Newsletter date: 12 August 2011
Contents:
* Amnesty International Australia: Aboriginal Peoples' right to homelands in the NT
* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA: ABORIGINAL PEOPLES' RIGHT TO HOMELANDS IN THE NT:
- Amnesty Report
Amnesty International Australia: Our report: Aboriginal Peoples' right to homelands
http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/comments/26216
9 Aug 11: "For over three years we partnered with the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr communities of Utopia homelands to develop our report. "'The land holds us:' Aboriginal Peoples' right to traditional homelands in the Northern Territory."
Our report highlights the way specific policies on homelands in the Northern Territory undermine the rights of Aboriginal communities, including:
* All Indigenous peoples have the fundamental human right to their traditional lands. ...
* This report documents the efforts of the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr Peoples of the Utopia homelands in Central Australia to live a healthy life on their homelands, ...
* These policy initiatives fall below international human rights standards, in particular the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. ... "
[Click on the above link to expand on these points and read many more points made.]
[You can also download the executive summary of the report or the full report from this web-page: http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/comments/26216 ]
- Amnesty News
Amnesty International Australia: Amnesty International warns against government return to assimilation era
http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/26426/
9 Aug 11: "Starving Aboriginal communities of essential services will effectively force families to abandon their traditional land and move into larger towns and cities.
Amnesty International accuses the federal and Northern Territory governments of policies that echo Australia’s failed assimilation era by stripping traditional Indigenous communities - 'homelands' - of funds.
The criticisms are made in a new Amnesty International research report ‘The land holds us’: Aboriginal peoples’ rights to traditional homelands in the Northern Territory released in Canberra today."
Amnesty International: Traditional Indigenous communities abandoned by government in Australia
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/traditional-indigenous-commun...
8 Aug 11: "Starved of essential services, Aboriginal people living in traditional Indigenous communities in Australia’s Northern Territory will effectively be forced to abandon their homelands and move into larger towns.
The warning is made in a new Amnesty International research report, "The land holds us": Aboriginal peoples' rights to traditional homelands released today.
The report documents how Aboriginal peoples’ rights to traditional lands, culture, informed consent and adequate housing are being undermined in Australia."
- Amnesty Slideshow
Amnesty International Australia: Homelands in pictures
http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/comments/26211/
- Amnesty Video
Amnesty International Australia: Video: I am my homelands
http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/comments/26073/
- Amnesty Stories
Amnesty International Australia: Meet the people living in homelands communities
http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/comments/26139
- Amnesty Homelands index page
Amnesty International Australia: Homelands
http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/homelands/
"* Video: There’s no place like homelands
* What are homelands?
* Meet the people of Utopia homelands
* A message from Rosalie, Alyawarr/Anmatyerr elder
* Our report: Aboriginal Peoples’ right to homelands
* 5 facts about homelands"
- Edited extract of forward from Amnesty Report
ABC Indigenous - Your Voice: The land holds us
By Rosalie Kunoth-Monks
http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/stories/s3289166.htm
9 Aug 11: "I can look back over 70 years on this part of the land. There was a richness of the relationships between people so you felt never alone. You felt secure, you felt you belonged. You also felt, from an early age, your responsibility, not only to the flora and fauna but to the song lines which tied you to the land. The land, we always said pmerel atnyenem, we never said pmer nhenh tha atnyenem. That means, country owns or holds you, not you holding the country and becoming master of the land. The land was your mother, your father and everything else. ... " Rosalie Kunoth-Monks
"Rosalie Kunoth-Monks, an Alyawarr/Anmatyerr elder, is from the Utopia homelands in NT."
- Video
SBS: Indigenous extinction warning
http://player.sbs.com.au/naca/#/naca/wna/Latest/playlist/Indigenous-exti...
"Amnesty International warns small Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory are heading for extinction."
- Media Releases
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation:
ANTaR backs calls to support homeland communities
http://www.antar.org.au/antar_backs_calls_to_support_homeland_communities
9 Aug 11: "ANTaR supports Amnesty International Australia’s call for governments to support the right of Aboriginal people to live on their traditional homelands.
"Recent funding changes affecting remote community housing, infrastructure and services pose a serious threat to the viability of Aboriginal homelands communities and outstations in the Northern Territory," said Jacqueline Phillips, ANTaR National Director.
"As a result of recent reforms, funding for remote service delivery is directed to larger communities while leaving smaller communities out in the cold. This is despite the proven health benefits of living on homelands."
In particular, homeland communities will no longer receive any funding for new housing and only very limited funding for housing maintenance. This is despite severe overcrowding and a backlog of housing need."
'concerned Australians': Homelands Report Drowning In Commonwealth Government Family’s Hidden Agendas
http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=art...
9 Aug 11: "Is it a coincidence the Government Strategic Review of Indigenous Expenditure is brought into the public forum just two days before the launching of Amnesty’s Homeland Report?
The Amnesty report gives focus to the wishes of Northern Territory Aboriginal people, that homelands be recognised as places where the people are able to live their traditional lives on their own estates, where they can fulfill their ceremonial duties, care for their land and protect their culture, language and law.
These rights are recognised in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which was given formal support by Australia in 2009. ...
The Amnesty Report and its recommendations must be given full consideration."
Rachel Siewert: Greens vow to fight for indigenous communities as second report highlights policy failures
http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/greens-vow-...
9 Aug 11: "The Australian Greens have vowed to continue fighting for Aboriginal communities after an Amnesty International report condemned the Federal Government’s abandonment of remote communities in the NT in favour of 'growth towns'.
The Amnesty report comes just one day after another highly critical report revealed the expensive gap between policy intent and implementation.
"I welcome the spotlight being returned to examine the state of Aboriginal housing, health, education and disadvantage in this country," Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens Spokesperson for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Issues said today."
- Audio
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
CAAMA Radio News
http://caama.com.au/caama-radio-news-2
10 Aug 11: "An Amnesty International report which is critical of both the NT and Federal Governments for a reduction of services to Aboriginal homelands in the Northern Territory will be presented at a gathering of 157 nations later this week."
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
CAAMA Radio News 09-08-2011
http://caama.com.au/caama-radio-news-09-08-2011
9 Aug 11: "* Amnesty International accuses Territory and Federal Governments of return to failed assimilation policies.
* Federal Government spending on programs for Aboriginal people has been wasted and past attempts to fix Indigenous disadvantage have clearly failed according to an internal review prepared for Cabinet by the Finance Department.
* Top end senior elder Rev. Dr. Djiniyini Gondarra OAM, has challenged a suggestion contained in the report that future funding for the homelands should be reviewed."
The Wire: Amnesty says Indigenous "hub towns" in the Northern Territory won't work
[scroll down page] http://www.thewire.org.au/daydetail.aspx?SearchDay=2011-08-09
9 Aug 11: "A few years ago, the Northern Territory Government said they would invest in the twenty one of the biggest indigenous communities across the territory, building houses and infrastructure and using those towns to provide help to even more remote communities. Amnesty International has today slammed this policy in a report, saying that developing bigger "hub towns" is driving indigenous people away from their traditional lands, and has disastrous effects on Aboriginal communities in the Territory."
ABC AM: Amnesty report: Hands off our homelands
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3288637.htm
9 Aug 11: "In recent weeks AM reported on an appeal from the Northern Territory Government to the Commonwealth to support hundreds of Aboriginal outstations that are home to about 20,000 people. So far, the Federal Government has refused to continue funding the homelands. With the help of one of Australia's first Aboriginal movie stars [Rosalie Kunoth-Monks], Amnesty International today is launching a report backing the argument that homelands are the safest and healthiest places for Aboriginal people to live."
[Includes comments by Rosalie Kunoth-Monks.]
- News
Age: Film star turned politician blasts intervention
http://www.theage.com.au/national/film-star-turned-politician-blasts-int...
10 Aug 11: "FORMER film star now local politician Rosalie Kunoth-Monks, says the Northern Territory intervention is a ''huge violation of human rights'' that has seen indigenous people driven off their traditional lands and onto reservations like American Indians. ... In Canberra yesterday for the release of an Amnesty International report advocating indigenous people's rights to remain on their homelands, Ms Kunoth-Monks said she had been fortunate enough to retain her language despite having a mainstream education in the 1950s."
National Indigenous Radio Service: Support small communities: ANTaR
http://www.nirs.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6109...
10 Aug 11: "Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) is supporting Amnesty International Australia's calls for governments to support the right of Aboriginal people to live in their traditional homelands. ANTaR National Director Jacqueline Phillips says recent funding changes affecting remote community housing, infrastructure and services pose a serious threat to the viability of Aboriginal homelands. Ms Phillips says as a result of recent reforms, funding for remote service delivery is directed to larger communities while leaving smaller communities out in the cold."
Haveeru: Aborigines being driven off homelands: Amnesty
http://www.haveeru.com.mv/english/details/37593
9 Aug 11: "Australia's Aborigines are being forced off their traditional land because of government policy, despite the fact they would live longer if they stayed put, Amnesty International claimed Tuesday. The human rights organisation studied small groups in the central desert region and found those choosing to live on their ancestral lands were effectively denied services such as public housing due to a government emphasis on bigger towns."
Age: Amnesty condemns Aboriginal policy
http://www.theage.com.au/national/amnesty-condemns-aboriginal-policy-201...
9 Aug 11: "GOVERNMENT policies are driving Aborigines from the homelands where they stand the best chance of healthy fulfilling lives, a deeply critical report has found. Two days after the release of a scathing internal government report, which found spending on indigenous projects ''has yielded dismally poor returns to date'', Amnesty International has found the policies of the Gillard and Northern Territory governments ''fall below international human rights standards''." Tim Lester and Richard Willingham, Canberra
9 News: NT Aborigines driven out of homelands
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8282920/nt-aborigines-driven-out-of-...
9 Aug 11: "Northern Territory Aborigines are being driven off their traditional homelands and herded into "hub towns" where the federal and NT governments are splashing out cash for resources and services, Amnesty International claims. The human rights organisation has profiled the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr people of the Central Australian homeland communities of Utopia. ... In its report to be released on Tuesday, Amnesty International slams the federal and NT Government's Closing the Gap policy that concentrates investment into 21 of the largest settlements." Lisa Martin
- Related Audio
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
CAAMA Radio News 11-08-11
http://caama.com.au/caama-radio-news-11-08-11
11 Aug 11: "The Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin says the Gillard Labor Government is making an effort to support remote Aboriginal homelands and outstations through its working on country program."
ABC AM: Macklin says Goverment is supportive of Aboriginal homelands
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3290084.htm
10 Aug 11: "The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, says the Federal Government is making an effort to support remote Aboriginal homelands and outstations. Her comments come as Amnesty International accuses the Territory and Federal governments of starving the communities of funds. The head of the Northern Land Council says governments have underestimated both the importance and the value of the homelands. ... The CEO of the Northern Land Council, Kim Hill, says there are plenty of good reasons to support the homelands."
[Includes comments by Kim Hill and Jenny Macklin.]
- Related News
ABC: NT outstation residents 'healthier, happier'
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-10/nt-outstation-people-healthier2c-h...
10 Aug 11: "The Northern Land Council says the Federal Government should heed reports that show Aboriginal people living on outstations are healthier and happier than those living in communities and towns. Funding for remote outstations in the Northern Territory runs out next year and the money will be funnelled towards developing essential services in 20 towns. The land council's CEO, Kim Hill, says the evidence is staring the Government in the face."
ABC: Remote communities labelled hellholes
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-09/nt-opposition-scathing-of-remote-a...
9 Aug 11: "The Northern Territory Opposition has labelled some remote Aboriginal communities as "disgraceful hellholes", despite the high level of Federal and Territory investment. ... The Federal and Territory governments are set to stop funding remote outstations when the intervention ends next year, choosing instead to direct money to 21 of the biggest communities. But Amnesty International, which has recently joined a campaign to boost funding for Aboriginal people in remote communities, says there are more Aborigines living on remote outstations than those in the targeted communities."
- Related Analysis / Opinion
Alice Springs News: Amnesty’s Utopia report full of omissions and misrepresentations
http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/2011/08/09/amnestys-unhelpful-report-...
9 Aug 11: "Today human rights organisation Amnesty International released what it calls a research report, focussed on the changes in government policy, particularly since the NT Intervention, that have affected the Utopia homelands. These are 16 small Aboriginal settlements dispersed across 3500 square kilometres either side of the mostly dry Sandover River, to the north-weast of Alice Springs. The central thrust of the report, titled The Lands Hold Us, is that government policy with respect to housing is denying the people of the homelands ... the right to their traditional lands." Kieran Finnane
* BACKGROUND TO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY (NT) INTERVENTION:
Creative Spirits: Northern Territory Emergence Response (NTER) - "The Intervention": http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/politics/northern-terr...
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Northern Territory National Emergency Response: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Territory_intervention
CAAMA (Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association) - NT Intervention: http://caama.com.au/?s=NT+Intervention
STICS (Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney): http://stoptheintervention.org/
The Greens: Rachel Siewert: Northern Territory Intervention: http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/category/issues/indigenous-rights...
Treaty Republic - NT Intervention: http://treatyrepublic.net/search/node/NT%20Intervention
ANTaR (Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation) - NT intervention: http://www.antar.org.au/issues_and_campaigns/nt_intervention
New Matilda - northern territory intervention: http://newmatilda.com/tag/northern-territory-intervention
IRAG (Intervention Rollback Action Group): Mparntwe - Alice Springs: http://rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com/
'concerned Australians': Without Justice there can be no Reconciliation: http://www.concernedaustralians.com.au/
Crikey - NT Intervention: http://www.crikey.com.au/topic/nt-intervention/
Jobs with Justice: http://jobswithjustice.wordpress.com/
MAIC (Melbourne Anti-Intervention Collective): http://maicollective.blogspot.com/
Amnesty International Australia: Looking back at the Northern Territory Intervention: http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights/comments/24460/
Students For Indigenous Rights - UQ: The Northern Territory Intervention: http://uqsir.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/stir-uq-intervention-intro-fact...
Defending Indigenous Rights: http://defendingindigenousrights.wordpress.com/
Intervention walk-off's Blog: http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com/
Australian Human Rights Commission: Northern Territory ‘Emergency Response' intervention: http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/intervention/index.html
FAIRA; Human Rights Law Resource Centre; NACLC: Australia's compliance with CERD - Fact Sheet 2: Northern Territory Intervention: http://www.hrlrc.org.au/files/Fact-Sheet-2-NT-Intervention.pdf
Green Left: Northern Territory intervention: myths and facts: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/39732
WGAR (Working Group for Aboriginal Rights): http://wgar.wordpress.com/
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