Stop the forced closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia.

Stop the forced closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia.

This battle to protect and stand with our indigenous brothers and sisters began with this

It has been six months since the federal government signed over funding responsibility for providing municipal and essential services to Western Australia’s 274 remote Indigenous communities to the state government and four since the WA premier, Colin Barnett, said between 100 and 150 of those communities faced “closure” because they were “not viable”.

On Tuesday, Tony Abbott further inflamed the situation by saying his government could not be expected to “endlessly subsidise lifestyle choices if those lifestyle choices are not conducive to the kind of full participation in Australian society that everyone should have”.

Tony Abbott is so bad he makes John Key look okay. Lifestyle choices??? The response has been sharp

The Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson has blasted Tony Abbott’s comments that living in a remote community is a lifestyle choice, saying it is a “deranged debate” conducted in a “substandard manner”... He described the comments as “shameless” and a “disgraceful turn of events”.

and

The chairwoman of the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia, Michelle Nelson-Cox, said Abbott’s comments were “hugely disappointing”.

“The prime minister’s comments about Aboriginal communities place no value on the connection to country and culture that these communities provide, nor the important role they play in the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people,” she said.

“Aboriginal people are obligated to maintain a connection to country to sustain spiritual beliefs, customary activities and traditional lore. In addition to providing a home to many Aboriginal people, these communities provide a continuing sense of identity through this ongoing connection to country.”

This article dispels the myth of closing these communities because of sexual abuse.

And Gerry Brownlee

 denied co-leader of the Māori Party, Marama Fox leave from the House of Representatives to vote on a motion to condemn the Australian Government’s impending closure of remote indigenous communities in Western Australia.

What can we do from here to support our brothers and sisters over there?

Facebook site here  And here is a great profile of Sam Cook who is one of the leaders of the social media campaign.

March on 1 May to show support - will update soon.

UPDATE: Current A-Z listings of upcoming actions ‪#‎SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA‬

first australians - great series

I watched the first part of this series last night on Maori TV. It told the history and deliberate attempted destruction of Tasmanian Aborigines - it was so sad.

History - this series should be on primetime and everyone should watch it. The countries that colonised the indigenous people - the canada's, the australia's, the usa's, and the new zealand's and the many others must realise that unless the truth is known there can be no basis of forgiveness or moving on. You cannot build a society on lies. Thank goodness for maori tv otherwise we would remain ignorant.



Go here for more excerpts

closing the gaps in australia

Sometimes I come across something that really covers the major points well. This article is one of those excellent outlines that encompasses wide ranging sub-topics within the major topic. Think - what do we really know about what is happening over the ditch?

From Green Left an awesome site  "Human rights shame: Aboriginal people fighting back."

"In February 2008 — at the first session of parliament after he won government — Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a moving apology to the Stolen Generations, the Aboriginal children abducted from their families last century as part of a policy of social engineering to extinguish the Aboriginal identity."

The speech carried the promise that, unlike the preceding Coalition government, the new Labor government was willing to address the ongoing oppression Aboriginal Australians have suffered since the British invaded in 1788.

But the grim reality is that Aboriginal people continue to suffer human rights abuses as horrific as any occurring anywhere in the world. The Rudd government is maintaining Coalition policies that are making the situation worse.

Furthermore, such is the institutional nature of anti-Aboriginal racism that these abuses would pass unnoticed were it not for the strong resistance of the Aboriginal people themselves.

Rudd promised to “close the gap” between Indigenous and non-Indigenous education and health outcomes. The gap is indeed glaring: Aboriginal life expectancy is 17 years less than that of other Australians.

However, Rudd’s policies have actually increased the gap."

It is interesting that rudd used the 'closing the gaps' line so quickly dropped by labour here when the racists starting making noises. And isn't it also interesting that in trying to better the situation they have actually made it worse. Why did that happen? Perhaps they should have talked to and worked with the aboriginal people to help empower them.

Go here to read the full article - it really is an eye-opener.