Pat Dodson lashes sinister "intervention"

Stuart Rintoul
The Australia, September 13, 2007

ABORIGINAL leader Pat Dodson has penned a savage attack on the Howard Government's intervention in the Northern Territory, describing it as a sinister attempt to extinguish indigenous culture.

In the first book dealing with the historic intervention three months ago - Coercive Reconciliation - Stabilise, Normalise, Exit Aboriginal Australia - Mr Dodson also takes aim at Aboriginal leaders who have supported the Government's plan, calling them recklessly naive.

Without naming Noel Pearson or other Aboriginal leaders who have backed the intervention, he writes: "Some indigenous voices in this debate, motivated by the urgency of ending the suffering in indigenous communities, have been recklessly naive in aiding and abetting the Howard Government's agenda.

"Indigenous advocates, campaigning for structural change in government relationships that aim to liberate their people from the tyranny of welfare dependency and control, have misread the indigenous political struggle."

In an essay titled Whatever Happened to Reconciliation?, Mr Dodson, who has been called the father of reconciliation, paints a picture of a government using the pretext of child abuse in the Territory to force Aborigines to integrate into mainstream society.

He says the Government is bent on a radical agenda of "deconstructing and denying the abilities of indigenous people to live in their settlements on traditional country" and has set out to "remodel them into mine labourers, small business people and private entrepreneurs".

He writes that Aboriginal people have so consistently been portrayed as sexual deviants and sociopaths during the Howard years that it has set like cement in the minds of ordinary Australians that "there is nothing noble in the Aboriginal race".

In a separate essay in the book, which is edited by ANU academics Jon Altman and Melinda Hinkson, Mr Dodson's brother Mick describes the intervention as "storm-trooper tent diplomacy of health providers dressed in battle fatigues".

Attacking indigenous policy during the Howard years, Pat Dodson writes: "The benign use of government language - mainstream services, practical reconciliation, mutual obligations, responsibilities and participation in the real economy - cloaks a sinister destination."

He says the Government's goal is "the extinguishing of indigenous culture by attrition", and describes this as "a searing moral challenge" for the nation.

In Alice Springs yesterday, Mr Dodson emerged from a briefing by NT taskforce chairwoman Sue Gordon and operational commander Major General David Chalmers concerned that little had been done to stem the "rivers of grog" flowing into Aboriginal communities with still no valid explanation for taking over Aboriginal land or abolishing the permit system controlling access to Aboriginal communities.

He said a succession of reports suggested Aboriginal living standards had worsened during the Howard years. Whole-of-government trials in Aboriginal communities aimed at bringing together the various levels of government, shared responsibility agreements and regional partnership agreements had been "an unmitigated public policy disaster".

"Coercive Reconciliation", a collection of essays by Aboriginal leaders, academics and social commentators, is edited by Jon Altman and Melinda Hinkson, and published by Arena.

Peace & Non Violence Commission Bill 2007

Peace & Non Violence Commission Bill 2007

Letter sent to Senator Allison from Pax Christi Australia NSW.

Dear Senator Allison,

I am the NSW Convenor of Pax Christi Australia [NSW] and national promoter for justice and peace for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart - a religious congregation working in many different areas in Australia and overseas. Pax Christi is part of an international movement for peace established in 1945 in Europe and is now established in each continent. At our meeting this evening the Peace Commission and Non Violence Bill was mentioned and discussed. May I congratulate you on this wonderful initiative. The Committee meeting asked me to pass on these sentiments and was also keen to know how we might support you in this Bill. Personally, I am very excited by it. I would be very grateful to hear from you as to how our group might support this initiatve.

With best wishes for all you do

Sincerely yours

[Father] Claude Mostowik msc


Father Claude Mostowik msc
Director, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Justice and Peace Centre
PO Box 146

15A Swanson Street
Erskineville NSW 2043
Australia



Convenor, Pax Christi Australia [NSW] Inc.
PO Box A681
Sydney South NSW 1235
Australia
Phone 61+2+9550 3845
Fax 61+2+9519 8471
Mobile 0411 450 953

Skype Claude Mostowik
Email mscjust@smartchat.net.au

http://www.paxchristi.org.au
http://www.paxchristi.net/

Social Justice Sunday - 30 September 2007

10am – 4pm

Mary MacKillop Place

North Sydney


Join Graeme Mundine, Larissa Behrendt,

Jill Finnane and Jennifer Burn to discuss global realities around indigenous issues, the environment and trafficking.
Free Sausage Sizzle
RSVP Marion Gambin by Friday 14 September 2007
Phone: 8741 2326 Email: mariongambin@hotmail.com
Cost: a small donation if you can.

All People for Environment & Community

Sydney Peoples Alternative Rally and Festival Friday, September 7 in Hyde
Park North from 11am

Many thousands of people in Sydney do not welcome the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in our city. Their alternative view will be expressed at a colourful festival to be held on Friday, September 7 in Hyde Park North from 11am to 2pm.

All People for Environment and Community, a wide coalition of community groups have come together to organise the Peoples’ Alternative Festival.

The Festival will promote the people’s alternative of fair trade, real action on global warming, genuine development to alleviate poverty, opposition to war, and respect for the labour rights and human rights of all the peoples of our vast Asia Pacific region.

Music, performance, speakers, information and food stalls will combine to offer an inclusive peaceful people’s vision for the future, in stark contrast to the secretive, big business agenda of the 21 APEC leaders behind their concrete barricades.

Bands include: Men from UNCLE; Ken Stewart (Urban Guerrillas); Bolivarian Band and Korean drummers.

Organised by: All People for Environment & Community: Anti-Bases Campaign;

Sydney Peace & Justice Coalition; Migrante Philippines Australia; Bolivarian Circle; Chilean Socialist Party / Oceania; Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union; Australian Services Union; Maritime Union of Australia (Sydney Branch); SEARCH Foundation; Korean Resource Centre; Communist Party of Australia; Inner-West Your Rights at Work; Aust Fair Trade & Investment Network. Contact: Peter Murphy 0418 312 301. Jane Brock 0410 453 459.

Email: pmurphy@search.org.au

ALL WELCOME!

HIGH COURT UPHOLDS RIGHT TO VOTE IN LANDMARK CASE

Thu, 30 Aug 2007

In a landmark decision, the High Court has today upheld the fundamental human right to vote, finding that the Howard Government had acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally in imposing a blanket ban denying prisoners the vote.

In 2006, the Howard Government passed legislation which denied all prisoners the right to vote. This law was challenged in the High Court by Vickie Roach, an Aboriginal woman who is a prisoner at the Dame Phyllis Frost Prison in Melbourne. In orders made today, the High Court struck down the blanket prohibition on prisoners voting. The Court upheld the validity, however, of the law providing that prisoners serving a sentence of three years or longer are not entitled to vote.

The decision of the High Court is a victory for representative democracy, accountable government, the rule of law and fundamental human rights. With Aboriginal Australians incarcerated at a rate of almost 13 times that of their fellow Australians, it is also a vindication of Aboriginal rights.
Speaking after the decision was handed down, Philip Lynch, Director of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre which ran the case, said, OThis is a common sense decision. The Howard Government disenfranchised prisoners on the spurious ground that to do so would promote respect for the social contract and the rule of law. Far from achieving this, denial of the fundamental human right to vote results in social exclusion, isolation, resentment and unaccountable and unrepresentative government. This is particularly undesirable given that the overwhelming majority of prisoners will be released at some stage.¹ Mr Lynch said that the supreme courts of Canada, South Africa and Europe had, over the last ten years, reached the same conclusion.

Mr Lynch paid tribute to Vickie Roach for taking her fight to the High Court. OIn running this case, Vickie has stood up not just for the human rights of prisoners and Aboriginal Australians, but the interests of the entire community. She has done so with courage, integrity and commitment.¹

The Human Rights Law Resource Centre was provided with outstanding legal assistance throughout the case by leading Australian law firm Allens Arthur Robinson, Ron Merkel QC, Michael Pearce SC, and Fiona Forsyth and Kristen Walker of Counsel. OThe legal team brought significant commitment, expertise, resources and dedication to this matter. They acted to protect human rights and uphold the rule of law and, in so doing, acted in the highest traditions of the profession and the interests of the community as a whole.¹


Philip Lynch
Director and Principal Solicitor
Human Rights Law Resource Centre Ltd
Level 1, 550 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
P: + 61 3 9225 6695
F: + 61 3 9225 6686
M: 0438 776 433
E: hrlrc@vicbar.com.au
W: www.hrlrc.org.au

Patrick Dodson 21 August 2007 in Sydney

21st Sydney Chapter Forum - Patrick Dodson 21 August 2007

Sydney Chapter Forum:

Featuring Patrick Dodson,Chairman of the Lingiari Foundation and widely recognised as the Father of the Reconciliation Movement in Australia, and Jack Waterford, Editor-At-Large of the Canberra Times.

Pat will give a spirited address during a lunchtime Forum on the thought provoking and often challenging topic of "Liyan Ngarn" (Common Fate between Black and White Australians).

Jack Waterford will respond to Pat Dodson's address. Jack has interrupted his impressive journalistic career several times to work with and for Aboriginal communities. He writes currently on a wide range of national issues.

The Forum will be held in the NSW Parliament House Theatrette, Macquarie Street, Sydney. Time: 12.15pm for 12.30pm start.

For further details please contact the CES Office on (02) 9572 6044.

Carol Powell's Statement in Court -Talisman Sabre

Gill Burrow's shared this wonderfully moving statement made in court last Thursday by Carole Powell, one of the inspiring TS07 ‘Imagining peace’ group who entered the military exclusion area during the recent Talisman Sabre exercises last month.

Carole was the National Coordinator for the recent John Dear visit organised by Pace e Bene Australia.

If anyone wants some background on the action see http://smoyle.blogspot.com/2007/07/shoalwater-bay-peace-convergence-report.html

In brief, here are their three main objectives for the action [taken from the above website].
“The focus for us was threefold:


1. To establish a reasoned and respectful dialogue with the soldiers. As protests are often restricted to yelling from behind a fence, we wanted to change the dynamic, to engage face to face with the people behind the uniform, and for them to do the same with us.


2. At the same time, we knew that any presence of civilians on the base would immediately halt the war games. Therefore another aim was to disrupt the exercises with our presence.


3. We wanted to see the base transformed from somewhere war games were conducted to a place where peace games are played. Hence not only did our presence cause the shutting down of the military activities, but we invited the soldiers to play frisbee with us on the tarmac.”