Black Dagger
1st August 2007, 05:23
Call Out for International Day of Action at Australian
Embassies/Consulates August 6
No Troops - No Cops - No Land Grab! Indigenous Sovereignty, Not Soldiers!
For an alphabetical list of embassies and consulates by country see:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/
On the 21st of June Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, announced an
Emergency Response to sexual abuse in the Northern Territory, citing an
urgent need to respond to a recently released report entitled 'Little
Children are Sacred.' The report recommended education, empowerment,
dialogue, partnerships, and housing. Rather than follow those
recommendations, the government has responded with military might,
mandatory (potentially traumatizing) sexual health checks against parent's
wishes which had some families running into the bush, introduction of
welfare reforms that allow the government to decide which people get
welfare, when and what they can spend it on (with the promise that this
policy will soon apply to the rest of Australia), a Land Grab and gutting
of hard-won Aboriginal Land Rights that will allow mining companies to
move in, and paternalistic policies that continue and exacerbate the 200
years of oppression and suffering resulting from White Australia's
colonisation.
We see the government's actions as broken record election
year politics of sweeping problems under a mat, glossing over real
suffering with empty promises and tacky press validation with ulterior
motives of land grab tactics to allow for more mining companies to rape
the land and poison the people with nuclear waste dumps.
While we believe that all children should be free from child sexual
abuse there is no doubt the Howard government interests lie in the
Aboriginal Land rather than the health, welfare, and safety of
Aboriginal communities. There is currently a 17 year mortality gap
between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. There are higher
incidences of cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes... 99% of all
Aboriginal communities have no substance abuse service and only 54%
have state funded primary care services.
Two pieces of the government's emergency 'land grab' response
include compulsory acquisition of 64 communities, allowing the government
to introduce market based rents on Aboriginal land for five years and
watering down the Permit system, requiring amendment of the Aboriginal
Land Rights Act. The Permit System has allowed Aboriginal communities to
decide who will be allowed on their land, keeping out carpetbaggers who
might try to make a fortune on art or unwanted commercial interests. The
Aboriginal Land Rights Act was hard won by the Aboriginal community in
1976 and has been quietly gutted over the years by conservative
politicians with the support and encouragement of mining companies that
stand to make an enormous profit. There have been amendments and
inquiries into the Act since 1999. Anti-nuclear activists believe that
the land grab would turn Australia into a dumping ground for the world's
nuclear waste, similar to the U.S. policy of dumping nuclear waste on
Native American land at Yucca Mountain.
The Howard government has yet to institute all of these policies. While
the government's initial plans and the community voices opposed to it were
front page news for weeks, coverage has dwindled. The government had
initially claimed that they would call for a special sitting of Parliament
to push through required changes to the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. The
Special Session has not been called. Less media coverage leaves the
government free to push through the Land Rights Amendment when Parliament
reopens next week. The Amendment does not currently appear on Parliament
schedules, but they could be changed at a moment's notice.
We are calling for solidarity actions at Australian embassies or
consulates on Monday, August 6th or any time in the first week of
Parliament to let the government know that the world is watching. No
Troops - No Cops - No Land Grab! Indigenous Sovereignty, Not Soldiers!
* Write the embassies and consulates, call them, fax them, serenade
the embassy officials with pots and pans and raucous laughter and
your demands from the street, or approach them directly.
* Think about how these policies mirror the struggles you're
involved in and work those messages in. These are the same
policies that oppressed peoples worldwide are fighting. Land rights,
access to education, housing, dignity, respect, for all peoples
everywhere!
The Howard government may ultimately push through their Amendments, but we
won't let it happen quietly.
In Solidarity,
Mutiny Collective
Sydney, Australia
**P.S. Please post your actions and press to Sydney's Indymedia site
(http://sydney.indymedia.org.au). For ideas and inspiration, check out
New Zealand activists' inspiring action:
http://indymedia.org.nz/feature/display/71682/index.php
For More Info Check Out:
National Indigenous Times
www.nit.com.au
Arnet - Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
http://www.antar.org.au/
An amazing pamphlet entitled 'Shout Out for Aboriginal Rights'
http://no-racism.net/upload/353170117.pdf
The government's media release on their Response
http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/Minister...cy_21june07.htm (http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/Minister3.nsf/content/emergency_21june07.htm)
Australian Parliament - to see what's scheduled: http://www.aph.gov.au/
Australian Embassies, Commissions, Consulates:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/
Embassies/Consulates August 6
No Troops - No Cops - No Land Grab! Indigenous Sovereignty, Not Soldiers!
For an alphabetical list of embassies and consulates by country see:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/
On the 21st of June Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, announced an
Emergency Response to sexual abuse in the Northern Territory, citing an
urgent need to respond to a recently released report entitled 'Little
Children are Sacred.' The report recommended education, empowerment,
dialogue, partnerships, and housing. Rather than follow those
recommendations, the government has responded with military might,
mandatory (potentially traumatizing) sexual health checks against parent's
wishes which had some families running into the bush, introduction of
welfare reforms that allow the government to decide which people get
welfare, when and what they can spend it on (with the promise that this
policy will soon apply to the rest of Australia), a Land Grab and gutting
of hard-won Aboriginal Land Rights that will allow mining companies to
move in, and paternalistic policies that continue and exacerbate the 200
years of oppression and suffering resulting from White Australia's
colonisation.
We see the government's actions as broken record election
year politics of sweeping problems under a mat, glossing over real
suffering with empty promises and tacky press validation with ulterior
motives of land grab tactics to allow for more mining companies to rape
the land and poison the people with nuclear waste dumps.
While we believe that all children should be free from child sexual
abuse there is no doubt the Howard government interests lie in the
Aboriginal Land rather than the health, welfare, and safety of
Aboriginal communities. There is currently a 17 year mortality gap
between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. There are higher
incidences of cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes... 99% of all
Aboriginal communities have no substance abuse service and only 54%
have state funded primary care services.
Two pieces of the government's emergency 'land grab' response
include compulsory acquisition of 64 communities, allowing the government
to introduce market based rents on Aboriginal land for five years and
watering down the Permit system, requiring amendment of the Aboriginal
Land Rights Act. The Permit System has allowed Aboriginal communities to
decide who will be allowed on their land, keeping out carpetbaggers who
might try to make a fortune on art or unwanted commercial interests. The
Aboriginal Land Rights Act was hard won by the Aboriginal community in
1976 and has been quietly gutted over the years by conservative
politicians with the support and encouragement of mining companies that
stand to make an enormous profit. There have been amendments and
inquiries into the Act since 1999. Anti-nuclear activists believe that
the land grab would turn Australia into a dumping ground for the world's
nuclear waste, similar to the U.S. policy of dumping nuclear waste on
Native American land at Yucca Mountain.
The Howard government has yet to institute all of these policies. While
the government's initial plans and the community voices opposed to it were
front page news for weeks, coverage has dwindled. The government had
initially claimed that they would call for a special sitting of Parliament
to push through required changes to the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. The
Special Session has not been called. Less media coverage leaves the
government free to push through the Land Rights Amendment when Parliament
reopens next week. The Amendment does not currently appear on Parliament
schedules, but they could be changed at a moment's notice.
We are calling for solidarity actions at Australian embassies or
consulates on Monday, August 6th or any time in the first week of
Parliament to let the government know that the world is watching. No
Troops - No Cops - No Land Grab! Indigenous Sovereignty, Not Soldiers!
* Write the embassies and consulates, call them, fax them, serenade
the embassy officials with pots and pans and raucous laughter and
your demands from the street, or approach them directly.
* Think about how these policies mirror the struggles you're
involved in and work those messages in. These are the same
policies that oppressed peoples worldwide are fighting. Land rights,
access to education, housing, dignity, respect, for all peoples
everywhere!
The Howard government may ultimately push through their Amendments, but we
won't let it happen quietly.
In Solidarity,
Mutiny Collective
Sydney, Australia
**P.S. Please post your actions and press to Sydney's Indymedia site
(http://sydney.indymedia.org.au). For ideas and inspiration, check out
New Zealand activists' inspiring action:
http://indymedia.org.nz/feature/display/71682/index.php
For More Info Check Out:
National Indigenous Times
www.nit.com.au
Arnet - Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
http://www.antar.org.au/
An amazing pamphlet entitled 'Shout Out for Aboriginal Rights'
http://no-racism.net/upload/353170117.pdf
The government's media release on their Response
http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/Minister...cy_21june07.htm (http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/Minister3.nsf/content/emergency_21june07.htm)
Australian Parliament - to see what's scheduled: http://www.aph.gov.au/
Australian Embassies, Commissions, Consulates:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/