120713 – ‘Stronger Futures’ opinion by Craig Longman, Michael Brull, Eva Cox, Paddy Gibson, etc

Contents:
* Sisters of Saint Joseph:
Younger Sisters Voice their Solidarity
* Background: Calls for ‘Stronger Futures’ laws to be
subject to Human Rights scrutiny
* Craig Longman:
Stronger Futures shines a light on a nation’s racism
* Jon Altman:
NT intervention: what happened to outcomes?
* Michael Brull:
Strong Futures: no evidence things are getting better
* Emma Murphy:
Aboriginal rights movement mourns stolen futures
* Eva Cox:
Income management starts throughout Australia
* Interview with Eva Cox on the extension of income management
* Penny Howard:
Intervention laws pass but support for fight in Bankstown builds
* Paddy Gibson:
Locked up and killed for being black:
Racism, deaths in custody and the NT Intervention
* More ‘Stronger Futures’ Legislation related articles
* Background to ‘Stronger Futures’ new NT Intervention laws
* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* Chris Graham:
Constitutional Reform: There’s a sucker born every minute

* SISTERS OF SAINT JOSEPH:
YOUNGER SISTERS VOICE THEIR SOLIDARITY

– News

Sisters of Saint Joseph:
Younger Sisters Voice their Solidarity
http://www.sosj.org.au/news-events/view_article.cfm?id=897&loadref=7
9 Jul 12: “The Under 60 year old Sisters of Saint Joseph
from Peru, Brazil, New Zealand and Australia, many of whom
live, work and are in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples,
came together in Sydney last week to network and celebrate
life together. … With Northern Territory Elders and the
National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples we call on
the Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin to allow the
Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights to examine all
control measures proposed in the Stronger Futures Bill.”

* BACKGROUND: CALLS FOR ‘STRONGER FUTURES’ LAWS TO BE
SUBJECT TO HUMAN RIGHTS SCRUTINY

Last updated: 12 July 2012

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/07/07/background-calls-for-stronger-futures-laws-to-be-subject-to-human-rights-scrutiny

* CRAIG LONGMAN:
STRONGER FUTURES SHINES A LIGHT ON A NATION’S RACISM

– Analysis / Opinion

agendaTracker:
Stronger Futures shines a light on a nation’s racism
http://tracker.org.au/2012/07/stronger-futures-shines-a-light-on-nations-racism-2/
12 Jul 12: “NATIONAL: The character of a society can be
determined through its legislative process. So what does
Stronger Futures say about Australia, asks CRAIG LONGMAN*.
This month, the federal government’s Stronger Future’s
Legislation passed the Senate. … The legislation clearly
discriminates on the basis of race, and so is, on its
face, in breach of the Racial Discrimination Act, unless
it can be characterised as a ‘special measure’.”
Craig Longman, senior researcher,
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning,
University of Technology, Sydney

* JON ALTMAN: NT INTERVENTION: WHAT HAPPENED TO OUTCOMES?

– Analysis / Opinion

Crikey: NT intervention: what happened to outcomes?
http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/07/12/nt-intervention-what-happened-to-outcomes/
12 Jul 12: “The fifth anniversary of the Northern Territory
Emergency Response Intervention ticked over Tuesday. It was
supposed to be “liberation” day for prescribed communities
in the Northern Territory, by now supposedly “stabilised,
normalised and exited”. Instead it was another day of shame
for the many Aboriginal people who are demeaned and
humiliated by intervention measures and resent such
“special” treatment.” By Jon Altman of ANU’s Centre for
Aboriginal Economic Policy Research

* MICHAEL BRULL:
STRONG FUTURES: NO EVIDENCE THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER

– Analysis / Opinion

ABC The Drum Opinion:
Strong Futures: no evidence things are getting better
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4118526.html
9 Jul 12: “All it took was one night of debate in the
Senate, for the Stronger Futures legislation to pass into
law. All done in about eight hours, from 6.00pm on June 28,
to about 2:15am the next morning. This was in the face of
vast Indigenous opposition to this expansion of the
intervention. Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra OAM, speaking for
8,000 Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory,
declared the day the laws passed a “day of mourning”.
Similarly, Rosalie Kunoth Monks announced “We will never
accept this racist legislation”.” Michael Brull,
is involved in Stop The Intervention Collective Sydney
(STICS)

* EMMA MURPHY:
ABORIGINAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT MOURNS STOLEN FUTURES

– News

Green Left: Aboriginal rights movement mourns stolen futures
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/51571
6 Jul 12: “In the early hours of June 29, the Australian
Senate passed legislation that is expected to entrench
assimilation, disadvantage and racism for another decade in
the Northern Territory. Aboriginal leaders across the NT
declared a period of mourning after the new laws – called
Stronger Futures – were passed as they reel from the
decision, take stock and plan to up the ante in their fight
against the latest neoliberal assault on their communities.
… One thing we know from the history of Aboriginal
resistance is that the fight in the NT will continue, in
new and creative ways. A strong, nationwide solidarity
campaign is as needed as it ever was: … ”
Emma Murphy, Darwin

* EVA COX: INCOME MANAGEMENT STARTS THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA

– Analysis / Opinion

The Conversation:
Income management starts throughout Australia
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1667198/Income-management-starts-throughout-Australia
9 Jul 12: “Despite a lack of evidence that financial
control improves parenting or social order, income
management is going ahead and few know it is happening,
writes Eva Cox from UTS. … Income management was
originally trialled in 72 Aboriginal communities in the
Northern Territory under Intervention legislation, but is
now spreading throughout Australia. The amending
legislation went through parliament late last Thursday
night, and on Monday Centrelink started signing up
“customers”. …clients are being identified in five new
areas: Bankstown, Shepparton, Playford, Logan and
Rockhampton.” By Eva Cox, University of Technology, Sydney

* INTERVIEW WITH EVA COX ON THE EXTENSION OF INCOME MANAGEMENT

– Audio Interview

Indigenous radio station 98.9FM Brisbane:
Eva Cox
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/
12 Jul 12: “Eva Cox AO is a writer, feminist, sociologist,
social commentator, and activist. Eva has been an active
advocate for creating more civil societies”
Listen to this interview on-line:
http://www.989fm.com.au/podcasts/lets-talk/eve-cox/
[Includes discussion of the extension of income management.]

* PENNY HOWARD:
INTERVENTION LAWS PASS
BUT SUPPORT FOR FIGHT IN BANKSTOWN BUILDS

– News

Solidarity:
Intervention laws pass but support for fight in Bankstown builds

Intervention laws pass but support for fight in Bankstown builds

July 2012: “”The Government has shown absolute disregard
for our wishes and our human rights”, Dr Djiniyini
Gondarra, Yolngu Nations Assembly spokesperson, declared
after “Stronger Futures” laws passed the Senate on June 29.
The laws extend the Northern Territory Intervention for
ten years and have been condemned by the Yolngu Nations
and many Aboriginal, community and church organisations.
42,000 people signed a petition opposing the legislation.
One aspect of what many now describe as “Stolen Futures” is
the expansion of the policy of Income Management or welfare
quarantining. The Sydney suburb of Bankstown is one of five
areas chosen for the expansion, although the Minister can
now designate other sites at will.” Penny Howard

* PADDY GIBSON:
LOCKED UP AND KILLED FOR BEING BLACK:
RACISM, DEATHS IN CUSTODY AND THE NT INTERVENTION

– Analysis / Opinion

Solidarity:
Locked up and killed for being black:
Racism, deaths in custody and the NT Intervention

Locked up and killed for being Black: Racism, deaths in custody and the NT Intervention

July 2012: “Disgracefully, Labor has continued this
Intervention and just passed “Stronger Futures” legislation
that will extend its key powers until 2022 … The recent
growth in the numbers of Aboriginal people locked up-and
dying in custody-indicates the growing level of oppression
of Aboriginal people thanks to the policies of the Howard
government and their extension by Labor. Family
spokesperson Patricia Morton-Thomas has said her nephew
Kwementyaye Briscoe was, “a victim of the NT
Intervention”. This is not just because there are more
police, with more powers, than before 2007, but also
because, “the Intervention has let every closet racist
in the Territory to come out”. It has dehumanised
Aboriginal people, legitimising the sort of brutal
treatment and indifference to suffering demonstrated by
the police in the Briscoe case. Without turning around
policies like the NT Intervention, there will be more
Aboriginal people behind bars and more grieving families.”
Paddy Gibson

– Related News

Solidarity: How police killed Kwementyaye Briscoe

How police killed Kwementyaye Briscoe

July 2012: “The full, shocking truth about the death of
Kwementyaye Briscoe in Alice Springs has been exposed by a
two-week coronial investigation. Kwementyaye was an
Anmatjere man, and his death is a tragic story of police
brutality, criminal neglect and systemic racism. …
Patricia Morton-Thomas put out a joint statement with the
Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney, calling for
charges to be laid: “If my nephew had not been taken into
police custody, he would be alive today….Aboriginal
people are sitting in jail for things far less serious
than what [Evans] did to my young fella.”” Paddy Gibson

* MORE ‘STRONGER FUTURES’ LEGISLATION RELATED ARTICLES:

– Analysis / Opinion

SMH: NT’s tough love: helping hand or a heavy hand?
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/nts-tough-love-helping-hand-or-a-heavy-hand-20120706-21mma.html
7 Jul 12: “Written by another former indigenous affairs
minister, Fred Chaney, the submission expresses the concern
that the top-down structure of the response will preclude
the very engagement with local communities that Macklin
accepts is essential. … Wisely, Macklin has made it plain
that the legislation will be amended if it is not achieving
the “desired outcomes” of reducing alcohol-fuelled
violence, increasing school attendance and improving health
and employment. The legislation is in place, but the debate
about whether this is the best way to achieve results is
only just beginning.” Michael Gordon,
national affairs editor, The Age

The Conversation: The 30-year cycle:
Indigenous policy and the tide of public opinion
http://theconversation.edu.au/the-30-year-cycle-indigenous-policy-and-the-tide-of-public-opinion-8114
6 Jul 12: “Last week, the Stronger Futures legislation
passed through the senate – laws which extend the Northern
Territory Intervention for another 10 years. The relative
merits and faults of the legislation aside, equally
noteworthy is the policy’s duration. It was Howard who
initiated the Intervention in 2007, but there is a longer
tradition at play here of public opinion shaping and
forming Indigenous policies.” Mark Moran,
Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Queensland

– News

National Indigenous Times:
Leaders challenge conduct of protesters against Minister
at NAIDOC Ball
http://www.nit.com.au/your-say.html
http://www.nit.com.au/news/1418-macklin-brought-to-tears.html
12 Jul 12: “By National Indigenous Times Editor Stephen
Hagan. Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin,
the architect of the Stronger Futures Legislation (The
Intervention) that passed through the Senate on June 29
required an intervention of her own at the 2012 NAIDOC
Awards Ceremony and Ball held in Hobart on Friday night
after unrelenting interruptions from around 20 Tasmanian
protesters in… ”

National Indigenous Times:
Claims $250 incentive on offer at Bankstown to take up
BasicsCard
http://www.nit.com.au/news/1414-claims-250-incentive-on-offer-at-bankstown-to-take-up-basicscard.html
12 Jul 12: “By National Indigenous Times reporter Geoff
Bagnall. Centrelink has been offering inducements in an
attempt to get people to sign up to the BasicsCard in
Bankstown in New South Wales in a repeat of tactics used in
the Northern Territory Intervention. Paddy Gibson from the
Stop the Intervention Collective, Sydney (STICS) said on
the Monday when the… ”

Koori Mail: Ten more years of Govt intervention
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php?page=Current+Edition
11 Jul 12: “ABORIGINAL people living in prescribed
communities across the Northern Territory face another ten
years of government intervention in their lives. The
Stronger Futures bills were passed by the Senate last week,
and then ratified by the House of Representatives. The laws
include tough alcohol restrictions, and a program that cuts
the welfare payments of parents whose kids skip school,
known as the Students Enrolment and Attendance Measure
(SEAM), and prohibit cultural considerations being taken
into account in sentencing. The package also expands
income management for people on welfare to five trial sites
outside the NT – in Bankstown, NSW, Playford, SA,
Shepparton, Victoria, and Rockhampton and Logan in
Queensland from 1 July.”

SMH: No state deal yet on welfare trial
http://www.smh.com.au/national/no-state-deal-yet-on-welfare-trial-20120708-21pge.html
9 Jul 12: “THE Victorian government is yet to reach
agreement with the Commonwealth about what part it will
play in a welfare quarantining trial – originally
introduced as part of the intervention in Northern
Territory’s remote indigenous communities – that has
started in the town of Shepparton. … But because Victoria
has not reached agreement with the Commonwealth, for the
time being only those who volunteer for income management
will participate in the scheme.”

The Mercury: Policy salvo for MP at ball
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/07/08/344505_tasmania-news.html
8 Jul 12: “FEDERAL Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny
Macklin has been booed and heckled off stage at the gala
NAIDOC Ball in Hobart. The spontaneous outpouring of
disgust on Friday night was in response to Ms Macklin’s
support for the Government’s extension of the controversial
Northern Territory Aboriginal intervention scheme for a
further 10 years. Ms Macklin was at the NAIDOC Week event
to present the award for Aboriginal of the Year. But as
soon as she walked on to the stage, people began a chorus
of booing.”

Shepparton News:
Macklin defends Shepparton income management trial
http://www.mmg.com.au/local-news/shepparton/macklin-defends-shepparton-income-management-trial-1.22843
5 Jul 12: “Families Minister Jenny Macklin says a
controversial income management trial being run in
Shepparton will ensure welfare payments are used in the
best interests of children. About 1000 Shepparton people
are expected to have their Centrelink payments controlled
under the Federal Government’s income management pilot
scheme, Families Minister Jenny Macklin said yesterday.”

– Video

Today Tonight: Centrelink’s new Basics card
http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/video/watch/29921745/centrelinks-new-basics-card/
http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/video/
9 Jul 12: “A radical system designed to give Centrelink
more control over who gets welfare and how they use could
mean a revolution, or just an angry revolt.”

* BACKGROUND TO ‘STRONGER FUTURES’ NEW NT INTERVENTION LAWS:

Last updated: 9 July 2012

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-stronger-futures-new-nt-intervention-laws

* BACKGROUND TO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY (NT) INTERVENTION:

Last updated: 4 July 2012

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-northern-territory-nt-intervention

* CHRIS GRAHAM:
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: THERE’S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE

– Analysis / Opinion

agendaTracker:
Constitutional Reform: There’s a sucker born every minute
http://tracker.org.au/2012/07/constitutional-reform-theres-a-suck-born-every-minute/
11 Jul 12: “NATIONAL: I don’t normally agree with anything
George Brandis says, but in this piece in The Australian
last week it finally happened. … In short, while-ever the
Northern Territory intervention laws remain on our books;
while-ever the jailing rates of Aboriginal people are
world-beaters; while-ever Aboriginal children die of
rheumatic heart disease; while-ever governments deny
Aboriginal people basic land and human rights… there
should be no engagement with government by Aboriginal
leaders on constitutional reform.” By Chris Graham,
Walkley Award and Human Rights award winning writer,
Managing Editor of Tracker