A true music fest – just the thing as the rest of the world goes pear shaped.
Hear indigenous music-spirit of those who have survived much tougher times.
Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 November 2008
The Arts Centre, Hamer Hall / The Spiegeltent / Transit Bar
Venues all on St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
For more info – and a wonderful aural taste of what’s to come – and to register as a delegate go to www.awme.com.au
Weekend delegate passes available through the website.
Read viewers comments and check out other details fo the series:
Australian Human Rights Commission
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
The federal government should immediately adopt the overarching recommendations made by the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) Review Board, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said today.
“No one wants to see children abused, families destroyed and communities ripped apart,” Commissioner Calma said.
“Efforts to improve safety for families and children in remote Indigenous communities must be done in collaboration with Aboriginal people and in a manner that treats Aboriginal people with dignity and respect – it really is that simple.
“I implore the government to take note of the Review Board’s key observation that respect for human rights is critical to building and maintaining sustainable, healthy and safe remote Indigenous communities.”
Mr Calma said he was particularly pleased the Review Board had called for the NTER to be made consistent with the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) and for the Act’s protections to be re -instated immediately.
“I also welcome the Review Board’s call for changes to other measures such as income management, land acquisition, the development of community development partnership agreements and community development plans,” Mr Calma said.
“The new relationship forged between government and Indigenous Australians in the aftermath of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations gives government exactly the climate and the motivation it needs to commit to moving beyond an emergency response and working with Indigenous communities to make lasting improvements,” he said.
“I urge the government to consider the Board’s recommendations and revisit the 10-point plan I submitted in the Social Justice Report to Parliament in March this year for guidance as to how to ensure the emergency response in the Northern Territory does not become another lost opportunity.”
The 10-point plan proposes changes to the Northern Territory intervention legislation to ensure it is consistent with Australia’s human rights obligations. The plan also provides the government with direction on how the Minister for Indigenous Affairs can take immediate action through her administrative powers to improve the intervention legislation.
The detail can be found in chapter 3 of the 2007 Social Justice Report online at:
www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/sj_report/sjreport07/chap3.html
Pacific Calling for Climate Justice
The Pacific Calling Partnership invites you to a participatory forum Pacific Calling for Climate Justice: a human rights framework?
The forum will open with Indigenous representatives from Australia and the Pacific speaking about the effects of climate change on their people. The forum will then explore how an effective human rights framework can respond to calls for climate justice from our neighbours.
When: 9.00am – 5pm Saturday 25 October 2008
Where: Gleeson Auditorium Australian Catholic University, 25A Barker Rd Strathfield NSW
Registration fee (includes lunch and morning tea)
Full: $60, Academics/NGOworkers/teachers: $30, Concession:$10
For booking details contact jillf@erc.org.au or phone 02 8762 4200
(Source – AID/WATCH E-Bulletin www.aidwatch.org.au )
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ABC news item: Quarter of world’s mammals facing extinction
By Stephanie Kennedy
ABC radio http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/07/2383652.htm?section=justin
A survey by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has found that a quarter of the world’s mammals are at risk of extinction.
The Red List of Threatened Species is published in the journal Science and it says populations of more than half of world’s mammals are falling, with Asian primates particularly at risk.
The updated ‘Red List’ was released at the World Conservation Congress in Spain, with Australia ranking poorly.
The biggest threat to mammals is loss of habitat, including deforestation.
788 species in Australia have been listed as threatened, including fish, birds and plants.
Of that number, 57 of the country’s native mammals are at risk of extinction.
Zoologist from the University of Adelaide Professor Chris West says Australia’s ranking in the Red List is one of the worst for developed countries
“I’m afraid what it does is point up the fact that Australia has a poor record so far,” he said.
Professor West says habitat destruction, conversion to farmland and pollution are root causes and climate change is also a threat.
One of the mammals at serious risk is the Tasmanian devil.
Its population, has declined by 60 per cent in 10 years, due to viral face cancer.
It is now listed as endangered, and its prospects as a species are extremely bleak.
But there is good news for the African elephant, increased numbers have led to its removal from the high-risk list.
The Red List is compiled every four years by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
“Australia’s Empire” Edited by Deryck Schreuder
ISBN 9780199273737
Price AU$99.95 (google check other bookseller sites for $89.95)
http://www.oxfordbigideas.com.au/oup/titles/academic/history/history/9780199273737
A review in the Age by Jim Davidson (note contributors reference to Australian genocide) see:.
http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2008/09/15/1221330708846.html
(more…)
Mick Dodson: Treaty Entreaty
“Should the Australian constitution be altered to refer specifically to indigenous Australians? Should there be a treaty between the Australian nation and its first inhabitants? It’s currently a big debate, and recently at the National Archives in Canberra, the former reconciliation commissioner Mick Dodson bought in to the argument. His talk commemorates Constitution Day.”
ABC fora http://www.abc.net.au/tv/fora/ (note – long video – 44 mins)
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