Category Archives: Indigenous Australians

The WA cops rounding up Indigenous kids: a ‘toxic and racist environment’

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The police stories: Two former Western Australian and NSW officers speak out about what they saw during their time in uniform

One of the worst moments of Jim Taylor’s eight-year career as a Western Australian police officer was the day he strip-searched a 10-year-old Aboriginal boy.

Taylor, now 44, was working in Perth in the Juvenile Aid Group, or “Jag”. He says he was driving around the city’s central business district with his senior sergeant and two other officers when they came across a group of four young Aboriginal kids. They rounded them up and took them back to the station.

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Human Rights Watch warns US Capitol attack should be ‘wake-up call’ for Australia

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Global group urges the Morrison government to be vigilant about the growth of far-right extremism here

The Morrison government has been urged to treat the deadly mob assault on the US Capitol as “a wake-up call”, with a leading human rights organisation saying Australian security agencies must counter the growth of rightwing extremism.

Human Rights Watch published its annual global report on human rights abuses on Wednesday evening, calling on US allies such as Australia to work with the incoming Joe Biden administration to “shore up a global defence of human rights”.

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Indigenous voice to parliament to have no veto power under interim plans

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Labor says the current proposal fails to enable the voice to provide full and frank advice and to be secure

The federal government will be obliged to consult the Indigenous voice to parliament when crafting laws on race, native title and racial discrimination that impact upon Aboriginal Australians.

But the body will have no power to overturn policy or prevent laws coming into force, according to interim proposals.

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‘We are one and free’: Australia’s national anthem to change in attempt to recognise Indigenous history

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison makes the announcement on New Year’s Eve saying the minor change will help foster a ‘spirit of unity’ after a challenging 2020

The Australian government will remove a reference to the country being “young and free” in the national anthem, amid concerns the existing wording overlooks the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that stretches back tens of thousands of years.

The conservative prime minister, Scott Morrison, made the surprise announcement on New Year’s Eve, saying the change would help foster a “spirit of unity” after a year of big challenges.

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Rio Tinto addresses ‘hurt and devastation’ of Juukan Gorge blast as remedial works begin

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Traditional owners acknowledge mining company’s efforts in rebuilding relationship but say more needs to be done

High-level talks have been held between Rio Tinto and the traditional owners of the Juukan Gorge rock shelter in an attempt to repair the fractured relationship.

Rio blew up the 46,000-year-old caves in Western Australia’s Pilbara region in May to extract $188m worth of high-grade iron ore, devastating the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people.

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Juukan Gorge inquiry: Rio Tinto’s decision to blow up Indigenous rock shelters ‘inexcusable’

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Parliament committee says miner must negotiate a compensation deal with traditional owners and ‘ensure a full reconstruction’ of the caves

A parliamentary inquiry into the destruction of 46,000-year-old caves has delivered a scathing report criticising the actions of Rio Tinto and calling for the Western Australian government to put a stop to the destruction of heritage until new laws are passed.

The majority bipartisan interim report said Rio Tinto’s decision to destroy two rock shelters in Juukan Gorge, against the wishes of the traditional owners and despite knowing the archaeological value of the site, was “inexcusable”.

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Sydney Mardi Gras members vote against banning police from 2021 parade

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Activist group Pride in Protest says presence of police makes Indigenous people feel unsafe

A controversial bid to remove police and prison officer floats from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has failed at the event’s annual general meeting.

But, in a strong anti-police statement, Saturday’s motion attracted 44% of the votes, drawing 261 votes in favour. Three hundred and twenty-seven members voted against it.

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Hundreds rally in Australian capital cities against the $3.6bn Narrabri gas project

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Activists have joined Aboriginal traditional owners in voicing opposition to the controversial development that received federal approval last month

Hundreds of people in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane have rallied in support of Aboriginal traditional owners to voice their strong opposition to Santos’ $3.6bn gas project in western New South Wales, which they say will devastate Gamilaraay Gomeroi cultural ties to sacred and significant heritage sites.

Last month, federal environment minister Sussan Ley approved the controversial development that could see up to 850 gas wells being drilled in grazing land and the Pilliga forest, which holds great significance for Gamilaraay Gomeroi people.

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‘I fell asleep at the wheel’: my life changed the day my partner died | Rhonda Davis

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Mat was killed when the car rolled on our way home from a party. I was jailed for five years

My name is Rhonda Davis. I’m a 38-year-old Kamillaroi woman with four children.

In September 2013, I found myself for the first time involved in the criminal justice system.

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Albanese backs anthem change; federal Icac under fire – live news

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Opposition leader supports NSW premier’s call to change words to Australia’s national anthem to be more inclusive of First Nations. Follow all the latest news and updates, live

The ABC has more on the complaint Rachelle Miller has lodged against Michaelia Cash, whose office she worked in once her relationship with Alan Tudge ended. Cash has rejected the claims.

From the ABC report:

After the May 2018 budget, when many ministers travel the country to sell the political message, Ms Miller was told she would not be travelling with the minister because Senator Cash did not think her attendance necessary.

“I felt like I had been set up to fail, there was no way that I could manage it from the Canberra office,” Ms Miller’s complaint reads.

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is having a sale on its very in-demand (I’m sure) State of Origin merchandise.

It’s Pauline Hanson vs Mark Latham in the PHON SOOO and I don’t know much, but I do know this - if you walk into someone’s house and they have one of these products, walk back out.

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ALP pursues government over land deal as Coalition defends childcare scheme – as it happened

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Melburnians can now travel up to 25km and spend more time out of the house; and federal parliament resumes with Senate estimates. This blog is now closed

To recap:

In the off chance you aren’t completely fed up with Covid-19 data, the federal health department has been publishing a weekly snapshot of how each state is going.

This is an interesting tool for assessing the success of contact tracing in various states, especially as the case load in Victoria continues to drop.

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Victorian coroner changes how Indigenous deaths in custody are investigated

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Aboriginal legal services say they don’t have enough funding to meet the new commitments

The coroner’s court of Victoria has changed the way it investigates Indigenous deaths in custody to reflect recommendations made in a royal commission almost 30 years ago, but Aboriginal legal services say they don’t have enough funding to meet the court’s new commitments.

The Victorian state coroner, judge John Cain, issued a practice direction on Tuesday outlining new standards for investigating Indigenous deaths in custody. It includes a requirement that the coroner attend the scene of death where practicable, instead of relying on the report of the police officer conducting the investigation.

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Rio Tinto CEO and senior executives resign from company after Juukan Gorge debacle

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In a statement to Australian Stock Exchange the company confirms move that follows the blowing up of 46,000-year-old caves in Western Australia

The Rio Tinto chief executive, Jean-Sébastien Jacques, and two other senior executives are leaving the global miner after its board bowed to intense investor pressure for strong action over its decision to blow up 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Rio Tinto said Jacques was leaving “by mutual agreement” with the board.

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Indigenous Australians locked in immigration detention believed to be entitled to payout due to ‘negligence’

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First Nations Australians were deported to Papua New Guinea under ‘aliens’ power in constitution

The continuing incarceration of at least 20 people claiming to be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent in immigration detention centres in Australia appears unlawful and they may be entitled to compensation, legal experts say.

A spokesperson from Australian Border Force said that so far only five “non-citizen non-aliens have been released from immigration detention”.

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New closing the gap agreement commits governments to work in partnership with Aboriginal groups

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Four priority reforms and 16 socio-economic targets to focus on housing, early childhood and justice

The new national agreement on closing the gap has been released. The culmination of months of negotiation between Aboriginal peak organisations and governments, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, says it is “built on mutual trust, shared responsibility, dignity and respect”.

Four priority reforms and 16 socio-economic targets commit federal, state and territory governments to work in partnership with Aboriginal organisations to design and deliver on priority areas such as housing, early childhood and justice reform.

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Australia’s Coon cheese to change name in effort to help ‘eliminate racism’

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Company has previously resisted calls to change branding, saying it was named after American cheesemaker Edward William Coon

The Australian cheese brand Coon will change its name to help “eliminate racism” following a campaign stating the product name was offensive to Indigenous Australians.

Friday’s announcement by Saputo, the dairy company that owns Coon, “to retire the Coon brand name”, comes after a decades-long effort to rename the cheese, including an unsuccessful 1999 complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission from Indigenous activist Dr Stephen Hagan.

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Labor senator reads out names of Indigenous deaths in custody – video

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In a powerful statement to the Senate, Malarndirri McCarthy has read out the names of First Nations people who have died in custody, citing Guardian Australia's Deaths inside project.

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Facebook blocks and bans users for sharing Guardian article showing Aboriginal men in chains

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Social media site incorrectly removed historical photo on grounds of nudity, then for three days blocked and even banned users who posted link to article

Facebook has blocked and in some cases banned users who tried to share a Guardian article about the site incorrectly blocking an image of Aboriginal men in chains.

On Saturday, Guardian Australia reported that Facebook had apologised for incorrectly preventing an Australian user from sharing the photo from the 1890s.

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