmatilda.com/2015/04/21/maori-leader-brands-tony-abbott-racist...
21 Apr 15: "He slammed John Howard over the Northern Territory intervention, and now prominent leader Hone Harawira has turned his attention to Abbott. Amy McQuire reports. The leader of one of New Zealand’s two Maori political parties has savaged Prime Minister Tony Abbott as a "racist b*stard" for his support for the closure of up to 150 remote Aboriginal communities, stating that the plans fit the international definition of genocide. Mana Movement leader Hone Harawira, ... " By Amy McQuire, a Darumbul woman from central Queensland. Amy is a senior reporter with New Matilda. She is the former editor of the National Indigenous Times and Tracker.

Amy McQuire - New Matilda
https://newmatilda.com/users/amy-mcquire

- News Analysis

Radio New Zealand News: Harawira has message for Australian PM
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/271715/harawira-has-message...
21 Apr 15: "The Mana Movement leader Hone Harawira is accusing the Australian Prime Minister of ignoring the plight of remote indigenous communities in Western Australia. ... He also said he had a blunt message for Mr Abbott: "My message is the same message that I gave to John Howard back when he introduced the Northern Territory intervention ... that this closure of remote communities signals that Tony Abbott is also a racist b*stard [for] imposing policies on a people who don't have the wherewithal to fight back". ... " Eru Rerekura, Te Manu Korihi

- Media Release

Maori Party letter to the Australian Prime Minister
Scoop News: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1504/S00244/maori-party-letter-to-the-a...  
Sovereign Union facebook: https://www.facebook.com/340478969357448/photos/a.389414821130529.88692....
20 Apr 15: "Tena koe Hon Tony Abbott,
We write to you to voice our condemnation at the forced closure of Aboriginal communities in Australia as a result of your government’s policies. We ask that your government honour its obligations to Australia’s First Peoples. ...
Recently Australia entered a new era in indigenous relations with the 2009 signing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) receiving appropriate praises. ...
The General Assembly of the United Nations recognised in the UNDRIP "the urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights of indigenous peoples which derive from their political, economic and social structures and from their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories and philosophies, especially their rights to their lands, territories and resources".
Article 8 of the UNDRIP declares "indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to force assimilation or destruction of their culture". It says the State should prevent and compensate indigenous peoples from "any form of forced population transfer which has the aim or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights". ...
Maori Party Co-leaders, Hon Te Ururoa Flavell & Marama Fox"

- Video

Te Karere TVNZ, YouTube: Maori Party calls out Australian PM on treatment of Aboriginal people
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqT8AqyobCI
19 Apr 15: "The Maori Party has penned an open letter to the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott opposing the discrimination of the indigenous people of Australia."

- News Analysis

New Zealand Herald: Maori Party issues scathing letter to Tony Abbott regarding treatment of Aboriginal people
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11435557
20 Apr 15: "The Maori Party coleaders have used the visit of Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott to criticise his treatment of Aboriginal people, releasing a scathing open letter about the decision to close 150 Aboriginal communities in Australia. The Maori Party's letter coincides with Mr Abbott's visit to New Zealand for the dedication of the Australian War Memorial in Wellington. The Maori Party are Government support partners. In their letter, co-leaders Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox called for Mr Abbott to reinstate Federal funding for those communities and commit to "basic human rights."" Claire Trevett, the New Zealand Herald’s deputy political editor

Biography
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/claire-trevett/news/headlines.cfm?a_id=74
"Claire Trevett is the New Zealand Herald’s deputy political editor and joined the Press Gallery in 2007. She began with the Herald in 2003 as the Northland reporter before moving to Auckland where her rounds included education and media. A graduate of AUT's post-graduate diploma in journalism, ... "

- News

ABC News: New Zealand Maori Party condemns potential closure of Aboriginal communities in open letter to Tony Abbott
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-20/maori-party-condemns-closure-of-ab...
20 Apr 15: " ... The Maori Party's co-leaders Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox penned the letter, condemning the prospect of shutting communities. "Mr Abbott, your Government's actions constitute a return to the flawed policies of the past and will result in the loss of basic human rights such as access to clean water and the right to chose where to live," the letter states. "The Maori Party shares the pain of Australia's first peoples who face losing their connection to their ancestral land and the destruction of their communities as a result of government actions. ... " By political reporter Dan Conifer. Dan started with ABC Radio in 2009 during his first year of study at the University of Technology, Sydney. He worked with ABC Grandstand, NewsRadio, Local Radio and Radio National, before joining ABC News in 2013 as a cadet. ... Dan has also worked with SBS and NITV.

- News Analysis & Video

Maori Television: Opposition groups enraged ahead of Abbotts arrival to NZ
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/opposition-groups-enraged-a...
18 Apr 15: "The Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is due to arrive in NZ tomorrow but his reception may not be a cordial one. A burning issue escalated among many worldwide following the Australian government announcement to force the closure of 150 small Aboriginal communities. Opposition groups gathered in Auckland today for a day of entertainment to show support and collect funds. Guest speaker Marama Davidson is encouraging Maori to speak out against the outrageous act. ... " By Numia Ponika-Rangi

Numia Ponika-Rangi - Maori Television
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/reporters/numia-ponika-rangi
" ... In 1990, I started work at Aotearoa Radio in Auckland and went on to work at Mana Magazine, Mana Media, Aotearoa Television and eventually Maori Television; these are Maori media organisations that take news to the world and operate with a Maori world view. The most important thing to me is that our language is used correctly and that Maori issues are reported in the right way. This is why I believe Maori should report Maori stories and issues."

- News Analysis & Video

Maori Television: Native Affairs - End Of The Dreamtime
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/native-affairs-end-dreamtime
20 Apr 15: " ... The 274 out-stations were set up in the 1960's to encourage indigenous Australians back to their lands. Just like other communities the state provided water and power, health services and schools. But unlike any other Australian community the Aboriginal ones now face closure. Reporter Rewa Harriman travelled to the remote communities of Western Australia to meet the people fighting to keep their way of life." By Rewa Harriman

Rewa Harriman - Maori Television
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/reporters/rewa-harriman
" ... After 7 years on the circuit and travelling to over 30 countries, she decided she was ready for the challenge of learning te reo Maori. She spent two years under Te Ataarangi which lead to her first job in Maori journalism at Radio Waatea in 2004. Rewa joined Te Kaea in 2010, firstly as a general reporter, ... "

- Latest News & Videos

Australia - Maori Television:
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/latest-news/australia
"Maori Television reports on the current situation affecting Indigenous Aboriginal communities in Western Australia, and other relevant stories of our Maori people residing in Australia."

Indigenous - Maori Television:
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/latest-news/indigenous
"Stories of signifficance from around the world that relate to and impact the Indigenous people."

- Statement

Green Left: New NT group says fund and support self-determination for Aboriginal communities
https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/58765
17 Apr 15: "Community Solidarity Action is calling on organisations and individuals to sign on to a statement opposing the closures and cuts. The sign-on statement is reprinted below. ***
... The Australian government’s failure to recognise the centrality of Aboriginal land and culture to community wellbeing poses the threat of a new wave of dispossession. The planned closures will lead to worsening crises in Indigenous health, homelessness, incarceration and child removal and breach international human rights conventions that Australia is signatory to. ...
Additional budget cuts of more than $500 million to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community services through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) were also announced, coming after much public outcry regarding the inconsistency, uncertainty and lack of transparency and accountability in the funding allocation processes. ...
The signatories to this statement call on the federal government to:
* Denounce Premier Colin Barnett’s forced closure of 150 remote Western Australian Aboriginal Communities
* Restore all Federal funding for remote Western Australian communities
* Reverse all cuts in funding to services supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, including those announced through the IAS
* Commit to long-term and transparent funding arrangements that support self-determining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities"

- Audio

NIRS: Community closures threaten spiritual identity: KALACC
http://www.nirs.org.au/NEWS/Community-closures-threaten-spiritual-identi...
20 Apr 15: "The Chair of the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC) says remote community closures in Western Australia are a threat to peoples' spiritual connection to their land. Miriuwung Gajerrong woman Merle Carter is calling on the state Government not to go ahead with defunding services to around 150 homelands. ... " Warren Barnsley

- Upcoming Event

1 May 2015, Rally at Belmore Park, Sydney - National Day of Action: Speakers: Aunty Jenny Munro, John Pilger, Gwenda Stanley & reps from WA communities
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/stoptheintervention_announce/jRG...

- Event Poster

Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia, facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sosblakaustralia/photos/a.1042299689120174.1073...
24 Mar 15: "We would like to confirm that that 2nd National Call of Action will be held Friday 1st May 2015. Actions will begin at 10am in the Kimberley but there will be other times for other states behind this and we will promote the information specific to the locations when confirmed. Any communities wishing to organise an action on this day, please contact us so that we can support you and provide resources."

- Facebook

Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia
https://www.facebook.com/sosblakaustralia

- Background

WGAR Background: Plans to close Aboriginal homelands / remote communities in WA and SA
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/12/08/background-plans-to-close-aboriginal...
(last updated: 18 April 2015)

- Background

WGAR Background: Aboriginal Peoples and the impact of the Federal Budget
https://indymedia.org.au/2014/12/24/wgar-background-aboriginal-peoples-a...
(last updated: 3 April 2015)

- - -

WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)

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'WGAR News' monitors the media, including alternative media, focusing on:

* The Freedom Summit's National Freedom Movement;
* the Australian Federal government intervention into Northern Territory (NT) Aboriginal communities;
* Plans to close Aboriginal homelands / remote communities in Western Australia (WA) and South Australia (SA);
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* Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal Deaths in Custody;
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* Suicide and self-harm in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities;
* Removal of Aboriginal children and the continuing Stolen Generation;
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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)