Category Archives: Indigenous Australians

AMA calls for governments to implement royal commission recommendations on Aboriginal deaths in custody

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Exclusive: Medical experts also reiterate calls to raise age of criminal responsibility, saying detention facilities have ‘deeply adverse’ affects on children

The Australian Medical Association is calling on governments to divert people away from incarceration and implement the recommendations of the 1991 Aboriginal deaths in custody royal commission.

The AMA has also reiterated its call for states and territories to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14, particularly due to the disproportionate impact on Indigenous people.

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Australia politics live: Lidia Thorpe knocked to ground in struggle with police at anti-trans rights speaker’s Canberra event

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Independent senator attempts to step up to podium after Pauline Hanson speaks in support of Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull. Follow the day’s news

Mark Butler says part of the issue is that vaping was allowed to “explode” so it’s a case of putting the genie back in the bottle – but he says the government is determined to do it, so the tobacco industry doesn’t win.

A parent told us last week that they found in their very young child’s pencil case, not a 16/17-year-old but a very young child’s pencil case, a vape that was deliberately designed to look like a highlighter pen. I mean, these things are insidious.

They are causing very real damage not just to the health of very young children but to behavioural issues at schools as well.

This is now the biggest behavioural issue in primary schools. I mean, this is this is an industry shamelessly marketing, not just to teenagers but to young children. When you look at these things, with pink unicorns on them and bubblegum flavors, these aren’t marketed to adults.

This is an industry that is trying to create a new generation of nicotine addicts so they get around all of the hard work. Our country and other countries have done over recent decades to stamp out smoking.

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‘I’m here to change the country’: Albanese launches an uncompromising Indigenous voice plan

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Attempting to appease conservatives was pointless and risked failure, the referendum working group told the PM. It appears he listened

It’s on. On Thursday, the Albanese government leapt a major hurdle in the long run to a successful referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament at the end of the year.

After a flurry of late night meetings with his referendum working group – including a robust exchange of views about the amendment and the question, and furious and inaccurate public speculation about concessions and compromises – the final form of words announced on Thursday has not shifted significantly from the one Albanese announced at the Garma festival in July last year.

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Australia politics live: government and opposition strike agreement over voice referendum machinery changes

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Bipartisan approach likely as Senate addresses changes to the rules governing referendums. Follow the day’s news live

Voice negotiations

The referendum machinery legislation will set up how the voice referendum will run – the machinery surruounding the vote, if you will.

We’re negotiating in good faith in the Senate that’s being led by Jane Hume who is doing an outstanding job. What we said to the government in the beginning is what we’re saying to them now and that is that we are not prepared to trash decades of referendum precedent, and not do this in a way that Australians expect us to, in their interests, for their information.

We’re asking for a pamphlet to outline the yes and no case, and we’ve talked about that. We’re asking for equal funding of the yes or no case, not the millions of dollars that may go into a public campaign on either side of this debate, but just the administration funding.

Fifty-seven per cent of the population does not want to open new coal and gas mines and I think there’s a very clear message coming through there. Secondly, no, I have got a lot of time for Jacqui Lambie, but we had an emissions trading scheme in this country and she was part of a party that voted to repeal it so let’s let’s not get too carried away with the spin here.

We’re in a climate crisis, as the UN secretary general has made clear. The decisions that we make now will reverberate for generations to come and the big decisions that we’ve got to make, do we open new coal and gas mines or not?

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Australian fashion week 2023: Denni Francisco to be first Indigenous designer to hold solo show

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Wiradjuri designer to hold standalone runway for her label Ngali as the industry continues to feel shockwaves from pandemic

For the first time in Australian fashion week’s 23-year history, an Indigenous Australian designer will hold a standalone show.

Denni Francisco of Indigenous clothing label Ngali said it was “exciting, exhilarating and a little bit terrifying” to be holding her first solo show at the event, which takes place from 15 to 19 May.

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Guardian Essential poll: support for Aukus and Indigenous voice declines

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Anthony Albanese improves in personal measures, including honesty and vision, despite waning support for major policies

Public support for the Aukus nuclear submarine acquisition and the Indigenous voice to parliament have both declined, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.

The poll of 1,124 voters, released on Tuesday, suggests Australians are at odds with the Aukus deal, with just one in five voters labelling China a “threat to be confronted” and only one quarter happy to pay the price tag of up to $368bn to acquire nuclear submarines.

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Linda Burney insists ‘there is no division’ with Indigenous voice working group yet to finalise advice

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With group to meet again, timetable leaves only a few days for advice to be considered before cabinet meeting

Federal cabinet will have only a few days to consider crucial advice on the voice to parliament from the government’s internal group of Indigenous leaders, with one key member saying both sides may have to “compromise” on the wording of the referendum question and constitutional amendment.

The government’s commitment to introduce legislation for the constitutional amendment in the coming fortnight has been complicated by its referendum working group not yet finalising its advice on key details. But ahead of further meetings next week in Canberra, the Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, rebuffed speculation about disagreement in the working group.

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Voice referendum bills still on track for parliament, Labor says, despite impasse in negotiations

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Albanese government hopes to progress two bills in the coming parliamentary fortnight as working group advice is finalised

The Albanese government plans to progress two bills to set up the Indigenous voice referendum in the coming parliamentary fortnight, remaining confident the process remains on track despite its expert group of Aboriginal leaders still finalising its crucial advice to cabinet.

The referendum working group was expected to confirm its advice to government on the exact wording of the question and the constitutional amendment on Thursday. But a communique from its meeting in Adelaide, issued by Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney’s office, said the process was still ongoing.

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Myer to close flagship Brisbane store – as it happened

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Turnbull concerned about UK economic situation

Malcolm Turnbull rounded out his concerns there with one shared with Paul Keating – although the language he used was a little more moderated than the former Labor PM is famous for.

The bottom line is their economy is sick. It’s got fundamental, sort of existential problems. And you’ve got to ask yourself, whether Britain is going to be able to sustain investment in its navy and its military in the years ahead, given this huge demand that they’ve got elsewhere, not least the National Health Service.

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Victorian agencies accused of failing to consult traditional owners over feeding of stranded brumbies in national park

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Feral horses trapped on high ground in Barmah national park during floods were fed by helicopter hay drops

Peak environmental groups have accused Parks Victoria and other agencies of failing to consult traditional owners before facilitating hay drops in the Barmah national park to feed feral horses stranded in floods last year.

The Barmah national park is jointly managed by Parks Victoria and the traditional owners, the Yorta Yorta nation.

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‘White saviours’ accused of finding flaws in voice proposal ‘to stay in spotlight’ by working group member

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Thomas Mayo says it is now ‘crunch time’ for Australian government’s relationship with advisory group

Constitutional conservatives raising doubts about the proposed wording of the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament have been accused of acting like “white saviours”, finding flaws with the proposal “just to stay in the spotlight”, according to a member of the government’s advisory group.

Thomas Mayo, a Kaurareg and Kalkalgal Erubamle man and working group member, said it was now “crunch time” for the government’s relationship with the advisory group.

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Marcia Langton attacks ‘relentless scare campaign’ waged by opponents of Indigenous voice

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Comments from design group co-chair come after NT’s Country Liberal president announced resignation over party’s opposition to voice

Prof Marcia Langton, one of the most experienced members of the Indigenous voice to parliament working group, has launched an attack on the “relentless scare campaign” waged by opponents and called on the government to “reassure” voters by endorsing the voice co-design report.

Langton has called on the Albanese government to endorse the report as the basis for post-referendum parliamentary processes and public consultations. The report lays out in detail how a national voice model would operate.

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Indigenous group says company offering Australian land to Oscar nominees used its name and material without permission

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Indigenous Carbon Industry Network says it has no connection with Pieces of Australia, which confirmed it has removed content that may have been inappropriately used

The company offering Oscar nominees “a symbolic souvenir” of land in outback Australia says it has removed material, including the name of an Indigenous organisation, from its marketing after being accused of using it without consent.

Pieces of Australia is one of a number of brands to pay $4,000 to secure a spot in the Oscars gift bag that is unaffiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but sent by the company Distinctive Assets to the acting and directing nominees.

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Coalition demands government release Indigenous voice legal advice

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Julian Leeser says Australians deserve to know what the solicitor general said about the power of the voice to advise executive government

Julian Leeser has demanded the release of legal advice about the Indigenous voice’s power to advise the executive government, claiming Australians have a right to know if its top lawyer has “concerns”.

The shadow attorney general wrote to his counterpart, Mark Dreyfus, on Friday. And he reiterated his demand for any advice by the solicitor general to be released in an interview on Sunday. The referendum working group has not yet made its final recommendation.

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‘We are so far behind’: Lynda Edwards says Indigenous voice could spur action on NSW treaty

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Comments from NSW premier’s woman of the year come as government minister rules out progress on treaty if re-elected

The New South Wales premier’s woman of the year says the state is “so far behind everyone else” on a treaty with First Nations people, suggesting a federal voice could lead to action despite a declaration by a Coalition minister that it is not on the agenda.

Lynda Edwards received the title on Thursday, when she was also named the NSW Aboriginal woman of the year by Dominic Perrottet for her work advocating for the financial rights of First Nations people and working to reform the financial sector to better serve them.

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Queensland mother whose son took his life calls for change at robodebt royal commission – As it happened

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Inquiry into the unlawful scheme, which ran from 2015 to 2019, is ongoing. This blog is now closed

Final robodebt hearing shines light on people affected

A Centrelink employee and a customer impacted by the illegal robodebt scheme will be the final two witnesses appearing at the royal commission’s public hearings, AAP reports.

The international standard now in the OECD area is beyond 52 weeks. It’s great we’re moving to 26 but we are not going fast enough, doing what other countries are doing. We have slipped down the international rankings on paid parental leave.

It’s very important that we give the support to parents when a new baby arrives so they can share the leave, they can begin life with a new child, give that child the best shot and alongside that, of course, we need quality, early childhood education and care which we in the Greens think should be free, just like primary school.

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NRL vows to rid rugby league of racism after alleged slur directed at Latrell Mitchell

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Andrew Abdo has promised the NRL will do all it can to protect its players and eradicate racist fans, after Latrell Mitchell was allegedly abused

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has vowed to eradicate racism from the sport as he promised to sanction and educate any fan found to have abused Latrell Mitchell.

Abdo on Friday stopped short of promising a life ban for the spectator who allegedly racially abused Mitchell at Penrith on Thursday night, but said the game would come down hard on any offenders. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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Australia politics live: NAB passes on full rate hike; pre-departure Covid testing to end for China, Hong Kong, Macau travellers

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Covid measures had been in place since 5 January, after China halted a lot of its own protocols. Follow the day’s news live

Gallagher aware of funding issue on national partnership agreements

A lot of funding in Australia is tied up in national partnership agreements. They are usually for short periods – the commonwealth works with the states to come to an agreement on funding, but it often means that agreements almost come to an end (or indeed, do end) and need emergency funding to continue while the next national partnership is worked out.

That agreement, which this money flows through is part of the national housing and homelessness agreement. And we are in active negotiations with the states. I’m aware of the funding issue. This is, you know, to give appropriate remuneration funding for or funding for payment for staff and Julie Collins is working hard on it. I can’t give you an answer today because it is right literally on our table.

We certainly were aware of the inflation problem in October. So you saw that we were we had upside, revenue coming in to the budget that we banked that – I think it was 99% in the first two years and 94% of the upside revenue over the forward estimates.

Now that was an important message, not just from the fact that we’re going to be fiscally responsible, but that where we can, you know, show restraint in spending.

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Brisbane watch house officer tells inquest she did not check if Aunty Sherry Tilberoo was breathing

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Debra Haigh tells hearing she now understands she should have stood in front of cell for longer and used a torch to look for movement

A Brisbane watch house officer who was suspended after the death of First Nations woman Shiralee Tilberoo has admitted during an inquest that she did not check whether she was breathing or shine a torch into the darkened cell on nine occasions.

The Birri Gubba woman – also known as Aunty Sherry – died of a brain aneurysm in Brisbane City watch house in the early hours of the morning on 10 September 2020.

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Voice referendum no campaign’s lack of tax-deductible status ‘discriminatory’, Warren Mundine says

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Exclusive: Leading no campaigner has called on government to quickly approve status but his organisation is yet to formally apply

The no campaign in the voice referendum has asked the government to quickly approve its bid to receive tax-deductible donations for its campaigning, applying for the status five months after it was granted to the yes side.

Leading no campaigner Warren Mundine has told the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, it would be “discriminatory” to not give the same tax concessions to both sides. But despite complaints from voice critics that the government had extended deductible gift recipient (DGR) status to the yes side, federal agencies said this week they had not yet received any application from the no side.

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