121005 – “Damning NT report shows income management must go” STICS

Contents:
* STICS: Damning NT report shows income management must go
* The Wire:
New report highlights cost of income management in the NT
* Background to ‘Stronger Futures’ new NT Intervention laws
* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* Our Languages: University of Melbourne researchers urge
government to heed indigenous language report
* Background to the use of Aboriginal languages in NT schools
* Sky News: Protest set for NT alcohol meeting

* STICS: DAMNING NT REPORT SHOWS INCOME MANAGEMENT MUST GO

– Media Release

Stop the Intervention:
Damning NT report shows income management must go
STICS: http://stoptheintervention.org/facts/press-releases/damning-nt-report-shows-income-management-must-go-1-10-12
GL: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/52402
1 Oct 12: “The Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney
(STICS) has renewed calls for the national income
management system to be dismantled, following the release
of a damning report by the NT Co-ordinator General for
Remote Indigenous Services (NTCGRIS). …
“This report from the NTCGRIS meticulously and completely
discredits the NT Intervention. Obscene amounts of money
have been wasted on what it calls ‘punitive’ measures such
as income management, while most Aboriginal people in
remote areas continue to languish in extreme poverty
without access to many basic services”, said Paddy Gibson
from STICS.
“The report says more than $1 billion has been spent on
income management in the NT. More than $225 million has
been spent on Government Business Managers (GBMs) to take
control of community administration. In contrast, an
estimated $2 billion is urgently required on top of current
investments to ensure the functioning of very basic
infrastructure such as sewage and water systems in remote
Aboriginal communities”. … ”

– Report

Office of the Northern Territory Coordinator-General
for Remote Services Report

Click to access Havnen-Final-Report_NTCGRS_24.09.2012.pdf

See:

WGAR News: “Report finds serious flaws in delivery of gov’t
services to NT Aboriginal communities” SNAICC News (30 Sep 12)
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/09/30/wgar-news-report-finds-serious-flaws-in-delivery-of-govt-services-to-nt-aboriginal-commun
[SNAICC: Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care]

– Related News

National Indigenous Times:
Damning report on funding waste proves BasicsCard should be
dismantled, says anti-Intervention group
http://www.nit.com.au/news/1966-damning-report-on-funding-waste-proves-basicscard-should-be-dismantled-says-anti-intervention-group.html
4 Oct 12: “The Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney
(STICS) has renewed calls for the national income
management system, better known as the BasicsCard to be
dismantled, following the release of a damning report by
the Northern Territory Co-ordinator General for Remote
Indigenous Services (NTCGRIS). The report, which documents
extreme waste on spending on bureaucracy, comes as the
$120 million national expansion… ”

National Indigenous Times:
Stop bureaucracy waste on funds for communities by
providing break-up of costs, demands Co-ordinator
http://www.nit.com.au/news/1969-stop-bureaucracy-waste-on-funds-for-communities-by-providing-break-up-of-costs-demands-co-ordinator.html
4 Oct 12: “Money for programs in remote Northern Territory
Indigenous communities is being eaten away by bureaucracy
and all future expenditure on programs should include a
breakdown of administrative costs including staffing,
salaries and travel, a new report has said. Northern
Territory Co-ordinator General for Remote Services, Olga
Havnen handed down a scathing report calling for increased
financial… ”

* THE WIRE:
NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS COST OF INCOME MANAGEMENT IN THE NT

– Audio Interview

The Wire:
New report highlights cost of income management in the NT
Produced by Catherine Zengerer
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=9677
3 Oct 12: “A report issued by the Northern Territory
Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous Services has
sparked renewed calls for the scrapping of compulsory
income management. It’s the 5th Report on Remote Indigenous
Services, but the first by new Co-ordinator General, Olga
Havnen and aims to track how services in Indigenous
communities are helping both the NT and federal
government’s work towards Closing the Gap. But after $1
billion has been spent on income management in the NT and
more than $225 million spent on Government Business
Managers to take control of community administration, the
Stop the Intervention Collective says the report
highlights government waste.
Featured in story:
Paddy Gibson from the Stop the Intervention Collective [Sydney]”

– Related Audio Interview

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
Minister responds to critics of Stronger Futures spending !
http://caama.com.au/minister-responds-to-critics-of-stronger-futures-spending
3 Oct 12: “The Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs has
hit back at critics of the Gillard Labor governments
Stronger Futures strategies in the Northern Territory …
calling on them to say what they would do to improve the
job situation for Aboriginal people in communities. Jenny
Macklin has rejected criticism that too much money
allocated to address Aboriginal disadvantage in the
Northern Territory is being eaten up by bureaucratic
staffing salaries and travel expenses.”

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

Last updated: 1 October 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: 1 October 2012

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

* OUR LANGUAGES:
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE RESEARCHERS
URGE GOVERNMENT TO HEED INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE REPORT

– News

Our Languages:
University of Melbourne researchers urge government to heed
indigenous language report
http://www.ourlanguages.net.au/news/national/item/683-university-of-melbourne-researchers-urge-government-to-heed-indigenous-language-report.html
27 Sep 12: “A group of indigenous language researchers from
the University of Melbourne is calling on the Federal
Government to implement a proposal to introduce bilingual
teaching programs in some schools. The proposal was one of
30 recommendations made last week by a Federal
Parliamentary inquiry into language learning in indigenous
communities. Professor Gillian Wigglesworth, the Director
of the University’s Indigenous Language Research Unit,
said bilingual education was vital to the development of
young children in communities where languages other than
English were spoken at home.”

– Related News

National Indigenous Radio Service:
Calls strengthen for bilingual education
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7560-calls-strengthen-for-bilingual-education
2 Oct 12: “An Indigenous language researcher is calling on
the Federal Government to implement a proposal to introduce
bilingual teaching programs in some schools. The proposal
was one of 30 recommendations made last week by a Federal
Parliamentary inquiry into language learning in Indigenous
communities. Professor Gillian Wigglesworth the Director
of the University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Language
Research Unit says bilingual education is vital to the
development of young children in communities where
languages other than English were spoken at home.”

* BACKGROUND TO THE USE OF ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES IN NT SCHOOLS:

Last updated: 1 October 2012

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/05/05/background-to-the-use-of-aboriginal-languages-in-nt-schools-bilingual-education

* SKY NEWS: PROTEST SET FOR NT ALCOHOL MEETING

– News

Sky News: Protest set for NT alcohol meeting
http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=802348
5 Oct 12: “Protesters are preparing to rally outside a
meeting in Alice Springs on alcohol reform called in
response to a coroner’s recommendation following an
Aboriginal death in police custody. … Protesters,
including some members of Mr Briscoe’s family, have vowed
to rally outside the meeting. Patricia Morton-Thomas, the
aunt of Mr Briscoe, has said she was insulted her nephew’s
name had been used to push the agenda of the Country
Liberal Party (CLP) government and that she wasn’t invited
to address those gathered.”

See:

WGAR News: Alice Springs Rally to Stop Black Deaths in Custody
– 5 October 2012
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/10/04/wgar-news-alice-springs-rally-to-stop-black-deaths-in-custody-5-october-2012

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