Houston, Jacqui --- "Recent Happenings July 2006" [2006] IndigLawB 43; (2006) 6(20) Indigenous Law Bulletin 24

Recent Happenings July 2006

compiled by Jacqui Houston

3 July

Professor Boni Robertson has hit out at claims by Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough that reports such as that of the Royal Commission Into Aboriginal Deaths In Custody and Bringing them Home have led to an approach by the criminal justice system which favours perpetrators over victims. Professor Robertson argues that such a claim ‘defied logic’ when Indigenous people are stilly grossly overrepresented in gaols. However, National Indigenous Council Chair, Dr Sue Gordon, and academic Professor Marcia Langton, support Mr Brough’s assertions, saying that for too long government agencies have ‘taken the “softly softly” approach to child abuse ... because they have been frightened of creating another stolen generation’.

4 July

The Federal Opposition has condemned the Government’s failure to sign the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (‘UNESCO’) Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Federal Government says that the Convention was created and adopted too quickly. To date, 55 states have lodged their willingness to ratify the convention. Australia’s decision not to sign means that it can not access funding programs aimed at saving, preserving or recording languages, stories, customs and practices.

5 July

The only training program in Kerang, north-west Victoria, directly targeting Indigenous youth has been de-funded by the Federal Government. The Pirrewil Kurrek Community Development Employment Project has been operational for nine years but in the wake of the funding loss, two staff and 14 trainees are now unemployed.

6 July

Prime Minister John Howard has supported Health Minister Tony Abbott’s statement that the time taken by Indigenous people to grieve the loss of relatives is preventing the creation of a culture of work. As Health Minister, Mr Abbott is acutely aware of statistics relating to the reduced life expectancy of Indigenous people, however he said that ‘an inordinate amount of time’ is spent grieving and he would rather Indigenous people went out to central Australia and shot feral camels.

6 July

Noel Pearson has called for the appointment of a watchdog body similar to the Productivity Commission to evaluate and report on how state and federal governments perform on issues which relate to and impact on Indigenous Australians. Mr Pearson added that, ideally, the body would be empowered to impose sanctions where performance targets are not met.

7 July

Professor Jon Altman from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research has announced findings of research which stand counter to claims by former Indigenous Affairs Minister Amanda Vanstone, that outstations were not viable as communities and should be abandoned. Professor Altman has found that outstations ‘are amongst the most viable communities in remote areas... [T]hey’re in fact able to manage, for instance, feral animals ... [and] identify breakouts of exotic weed infestations.’

14 July

The Townsville District Court Acting Chief Judge Tony Skoien has agreed with a submission by lawyer Stewart Levitt that the man accused of leading riots in Palm Island, Patrick Lex Wotton, can not receive a fair trial in Townsville. Mr Levitt commissioned a survey which showed that less than five per cent of the region’s locals had a positive opinion of the Palm Island Indigenous community. Mr Wotton’s trial will be moved to Brisbane.

15 July

State leaders have agreed to the Federal Government’s requirement that customary law be removed from consideration in cases of violence and assault in return for funds. The agreement encompasses a number of issues relating to Indigenous Australians including the establishment of an intelligence taskforce supervised by the Australian Crime Commission. The only objection came from ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope who said that customary law was being misrepresented and that reconciliation would be damaged by agreement with the Federal offer.

21 July

The Cherbourg Hospital in Queensland has become the focus of increasing media attention this week after two Aboriginal women died after requests for medical assistance were ignored. In the first case, a man attempting to get medical help for his friend was barred from entering the hospital or communicating with staff because staff allegedly thought he was the abusive boyfriend of a domestic violence victim in the hospital. Most recently, a woman was told to find her own way to another hospital when it was discovered that no one in Cherbourg Hospital knew how to operate the x-ray equipment. She died of a heart attack later that day.

24 July

The President of the Northern Territory Police Association has lodged a complaint with NT Worksafe over the lack of adequate training given to Aboriginal Community Police Officers. Senior Sergeant Vince Kelly says that officers are unprepared for the situations they are forced to deal with and ‘are being used in roles they weren’t intended for.’

25 July

While environment and mining groups are applauding the Queensland Government’s decision to reduce the number of protected wild rivers in the State from 19 to six, Aboriginal leader Murandoo Yanner has promised to ‘restrict any and all ... future exploration and development requirements in ... [the Gulf of Carpentaria] region that come anywhere within a kilometre or two of our rivers.’ The Wild Rivers Act 2005 (Qld) was passed in October 2005.

26 July

Victoria Whitelaw, senior criminal lawyer for the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service says that rehabilitation programs and facilities are essential if petrol sniffing among young people is to be adequately addressed. Without such facilities, says Ms Whitelaw, young offenders will undoubtedly progress to more and more serious crimes. The call is supported by the Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service which says that areas which don’t experience a significant decline in sniffing rates are usually those areas without diversionary programs.

27 July

The Western Australian Government will today introduce their new scheme to attack truancy by cutting Abstudy and Youth Allowance payments to students who miss school. Students will be forced to sign an agreement that they will attend school or face loss of payments.