Oodgeroo of the tribe Noonuccal, Custodian of the land Minjerriba, Peace Prosperity and Healing, Sacred Treaty Circles

A new blogging adventure.
I will continue with “Unlearning the problem” as my own personal blog, but I will also be editing a new blog “Treaty Now” on behalf of Oodgeroo of the tribe Noonuccal, Custodian of the land Minjerriba, Peace Prosperity and Healing, Sacred Treaty Circles. This will be a group blog, or at [...]

Intervention hysteria, truckie prostitution and a defence of Noel Pearson

The ABC Lateline program has exposed child prostitution in some Aboriginal communities catering to passing truckies. The federal opposition leader, Brendan Nelson has called for an extension of the Northern Territory intervention into these communities.
“The Intervention” has come to mean nothing. John Howard and Mal Brough’s plan is being dismantled, although much [...]

Guest post – International Womens Day 2008 by Fiona Noble

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY MARCH 8, 2008
To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn…
There Is A Season, Turn, [...]

Reflections on indigenous issues by a non-indigenous person for the consideration of non-indigenous people.

This is a post I have written for the blog “Public Polity” which is Run by Sam Clifford who is an active member of the Queensland Greens.  http://publicpolity.wordpress.com/   I will be writing regularly for Public Polity. 
 Firstly a note on vocabulary.  When I use the word “white” I am speaking of culture and worldview, I am not talking [...]

Kevin Rudd’s Sorry statement has to say why the government is sorry – press release from Michael Anderson

Press release:  Michael Anderson, Goodooga, NSW, 29 January 2008
In a statement from Goodooga in NW NSW, Michael Anderson said today:
“In our family’s experience, my grandmother taken from Angledool, NW NSW in 1914 and had to find her own way home. She always wanted recognition of the government’s cruel judgement to breed out the colour and culture [...]

N.T. Aboriginal Intervention extended to Qld’s Cape York

“The Federal Government has thrown its support behind a plan to quarantine the
welfare payments of families in some Queensland Indigenous communities.”   From ABC news Govt backs Indigenous welfare quarantine
PRESS RELEASE
from Queensland Aboriginal leaders Les Malezer, Terry O’Shane, Bob Weatherall, Jacqui Katona, Victor Hart
ABORIGINALS TO FIGHT QUEENSLAND INVASION
21 December 2007
We will join with other Aboriginal leaders in [...]

Aborigines and Conservationism. Land Rights and Green Activism Not Necessarily Aligned

The following article is written by Tyson Yunkaporta.  (his profile here)
 In it he covers issues that I have raised in previous articles such as “Terra Nullius and Ecology”  and “The Environment movement and Aboriginal Australia”.
 
I have included this article partly because it backs up controversial things that I have said in my own articles, but [...]

The Greens and indigenous issues in the 2007 election

The following is a couple of comments I posted (amongst others) on Greensblog in response to what has been the Greens only indigenous policy platform for this election, their indigenous health policy. See - “Australia’s Duty of Care”.  
The policy was released on the same day as the A.L.P.’s official campaign launch and failed to get [...]

The Carers Alliance – election message

The following message is from Robert Gow, Qld Campaign Manager of the Carers Alliance. The Carers Alliance are running candidates for the senate around Australia
more info – http://www.qld.carers.org.au/
Hello all,
Many thanks for the support you have all given, the election draws near
 and we are getting many contacts from carers who are desperately
 seeking a better deal.
Carers are [...]

Political addiction and the 2007 election ( Revenge of the Pseph)

“Well may you say God Save the Queen, but nothing will save the governor General”

I just had to say that on remembrance day. Every time I visit Canberra I have to stand at the front of the old parliament house and recite this mantra. Today is a holy day for political junkies.
I find election night [...]

QUT controversy resolved but patronising attitudes to disability continue.

The long running QUT dispute over the sacking of two academics seems to be over with an out of court settlement. Courier Mail article  “QUT academic brawl ended by settlement”
It seems to me however that there are 3 issues that marked this affair which remain unresolved. These are…
 1/ attitudes towards disability,
 2/ attitudes towards free [...]

John Howard’s referendum on assimilation

Yesterday John Howard announced that he will, if re-elected, hold a referendum to amend the preamble of the Australian constitution to include a “statement of reconciliation” and to “recognise indigenous Australians”
The first thing to note about the proposed change to the constitution is that it is legally meaningless. The preamble of the constitution contains no specifics [...]

Hearts and minds

As readers may know I am an occaisional writer for the greenish leaning “Dead Roo” blog. I have also begun writing for  “Leftrights”, a leftish leaning blog.
My first post on Leftwrites is entitled “The Eurocentrism of Australian Socialism”
Here is my most recent comment on that discussion……
The point of real connection with Aboriginal Australia is [...]

The Carers Alliance – A new party contesting the senate election.

“Our purpose is represent, raise and monitor issues affecting unpaid family Carers through the representative participation of Carers as candidates in Federal and State parliaments. The Carers Alliance will represent the rights of unpaid Carers of people with disabilities, mental illness, chronic illness or issues of frail age who need assistance at differing times in [...]

Terra Nullius and Ecology

I have been promising for a while to write something about colonial perspectives and the environment movement. However I got caught up in critiques of socialism and the APEC demonstrations and didn’t get around to it. Then I realised that I have never put the following article on Paradigm Oz. It is an old one [...]