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Elsie Heiss - Female Elder of the Year!
Our congratulations to NATSIEC Commissioner Elsie Heiss who was recently awarded the
2009 NAIDOC Elder of the Year (female) award. Elsie has been a tireless advocate for many years and it is wonderful to see that she has been recognised for all that she contributes. Congratulations Elsie from us all.
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MIPH is an initiative of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC) which is a commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA). |
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UN's Special Rapporteur visits Australia
The United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous people, James Anaya, has just wrapped up a visit to Australia. During the twelve-day mission, the Special Rapporteur travelled to Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Alice Springs, Darwin, Groote Eylandt, Cairns, Sydney, and Brisbane to hold discussions with government representatives, Indigenous communities and civil society groups on the human rights of Indigenous peoples. The purpose of the visit was to "investigate and report on the major challenges faced by Indigenous peoples of the country in the enjoyment of their human rights, with a view toward contributing to steps to address those problems, as well as to identify good practices".
Last Thursday, Professor Anaya made a statement about his findings. He commented on many areas of concern. In particular, he was impressed with the strength, resilience and vision of Indigenous communities despite "the hands of historical forces and entrenched racism". Professor Anaya expressed concern that the Intervention, as it currently stands, is discriminatory and contravenes Australia's obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Sadly, both the Government and the Opposition condemned the Special Rapporteur's comments and have called for it to be ignored. Go to the ABC's PM program to listen or read a transcript of the Government's repsonse NATSIEC made a written submission to the Special Rapporteur raising our concerns about the NT Intervention. We also released a statement supporting Anaya's findings. Both these statements can be downloaded from our website. |
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The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
"The Declaration offers the Government a very real opportunity to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in a very different way," this is the message that Graeme Mundine was keen to give at a recent conference held by the United Nation's Association of Australia, QLD. According to Graeme, the Declaration is a constructive framework to guide us in the process of re-negotiating relationships. Download the full speech. |
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Reports, Reports and more Reports!
Since our last email there have been several reports released, two significant ones are:
- Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2009. This report produced by the Productivity Commission for COAG is a regular report on the progress of Australian Governmentsin achieving their goal to overcome Indigenous Disadvantage.
- Senate Select Committe on Regional and Reote Indigenous Communities released a report in June. This report is very useful as it gives a comprehensive overview of significant policies announced in 2008 and 2009. This report also looks at some of the data collection issues experienced in compiling statistics which accurately reflect the situation for Indigenous people. The report also examines the NT Intervention in detail. The report is available at Regional and Remote Indigenous Communities June 2009 report
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From the news wire...
A NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE BODY FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS (FED)
The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, welcomed the release of a report on a national representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The proposed model sets a high benchmark for strong, responsible and strategic leadership. It supports gender equality, youth leadership and upholding the highest ethical principles for public office holders. It has been developed through a detailed consultation process led and driven by Indigenous people. http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/repbody/
28th August 2009 - DRAFT INDIGENOUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (NT)
Regional Development Minister Karl Hampton invited the public to comment on the Territory Government's new draft Indigenous Economic Development Strategy. Growing the Territory means developing our regions and to do this we must grow Indigenous employment, business participation, ownership and wealth, Mr Hampton said. This strategy will contribute to closing the economic gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Territorians and provide Indigenous Territorians with opportunities to contribute to and benefit from our growing economy. http://www.nt.gov.au/d/regional/index.cfm?header=Indigenous%20Economic%20Development%20Strategy31st August 2009 - GETTING INDIGENOUS YOUTH OUT OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM (FED)
With Indigenous young people now 28 times more likely to be detained in custody than their non-Indigenous counterparts, a national conference focusing on the issue was opened in Sydney by Attorney-General Robert McClelland. The Indigenous young people, crime and justice conference will be hosted by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) in partnership with the NSW Commission for Children and Young People, the NSW Department of Justice and Attorney General and the Australian Human Rights Commission. Mr McClelland said the AIC's latest report on juveniles in detention had identified the overrepresentation of Indigenous young people in the criminal justice system as one of Australia's most significant social problems. www.aic.gov.au. Thursday, 13 August 2009 Alcohol restrictions working.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, welcome Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin's support for the women in Laverton, Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, who have been tirelessly advocating for alcohol restrictions in order to improve the health of their communities and address the associated levels of violence. "Compared to imposed solutions, it is likely that community-driven, community-owned solutions will be better supported by the local communities, and therefore have a greater chance at success," Commissioner Broderick said. "Government therefore has a very important part to play in their success, and that role is simply, supporting these innovative initiatives." Thursday, 13 August 2009 - NATIVE TITLE and WA
Claims by the West Australian Government that native title legislation will 'block' it from building new houses were false and misleading, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said today. Commissioner Calma said he was disappointed to read in today's media that the WA Government was blaming native title for holding up housing under the $496 million funding agreement with the federal government. "The Native Title Act does not block the building of homes for anyone - Indigenous or non-Indigenous," Commissioner Calma said. Acknowledgement: We would like to thank TEAR Australia for their free subscription to their news service. http://www.tear.org.au/ | |
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2009 Martung Upah Appeal
 The Make Indigenous Poverty History Campaign is an initiative of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC). Other projects run by NATSIEC include the Indigenous Theology project and a development fund.
NATSIEC receives significant funding from Act of Peace and the Uniting Church (NSW) 2% fund, however the rest of our funding comes from donations by Churches and Individuals to its annual appeal Martung Upah*.
By supporting the Martung Upah appeal you are joining us in a partnership to engage Churches and the wider community in fostering a deeper understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Together we can work towards healing the hurts of the past and building a better tomorrow for all our children so that injustice and discrimination will not be part of Australia's future.
We thank you for your support.
To download go to the Martung Upah Appeal webpage and to make an online donation click here.
* Martung Upah is from Western Australia and means partnership.
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