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This is the newsletter 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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Changes to the NTER
NATSIEC has created a space on its website to identify key documents and relevant links to sources of information relating to the recently introduced leglislation. We will update it as necessary.
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Quick Links...
To see an online version of this newsletter and archived copies of previous newsletters
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Special Rapporteur Releases Observations on the NTER
Professor James Anaya, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous people, recently released his report following his visit to Australia last year. While Professor Anaya commends the Government for its commitment to addressing problems in the Northern Territory, he also is highly critical of the NTER. Anaya says that "Aspects of the NTER as currently configured are racially discriminatory and incompatible with Australia's international human rights obligations". Following a response from the Government and recognising the legislation currently before Parliament Anaya says in relation to the success or otherwise of the NTER special measures "The question is not simply whether the NTER measures are yielding results; but whether the discriminatory, rights-impairing aspects of the measures are themselves proportional and necessary to the results. The Special Rapporteur reaffirms his assessment that the evidence in this regard is ambiguous as best".
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Christ and Culture Conference Proceedings
In 2009, NATSIEC held the second Christ and Culture Conference in Ballina, NSW. The conference was an exploration of Indigenous theology; what it is and the unique contribution Indigenous spirituality makes to an Australian theology. Other sessions included: looking at the experience of 100 years of mission in Australia: examining what the Community of Church of the future would look like; the importance of story telling; and how we bring Indigenous culture into our ministry. Also discussed was how to strengthen our networks and work better together.
With International theologians, Dr Wati Longchar and Dr Limatula Logkumer, adding their voice to local theologians such as Evelyn Parkin this collection of papers, and presentations is a valuable addition to the body of knowledge on Indigenous theology and spirituality. Other contributors were renowned futurist Prof. Tony Stephenson, Bishop Greg Thompson and Pastor Harry Walker. Revd. Colleen Mamarika, Revd. Dr. Joy Sandefur and Ms. Tahnia Mossman also talked about their own experiences and perspectives from the field. Finally, the voices of each and every participant are woven throughout the publication through the inclusion of their thoughts arising out of the workshops.
Many of the sessions were recorded and are included on an accompanying CD - in MP3 format.
Copies of these conference proceedings can be purchased from NATSIEC - click here Christ and Culture Proceedings.
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Week of Prayer for Reconciliation and Sorry Day
Sorry Day and Week of Prayer for Reconciliation 2010 is on from Wednesday May 26th to Thursday June 3rd 2010. NATSIEC has prepared daily prayers and reflections to support activities during this week. Available now from our website - click here. |
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Illuminations
Illuminations is an occasional paper from Mungoddor Bi Buya, a theology project of NATSIEC. This edition is on healing and follows a Munguddor Bi Buya retreat NATSIEC held last year. The contributors are Revd. Colleen Mamarika, Bishop Saibo Mabo and Ms Betty Pike. Download Illuminations.
You can also watch vidoes of some of the contributors to this edition of Illumination on Youtube - clck on the names below.
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This Is What We Said - New Book from concerned Australians
'concerned Australians', an informal group has produced a book that gives voice to what many Aboriginal people feel about the NT Intervention. The 'concerned Australians' group is supported by a broad group of churches, social justice groups and individuals across the country who care about human rights.
The book is entitled, "This Is What We Said". It is based on video footage of Government consultations in 3 Aboriginal communities, community regional reports and 5 government regional reports from the same consultative process.
Editor, Michele Harris OAM, said, "The new legislation recently tabled in Parliament leads us to believe that the majority of Aboriginal people have not been heard by Government. They have been ignored."
Michele Harris said that an earlier "concerned Australians" report, "Will They Be Heard", concluded the consultation process had been flawed. This report was launched by former Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser in November last year.
"It found that many Aboriginal people were not supportive of numerous aspects of the Intervention and that some measures were far from understood."
"This means that current Government efforts to re-instate the suspended Racial Discrimination Act are not based on information that takes into account the wishes of many Aboriginal people nor does it respect their rights to self-determination.".
"Rather than empower, this legislation continues the paternalistic and failed approaches of the past. Major amendments will be required if the legislation is to reflect the intent of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to which Australia has given its formal support."
"This is What We Said" can be bought from concerned Australians via Social Policy Connections. This Is What We Said
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Ecodebt - A video from the World Council of Churches
Ecodebt is a video produced by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and explores the ecological debt that the Global North owes to the Global South. This is related to the WCC project Alternative Globalisation addressing Peoples and Earth (AGAPE). For further details click here.
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From the news wire...
8th March - FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING WELLBEING: ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES, 2010 (FED)
This publication describes a framework developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in conjunction with stakeholders, to measure the wellbeing of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The framework attempts to provide a holistic approach to the mapping of statistics about the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. It is presented as a broad level document, balanced across selected themes or 'domains'. It will be used to guide the development of ABS Indigenous statistics, by providing an organisational structure to aid the identification of data gaps and areas for statistical improvements. It will also provide a useful structure for ABS reporting and analysis of Indigenous wellbeing.
The publication is available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4703.0?OpenDocument
5th March - $10.7 MILLION TO COMBAT INDIGENOUS SMOKING (FED)
The Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, announced 14 sites across the country will benefit from a $10.7 million funding round to promote innovative anti-tobacco campaigns and prevention strategies. The Australian Government's Indigenous Tobacco Control Initiative aims to reduce smoking rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in urban, regional and remote areas. Half of Indigenous adults are smokers, and the rate of smoking in the Indigenous population is about twice the rate of the non-Indigenous population. That needs to change, Mr Snowdon said. These projects are based on innovative and cultural-appropriate, community-based approaches. They are also in areas which have higher than average smoking rates, he said.
3rd March - INDIGENOUS EDUCATION (TARGETED ASSISTANCE) AMENDMENT BILL 2010 (FED)
The Parliamentary Library released a Bills Digest examining the legislation to increase appropriations for non-ABSTUDY payments by $10.93 million over three overlapping eighteenth-month periods from 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2013. This additional appropriation is the result of a 2009-10 budget measure which provided additional funding of $10 million over four years for the Sporting Chance Program.
The publication is available at:
26/2/10 - 'Stop dumping on Aboriginal Rights', say anti-Intervention campaigners
The Intervention Rollback Action Group in Alice Springs today said that the imposition of a nuclear dump on NT Aboriginal Land is yet another clear breach of ALP election commitments and demonstrates contempt for Aboriginal rights.
IRAG says that Intervention policies, which only resource communities deemed 'viable' by government, are exacerbating pressure on Aboriginal people to give up their land for destructive projects like the nuclear dump.
"Federal Labor's new National Radioactive Waste Management Act is almost identical to Howard's racist dump laws. It continues to override the NT Land Rights Act and Aboriginal Heritage protections.
Any site selection will extinguish Native Title", said Paddy Gibson from the Intervention Rollback Action Group.
"This continues the Rudd government's shocking record of broken promises to Aboriginal people. With the Intervention, Minister Jenny Macklin promised to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA). But her legislation before the Senate gives no room to challenge core Intervention powers using the RDA".
"This new legislation has a heavy emphasis on procedures for NT Land Councils to nominate dump sites. It's clear that if the nomination for Muckaty station is defeated, the government will move on to target other increasingly desperate communities in the NT," concluded Mr Gibson
"Our people in remote areas are being starved of resources through the Intervention and the NT government's 'hub towns' policy. They are coming in as refugees to Alice Springs. The Intervention housing program (SIHIP) will build no new houses for most communities and won't even upgrade existing housing to public housing standards. Now Labor is continuing Howard's policy- saying communities can get access to $12 million for basic infrastructure like housing and roads, only if they accept a nuclear waste dump", said Barbara Shaw from the Intervention Rollback Action Group.
"Labor's platform is clear in its support for Land Rights. But with the Intervention and now this dump they just override the Land Rights Act, take over and devastate our communities and our country. No other group of people in Australia would be treated this way. The Ministers sitting in Canberra are not the ones who are going to be poisoned by this. Their kids are not the ones who are going to get cancer. They have no idea how we still live off our land," continued Ms Shaw.
"Article 29 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Labor says they support, clearly prohibits the imposition of toxic waste onto Indigenous land without consent. I know my family and many others from that country are fighting hard against this. We as Aboriginal people intend to enforce our rights."
"I ask our Health Minister and local member Warren Snowden - how is putting poison into Aboriginal Land going to Close the Gap? We are joining a protest at Minister Snowden's office today at 12pm organised in support of the Warlmanpa and Warumungu people targeted by this dump. We will continue to fight for housing, jobs and land rights not nuclear dump sites!" concluded Barbara Shaw.
25th February - DISCRIMINATION WILL CONTINUE IN NT (FED)
The Law Council of Australia said the Government's current attempts to bring the Northern TerritoryIntervention in line with the Racial Discrimination Act appear flawed and,unless amended, the legislation will continue to discriminate againstIndigenous people.The Senate is conducting an inquiry into the 'Welfare Reform Bill' to reinstatethe Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (the RDA) under the Northern Territory Emergency Intervention and spread income management across the Territory. The Law Council has been consistent in its criticism of the previous Government's decision to suspend the RDA in 2007.
25th February - SENATE INQUIRY TOLD INCOME MANAGEMENT RULES "UNMANAGEABLE" (FED)
Welfare Rights organisations will appear before a Senate inquiry today and call on the Senate to oppose the Government's Welfare Reform Bills currently before a Senate inquiry. This legislation contain the most extreme and regressive Social Security reforms that this country has ever seen. This legislation will essentially unwind the most basic protections ensuring access to income support, said Kate Beaumont, President of the National Welfare Rights Network (NWRN). Income management will affect 20,000 people, mainly Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory from 1 July 2010. After an evaluation in 2012 the regime may be extended to other "disadvantaged locations" across Australia.
24th February - HEALTH OUTCOMES IMPROVING IN THE TERRITORY
Survival rates for Territorians on dialysis are now equal to national rates - an extraordinary turn around from when the NT mortality rate was 66% above the national average 20 years ago, Health Minister Kon Vatskalis said today.
Other health outcomes include:
· Aboriginal women are now living three years longer on average than they did before.
· Indigenous infant mortality rate has fallen by 35% - in other words hundreds more babies are surviving;
· Anaemia rates for Aboriginal children have fallen by 20% - a significant improvement in their ability to grow and lead a normal life;
· Cervical cancer rates have fallen by 61%.
23rd February - LET'S GET IT RIGHT - TAKE PART IN NATIONAL CLOSE THE GAP DAY (FED)
Show your support for ending the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health crisis by holding an event to mark the fourth annual National Close the Gap Day on Thursday 25 March. Each year, National Close the Gap Day sees hundreds of events taking place in schools, workplaces, shopping centres, community halls, churches and public spaces throughout the country as people celebrate the progress in the campaign to close the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and urge continued action by the Government. National Close the Gap Day Coordinator Gary Highland said public support had played a critical role in the government's progress so far, however it was vital that it continued to ensure the government followed through on the commitments it had made as part of its goal to close the gap by 2030.
17th February - COMMISSION WELCOMES RDA MEASURES AS A GOOD START (FED)
The Australian Human Rights Commission says the government's proposed amendments to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) in the Northern Territory will improve the Northern Territory Emergency Response measures for residents of the 73 prescribed communities but has cautioned that more needs to be done to make the Northern Territory intervention fully compliant with human rights. Welcoming the proposal in its submission to the Senate Inquiry on Social Security and Other Legislation, the Commission has said it would like to see some amendments that would ensure the full reinstatement of the RDA.
29th January - IMPROVEMENT IN ABORIGINAL SCHOOL RETENTION (SA)
Greater numbers of Aboriginal students are being retained at school in South Australia, according to a new national report released January 29. Apparent retention rates published in the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services show: The rate for full-time Aboriginal students from Years 8 to 10 increased 8 percentage points from 87.6% in 2007 to 95.6% in 2008. The rate for full-time Aboriginal students from Years 10 to 12 increased 8.2 percentage points from 50.6% in 2007 to 58.8% in 2008. Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says while more needs to be done, it's pleasing to see an improvement. Acknowledgement: We would like to thank TEAR Australia for the free subscription to their news service. http://www.tear.org.au/ | |
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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 click here.
To go direct to the online donation page click here
* Martung Upah is from Western Australia and means partnership.
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