Archives October 2014

By now we know that traditional Indigenous languages are losing speakers rapidly and tragically. Of the 250 languages once spoken in Australia, only 40 remain and just 18 of these are still learnt by children. But if children in remote Indigenous communities aren't still learning traditional languages, then what are they learning? It is generally assumed they are shifting to English, but this is not the case. - Article by Felicity Meakins from The University of Queensland [node:read-more:link]

Book Review: 'True Light and Shade' by Worimi man, Professor John Maynard, is filled with beautiful images by convict artist Joseph Lycett that powerfully capture in intimate detail Aboriginal life, a rare record of Aboriginal people within the vicinity of Newcastle and how they adapted to European settlement before cultural destruction impacted on these groups. John Maynard writes an engaging short biography of Lycett and his life in Australia and follows this with a detailed commentary on each of the 20 images in the album. [node:read-more:link]

The remaining framework and security of Aboriginal land, protected by the Land Rights Act, is in danger of being dropped into a big hole by Governments, bureaucracies and people who have no real understanding or sympathy for traditional communal land ownership.

'99-year town leases turn traditional ownership upside down', writes Ian Viner AO QC in a paper distributed the Northern Land Council on the history of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act and where we are at today. [node:read-more:link]

SMH reported that claims of price fixing for consulting work carried out on Aboriginal heritage surveys, as well as destruction of artefacts and sites to enable mining development have come to the attention of the competition watchdog.

With concerns raised in July, the ACCC has investigated claims which involved Rio Tinto Coal, Ashton Coal and NuCoal Resources operations in the Hunter Valley. [node:read-more:link]

As protesters rallied in Perth, South Hedland and Geraldton to demand answers over the death of a 22-year-old Aboriginal woman in police custody in August.
Charmaine Green, who attended the rally in Geraldton announced that a 31-year-old Aboriginal man has died in a Perth prison. An internal police investigation is underway into Ms Dhu's death but their are calls for an independent inquiry as well as strategies to help avoid deaths in custody. [node:read-more:link]

As elections loom in Victoria and New South Wales, their governments' focus on tough law-and-order policies and prison populations are beyond capacity, but reports state that the crime statistics in these states are falling. A lot of people will shrug their shoulders and wonder what the fuss is about. People who commit crimes go to prison and this makes the community safer. What they fail to consider is the very real downside: a bigger drain on the public purse and a bad social outcome. [node:read-more:link]

In a situation where there is just too much raw evidence against the Police who brutally pack attacked a man in the Ballina lock-up, there has finally been some charges laid against 4 police officers, but the issue has the massive task of getting past the pro-establishment court system, that is well known for watering down abuses against our First Nations people.
All four entered not guilty pleas and waived their right to a committal hearing and two more are due to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court. [node:read-more:link]