More must be done for the rights of first peoples

Monica Morgan

The Age July 8, 2013

This NAIDOC week we must value the vision of past indigenous leaders and vow to continue the struggle for justice and reconciliation.

On July 12 my people will be observing National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Day, part of NAIDOC, an annual ritual celebrated through a series of week-long events by indigenous peoples in Australia. The irony of this is that despite its popularity it is not an official day in Australia's calendar.

NAIDOC grew out of an Aboriginal protest and national meeting held in Sydney on Australia Day in 1938 denouncing the lack of rights for indigenous peoples since the country's invasion by the British in 1788. The meeting called for all race based laws and for the mistreatment of Aboriginal peoples to end and drew up a statement of demands for the Australian government.

During this time Aboriginal people were not classified as citizens but rather were held in a category with national flora and fauna. The Australian constitution did not recognise the rights of the first peoples and our continuing ownership of lands and waters. The prevailing legal doctrine of ‘terra nullius’, or simply translated ‘country belonging to nobody’, was the premise for which the British colony and later the Australian federal constitution was constructed.

The theme for NAIDOC in 2013 is ‘We value the vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963’ and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the presentation of two bark petitions to the Federal Parliament. This petition was from the Yolgnu of north-east Arnhem Land who were protesting the proposed mining development that had been approved by Parliament without their knowledge and consent. They felt aggrieved by this action by parliamentarians to mine their country, destroy sacred sites and important dreaming tracks and called for them to change the decision to mine……..

The protests in 1938 and the Yirrkala bark petitions in 1963 remind us that the issue of recognition of the rights of first peoples is still to be addressed. This must be provided through both a process of constitutional change and through a statement of recognition or treaty with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples. Only then can Australia truly say that reconciliation and recognition have been fulfilled in their lifetime.

Monica Morgan is an indigenous rights campaign manager.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/more-must-be-done-for-the-rights-of-first-peoples-20130708-2pm15.html#ixzz2YVCFBGr4

Indonesia, Malaysia are essential to the solution

Editorial The Age June 12, 2013 Once again the editors of The Age courageously hold up the values and the rights of asylum seekers. Where are the churches? One statement in a blue moon is not enough. And all this happening with Refugee Week this Sunday.

To know there are bodies of asylum seekers floating in the Indian Ocean is almost too much to bear, as is the realisation that those who tried but failed to reach our shores last week were so close to a place where they might seek refuge from whatever persecution they feared, and yet so far away from safety.

That yet another boat carrying asylum seekers capsized en route to Australia, with the loss of up to 55 lives, is one more reason to despair at the cynical games being played by our major political parties. The misery that is the boat-borne trade of thousands continues unabated, undeterred by any of the Gillard government's pitiful and meaningless campaigns, such as ‘no advantage’ and its commensurate threat of having refugees' claims deferred for years.

The trade persists because the home governments of many asylum seekers are unable or unwilling to protect their own citizens, and anyone who is desperate enough will flee such countries - irrespective of what is going on in Australia. Many asylum seekers hail from failed or persecutory states, from nations that are mired in moral bankruptcy, or from regimes that lack fair and robust systems of justice to ensure their citizens are afforded protection from persecution.

That hundreds of people have lost their lives trying to reach Australia in the past year is cause for every one of us to stop and consider what we want the government of this nation to do. The answer is not - and never has been - as simple as turning the boats around, as the Coalition parrots. This is a potentially dangerous strategy, as the Howard government found 11 years ago when it directed the navy to tow asylum seeker boats to Indonesian waters: some boats were sabotaged at sea.

The Houston report recommended a regional approach via closer co-operation with Indonesia and Malaysia, two neighbours that have become passive conduits for asylum seekers on their way to Australia. Former defence chief Angus Houston is now Australia's special envoy on asylum seekers, with the job of engaging in ‘quiet diplomacy’. The regional strategy was taken up in the Bali Process, a forum of 40 countries and agencies such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. While talks drag on, however, there seems to be very little action.

How many more must die? We urge every parliamentarian to shed the politics and to act in concert, with your heads clear and your hearts open, to alleviate the appalling loss of life that is happening in waters off Australia's coast. Above all, the Indonesian and Malaysian governments must be put under real and effective pressure to take up their responsibilities. They must be urged to commit to the UN Convention on Refugees, and to carry their weight. Because aside from a few well-publicised arrests of people smugglers, Indonesia in particular has proved ineffective in dealing with any aspect of this. It seems all too content to ignore the masses of people packing themselves onto fishing boats in the dead of night, and too ready to shrug off responsibility.

Read more http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/editorial/indonesia-malaysia-are-essential-to-the-solution-20130611-2o23q.html#ixzz2Vwe761SQ

The Deadly US Base on Diego Garcia An Overlooked Atrocity

SHELDON RICHMAN CounterPunch June 05, 2013
The largest criminal organizations in the world are governments. The bigger they are, the more capable of perpetrating atrocities. Not only do they obtain great wealth through compulsion (taxation), they also have an ideological mystique that permits them uniquely to get away with murder, torture, and theft.
The U.S. government is no exception. This is demonstrated by, among many other things, the atomic bombings of non-combatants in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World II. But let’s examine a lesser-known case, one we might know nothing about were it not for David Vine, who teaches anthropology at the American University. Vine has written a book, Island of Shame, and a follow-up article at the Huffington Post about the savage treatment of the people of Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Americans may know Diego Garcia as a U.S. military base. It ‘helped launch the Afghan and Iraq wars and was part of the CIA’s secret ‘rendition’ program for captured terrorist suspects,’ Vine writes.
What’s not widely known is that the island was once home to a couple of thousand people who were forcibly removed to make room for the U.S. military. The victims’ 40-year effort to return or to be compensated for their losses have been futile.
Great Britain claims the island. According to Vine, African slaves, indentured Indians, and their descendants had been living on the Chagos islands for about 200 years. ‘In 1965, after years of secret negotiations, Britain agreed to separate Chagos from colonial Mauritius (contravening UN decolonization rules) to create a new colony, the British Indian Ocean Territory. In a secret 1966 agreement, Britain gave U.S. officials base rights on Diego Garcia.’…..
British agents, with the help of Navy Seabees, quickly rounded up the islanders’ pet dogs, gassing and burning them in sealed cargo sheds. They ordered … the remaining Chagossians onto overcrowded cargo ships. During the deportations, which took place in stages until May 1973, most Chagossians slept in the ship’s hold atop guano — bird crap. Prized horses stayed on deck. By the end of the five-day trip, vomit, urine, and excrement were everywhere. At least one woman miscarried…..
Read more http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/06/05/the-deadly-us-base-on-diego-garcia/

President Obama: Close Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay - Silence is Torture’s Greatest Strength

The 26th of June marked International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Many people in Australia have been victims of state sponsored torture, including the many refugees who have fled brutal violent regimes, and David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib who were tortured whilst in U.S. custody.

Today, please spare a thought for the the 170 men who still remain detained in Guantanamo Bay- think of what it would be like to be separated from your family for almost 10 years, think of what it must be like to be subjected to beatings, cold rooms, stress positions, 24 hour lighting, loud noises, brutal interrogations, and a constant state of fear. Think about what it would be like to have everything taken away from you- including your basic human rights- and have no way of challenging your torture because you have been prevented from seeking a hearing in normal courts- not because you have been charged or convicted of any crime, rather, because of what you have been accused of. This is the position that all detainees in US custody are in, including those held at Bagram airbase and other military prisons.

Torture is about inflicting silence on its victim- it is about removing the voice of the person who has been violated. History has shown us that the credibility and character of torture victims are always torn apart so that doubt is cast over their claims of violence. They become publicly discredited, vilified and dehumanised to ensure that the public loses their outrage at what has been done to them. The torturers release statements that ensure the ‘humane treatment’ of their captives and reiterate a commitment to human rights whilst in hidden back rooms human beings languish in misery and suffering. This is what torturers do so that they remain unaccountable for their actions- this is how they continue to get away with this most horrible of crimes.

Members of The Justice Campaign remain opposed to torture of any kind and refuse to remain silent about torture. We believe that there is no excuse to torture another human being and those who sanction torture, condone it, cover it up or are complicit, must be held accountable as universally recognised human rights law dictates.

We must stand together and make our voices heard as silence is torture’s greatest strength.



I served 25 years in the US Air Force, I was the Chief Prosecutor for the Terrorism Trials at Guantanamo Bay for more than two years, and now I need your help.

I personally charged Osama Bin Laden’s driver Salim Hamdan, Australian anathema David Hicks, and Canadian teen Omar Khadr. All three were convicted … and then they were released from Guantanamo. More than 160 men who have never been charged with any offense, much less convicted of a war crime, remain at Guantanamo with no end in sight. There is something fundamentally wrong with a system where not being charged with a war crime keeps you locked away indefinitely and a war crime conviction is your ticket home.

As of April 29, 2013 – 100 of the 166 men who remain in Guantanamo are engaged in a hunger strike in protest of their indefinite detention. Twenty-one of them are being force-fed and five are hospitalized. Some of the men have been in prison for more than eleven years without charge or trial. The United States has cleared a majority of the detainees for transfer out of Guantanamo, yet they remain in custody year after year because of their citizenship and ongoing political gamesmanship in the U.S.

That is why I am calling on Secretary of Defense Charles Hagel to use his authority to effect cleared transfers from Guantanamo and on President Obama to appoint an individual within the Administration to lead the effort to close Guantanamo. Obama announced on April 30 that he plans to do his part to close Guantanamo, but he has made this promise before. Now is the time to hold him to his promise and urge him to take the steps necessary to dismantle Guantanamo Bay Prison.

If any other country were treating prisoners the way we are treating those in Guantanamo we would roundly and rightly criticize that country. We can never retake the legal and moral high ground when we claim the right to do unto others that which we would vehemently condemn if done to one of us.

It is probably no surprise that human rights and activist groups like the Center For Constitutional Rights, Witness Against Torture and Amnesty International have been outspoken critics of Guantanamo. It may surprise you that a former military prosecutor and many other retired senior military officers and members of the intelligence community agree with them.

The Patriotic thing, the American thing, the Human thing to do here is to Close Guantanamo. Please join us in the fight by signing this petition.

Go to website Sign Petition
Petition by

Morris Davis

Gainesville, VA

Prisons fill with indigenous people - Inga Ting Sydney Morning Herald May 27, 2013

Every day in Australia, 30,000 people wake up in a jail. Statistically, one of those people dies every six days.
Last week the Australian Institute of Criminology delivered its long-awaited report into deaths in custody. Its national deaths in custody program was established after the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in recognition that timely, accurate data was crucial to reducing the unacceptably high number of deaths in our prison and police systems.
That this report is not months but years late is a snub to the importance of that goal. A decade ago, the program was delivering its reports within days of the close of the reporting period - the 2003, 2004 and 2005 reports were delivered within one month. Then, without explanation, each of the next three reports took between 16 months and two years to appear. The 2009-11 report has been almost 3½ years in the making……
The government's press release - with the Orwellian title ‘20 Years on - Improvements in death-in-custody rates but more to be done’ - labelled the report as ‘encouraging’ and ‘welcomed … findings that death-in-custody rates have decreased significantly in the past decade’ and are ‘some of the lowest recorded’.
But that was spin. The truth is that rates of death are only low because rates of incarceration are at a record high. In fact, the actual number of indigenous deaths in prison is on the rise, with the number in 2009-10 (14 deaths) equal to the highest on record…….
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/policy-failure-as-prisons-fill-with-indigenous-people-20130526-2n534.html#ixzz2URKFXV5g

For Climate Solution, Look to the Ground

Soil, that humble brown stuff we call dirt, is part of the answer to saving our future
Judith Schwartz Common Dreams May 21, 2013
Late last week the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere crossed the 400 parts per million (ppm) threshold. From a climate standpoint this is alarming, and points to the urgency of shifting away from fossil fuels. However, I also feel that our sole emphasis on CO2 blinds us to other means of addressing climate change—notably by returning carbon to where it belongs, in the soil. For this approach represents not only our greatest opportunity to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels, but simultaneously enhances soil fertility and biodiversity, and the land’s ability to retain water.
We get the impression that human interference with climate is a sky thing: those greenhouse gases we keep pumping into the air. But it’s also a ground phenomenon. The flip-side of rising atmospheric CO2 is the loss of carbon in the soil, the main component of soil organic matter. More carbon is stored in soil than in the atmosphere and plants combined. Over time, more CO2 has entered the atmosphere from soil-disturbing agricultural practices than the burning of fossil fuels. Once we understand this, and encourage land management strategies that store carbon as opposed to promoting its oxidation, things look different. This is cause for optimism because while we can’t un-burn fossil fuels (futuristic geoengineering tricks notwithstanding), we can effectively return carbon to the soil……
Cutting emissions is a crucial part of reducing atmospheric CO2 levels. But as we reckon with climate change and other environmental problems, it’s time we brought our efforts down to earth. Soil, that humble brown stuff we call dirt, responds readily to restorative measures. Soil carbon, a fulcrum in many biological cycles, offers crucial points of leverage. By focusing only on atmospheric carbon, we’re missing an important part of the picture. We’re also missing the opportunity to engage the public, push past malaise and hand-wringing, and get our hands dirty—literally—to safeguard our future.
Read more http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/05/21

'Tree of Life' The Performance tells the true life stories of young refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Serbia who attend Miller High School and Intensive English Centre, Liverpool Boys High School and Fairvale High School.

May 23, 2013

Event Information
This is a very powerful show for both students and adult audiences. When you see a terrorist attack acted out on stage, you have to remember that the students on stage are the survivors of that attack! The young refugees actually perform their own stories of childhood fun, then of terror and loss, and finally of resettlement and recovery. This is the culmination of a program involving group counselling, drama therapy and performance.
These amazing young people love to share their stories – the performance provides validation and understanding. Some stories are sad, some are shocking and some are very, very funny. Last year we sold out the Casula Powerhouse and the Ensemble Theatre, Kirribilli. This year we have extra performances to fill!
Comments from previous years included:
‘Laughed so hard at the beginning, cried in the middle and couldn’t stop smiling at the end.’
‘Best theatre I have seen for years!’
The work of Treehouse Theatre was recognized by a 2012 Refugee Week Humanitarian Award, presented by the Refugee Council of Australia.
Please book in advance. Last year several performances were sold out. See details in the attached flyer.
Casula performances:
Thursday 23 May - 10.00 am and 12.30 pm
Friday 24 May - 10.00 am, 12.30 pm and 7.00 pm
Bookings: (02) 9824 1121

Ensemble performances:
Monday 3 June - 10.00 am, 12.30 pm and 7.00 pm
Monday 22 July - 7.00 pm
Bookings: (02) 9929 0624

For more information call 0414 257 087
George Rosier
Secretary, Treehouse Theatre Inc.
Carlingford NSW 2118
Email: georosier@gmail.com
Mobile: 0414 257 087
The 'Tree of Life' tells the true life stories of young refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Serbia who attend Miller High School and Intensive English Centre, Liverpool Boys High School and Fairvale High School.
The show assists non-refugee students to better appreciate the lives of their refugee classmates who are struggling with current resettlement issues and past trauma. Refugee students in the audience feel acknowledged and recognised.

The performance also has relevance to a variety of curriculum areas including HSC English (Belonging), Drama, Human Society and its Environment and Dance.

The performance is also a wonderful opportunity for staff development.
Bookings are now open at the Ensemble Theatre on 9929 0644 or go to Shows for Schools: http://www.showsforschools.com.au/show/id/12017.
Please book early to avoid disappointment!

I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is that they must change if they are to get better.
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (German scientist, satirist and Anglophile- 1742-1799)

A book is a mirror; if an ass peers into it, you cannot expect an apostle to peer out.
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all.
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg