121125 – ABC: Fortescue accused of rigging land rights deal

Contents:

* ABC: Fortescue accused of rigging land rights deal
* Background to the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC)
* SBS World News Video: Quake concerns rise at Muckaty Station
* Background to the proposed Muckaty nuclear waste dump
* SBS Living Black: WA Approves James Price Point Gas Hub
* Background to the Save The Kimberley Campaign:
James Price Point, north of Broome, WA
* NIRS: Cultural flows a significant part of
Murray-Darling plan: Burke
* Background to the
Northern Murray-Darling Basin Aboriginal Nations (NBAN)

* 3CR: Interview with Vicki Roach,
advocate for Aboriginal women in the criminal justice system
* Tracker: Call for police to lose Tasers
* Senator Rachel Siewert: Greens work to reduce petrol sniffing
* Rockhampton Morning Bulletin:
Courts more likely to find young Indigenous guilty
* Nicole Watson: We are a lot poorer for ATSIC’s absence
* Jeff McMullen: The Way Ahead: A stronger smarter future
* SBS Living Black: Tent Embassy Founder Remembers Isabel Coe
* Background to the Aboriginal tent embassies

* ABC: FORTESCUE ACCUSED OF RIGGING LAND RIGHTS DEAL

– Videos

ABC: Fortescue accused of rigging land rights deal
By Bronwyn Herbert
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-20/fmg-accused-of-rigging-meeting/4382826
21 Nov 12: “Andrew Forrest’s mining company, Fortescue
Metals Group (FMG), has been accused of rigging a meeting
with Indigenous stakeholders to win the rights to mine more
than $100 billion of iron ore. Lawyer Kerry Savas says a
meeting in March last year with Indigenous land owners in
the East Pilbara was a sham, and FMG established a group
of land owners who would fight to accept its deal. The
Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) are recognised
under Commonwealth Law as the native title holders of the
land and they are stridently opposed to the project.”

“Video: Fortescue Metals Group embroiled in dispute over
Pilbara iron ore deal (7.30)”

“Video: FMG director Peter Meurs responds to accusations (7.30)”

– Related News

Yahoo!7: Still room for peace with Fortescue: YAC
http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/still-room-peace-fortescue-yac-075302264.html
21 Nov 12: “The indigenous group that rejected a financial
package from Fortescue Metals Group in exchange for the
right to mine their land – but were pipped by a breakaway
claimant group – says there’s still room for an amicable
outcome. The Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) says
it is not represented by the breakaway Wirlu-Murra group,
which accepted a financial package from Fortescue in
exchange for the right to develop its Solomon iron ore mine
in Western Australia’s East Pilbara. … YAC chief
executive Michael Woodley said there was still a chance
peace could be made with the Wirlu-Murra and that YAC could
do its own deal with Fortescue.”

Yahoo!7: Greens want FMG manipulation claims investigated
http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/15434953/greens-want-fmg-manipulation-claims-investigated/
21 Nov 12: “The Greens have urged the Federal Government to
examine allegations mining company FMG tried to manipulate
the native title process during negotiations over an iron
ore project in WA’s Pilbara. It has been alleged by lawyer
Kerry Savas that Fortescue Metals Group rigged the outcome
of a meeting between the company and Aboriginal landowners
last year. The Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation, which
has been opposed to the mine, lays claim to the land but a
splinter group of traditional owners, the Wirlu-murra, is
keen to see the project proceed. … Greens Senator Rachel
Siewert says the rights of the Yindjibarndi people must be
protected.”

newsTracker:
Twiggy’s FMG accused of rigging Yindjibarndi meeting
http://tracker.org.au/2012/11/twiggys-fmg-accused-of-rigging-yindjibarndi-meeting/
21 Nov 12: “NATIONAL: Mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s
Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) had a PR battle on its hands
when footage of a controversial native title meeting in the
Pilbara was released last year. Now a lawyer who formerly
worked with FMG and was depicted in the video has confirmed
many of the concerns, revealing that the meeting was indeed
a set-up, and that FMG paid attendees who voted at the
meeting. … Last night, a lawyer formerly representing
FMG, Kerry Savas told the ABC the meeting was a set-up and
FMG had paid people to vote in their favour.”
By Amy McQuire, a Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman
and editor of Tracker

* BACKGROUND TO THE YINDJIBARNDI ABORIGINAL CORPORATION (YAC):

– Homepage

Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation
http://yindjibarndi.org.au/yindjibarndi/

– Analysis / Opinion

WGAR News:
Mining Deal Bombshell – Fortescue and the Yindjibarndi
(by Gerry Georgatos) (20 Nov 12)
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/20/wgar-news-mining-deal-bombshell-fortescue-and-the-yindjibarndi-by-gerry-georgatos

* SBS WORLD NEWS VIDEO: QUAKE CONCERNS RISE AT MUCKATY STATION

– Video

SBS World News: Quake concerns rise at Muckaty Station
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/video/2307211892/Quake-concerns-rise-at-Muckaty-Station
21 Nov 12: “Fresh concerns have emerged about the siting of a
nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern
Territory. A new map produced by Geoscience Australia
maintains that the area around Tennant Creek is a high
earthquake risk.”

– Related News

NT News: Station ‘safe’ for nuclear waste dump
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/11/21/315295_ntnews.html
21 Nov 12: “THE controversial Muckaty Station will be “as
safe a place as any” to stick a nuclear waste dump despite
being on the edge of an earthquake hotspot, a seismic
expert said. Tennant Creek, 110km south of the proposed
waste site, has been listed among Australia’s top-four
quake regions in a hazard map. … Earthquake map: ooooh,
that big red blob is Tennant Creek. IMAGE: Geoscience
Australia”

* BACKGROUND TO THE PROPOSED MUCKATY NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP:

Last updated: 11 November 2012

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-proposed-muckaty-nuclear-waste-dump-in-nt-australia

* SBS LIVING BLACK: WA APPROVES JAMES PRICE POINT GAS HUB

– Audio Interview

SBS Living Black: WA Approves James Price Point Gas Hub
By Marc Tong
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/highlight/page/id/243137/t/WA-Approves-James-Price-Point-Gas-Hub/in/english
23 Nov 12: “Goolarabooloo traditional owners and the Broome
community to take the fight to the Federal Environment
Minister. … Goolarabooloo traditional owners and members
of the Broome community are not giving up their fight to
stop Woodside’s proposed gas hub despite the state’s
environmental approval. The Broome Community No Gas
Campaign says they will now take their case to the federal
environment minister with whom the decision now lies. But
spokeswoman Nik Wevers says the state Environment Minister
Bill Marmion has jumped the gun, because state heritage
approval hasn’t gone through. … ”

* BACKGROUND TO THE SAVE THE KIMBERLEY CAMPAIGN
– JAMES PRICE POINT, NORTH OF BROOME, WA

Last updated: 24 November 2012

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/22/wgar-news-background-to-the-save-the-kimberley-campaign-james-price-point-north-of-broome

* NIRS:
CULTURAL FLOWS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF MURRAY-DARLING PLAN: BURKE

– News

National Indigenous Radio Service:
Cultural flows a significant part of Murray-Darling plan: Burke
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7639-cultural-flows-a-significant-part-of-murray-darling-plan-burke
23 Nov 12: “The Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke says
a top priority in increasing environmental water flows to
the Murray-Darling River system is Indigenous cultural
water. The Government yesterday signed into law the
Murray-Darling Basin Plan which plans to return 2,750
gigalitres to the system. Mr. Burke says the full board of
the Basin Authority is intent on ensuring cultural flows are
part of how the environmental water is used and managed. He
says Indigenous groups of the Murray-Darling have been
listened to.”

* BACKGROUND TO THE
NORTHERN MURRAY-DARLING BASIN ABORIGINAL NATIONS (NBAN):

Last updated: 22 November 2012

[scroll down page] http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-aboriginal-sovereignty-movement-and-the-aboriginal-tent-embassies

* 3CR: INTERVIEW WITH VICKI ROACH,
ADVOCATE FOR ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

– Audio Interview

3CR Community Radio 855 AM – Podcasts
Different Like Us – 23 Nov 2012
[scroll down page] http://www.3cr.org.au/podcast
Listen to this interview online: http://pod.3cr.org.au/pod/3CRCast-2012-11-22-83892.mp3
23 Nov 12: “I chat with advocate for Aboriginal women in the
criminal justice system Vicki Roach about the ‘Standing firm
for change, a journey to justice’ conference and her
experience of the criminal justice system.”

* TRACKER: CALL FOR POLICE TO LOSE TASERS

– News

newsTracker: Call for police to lose Tasers
http://tracker.org.au/2012/11/call-for-police-to-lose-tasers/
19 Nov 12: “NEW SOUTH WALES: Zapping people with Tasers is
often just “lazy policing” and highlights the need to take
the stun weapons away from frontline officers, a social
justice group says. … Indigenous Social Justice
Association President Ray Jackson says Tasers must be taken
off the front line because they are being “misused too
bloody much”. … Mr Jackson said the non-fatal tasering of
a 14-year-old Aboriginal boy who was on his knees in the
NSW mid-north coast town of Kempsey in January last year
was another example of Taser misuse.”

* SENATOR RACHEL SIEWERT: GREENS WORK TO REDUCE PETROL SNIFFING

– Media Release

Senator Rachel Siewert: Greens work to reduce petrol sniffing
http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/greens-work-reduce-petrol-sniffing
22 Nov 12: “The Australian Greens have welcomed Government
support for the Low Aromatic Fuel Bill, saying the
legislation closes a hole in strategies to reduce petrol
sniffing.
Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health brought the
Bill on for debate in the Senate today.
“This is an issue that many people, including the Greens
have been working on for a long time. It was a great
pleasure to finally get the chance to start the debate on
the Bill in the Senate,” Senator Siewert said today.
“I welcome the news that the Government has proposed
amendments to the Bill and with those amendments they will
support the Bill.
“This Bill is designed to improve the existing rollout of
low aromatic fuel and will prevent recalcitrant operators
from actively undermining the voluntary rollout by
refusing to stock non-sniffable fuel. … ”
[Senator Siewert said]”

– Video

Greens Senator Rachel Siewert: Low Aromatic Fuel Bill – Debate
http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/content/video/low-aromatic-fuel-bill-debate
22 Nov 12: “Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Issues:
I am very pleased that this chamber is finally able to
debate the Low Aromatic Fuel Bill 2012 because
unfortunately, despite the very serious and sustained
efforts to end it, petrol sniffing is still persistent in
some areas of Australia. Over the past 20 years it has been
the subject of reports, inquiries, coronial inquiries and
research projects. The impact of petrol sniffing on
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and
communities is very well documented and well known. The
petrol-sniffing inquiry, in fact, was one of the first
committee inquiries that I participated in in this place
back in 2005-2006. The committee recognised that the
situation with petrol sniffing in Australia was dire, and
since that inquiry I am very pleased that there has been
considerable movement on this issue. … ”

* ROCKHAMPTON MORNING BULLETIN:
COURTS MORE LIKELY TO FIND YOUNG INDIGENOUS GUILTY

– News

Rockhampton Morning Bulletin:
Courts more likely to find young Indigenous guilty
http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/courts-more-likely-find-young-indigenous-people-gu/1630848/
21 Nov 12: “ALMOST two in five young Australians in the
juvenile justice system are Indigenous. And they are
entering the system younger, and staying longer. The gross
over-representation is detailed in the latest Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare report, which shows there
were 2,820 Inidgenous young people under juvenile justice
supervision on an average day in 2010-2011. The report says
even though only 5 % of young Australians are Indigenous,
they comprise 39 % of those under supervision.”

– Report

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW):
Indigenous young people in the juvenile justice system
http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129542246
21 Nov 12: “Although only about 5% of young Australians are
Indigenous, almost 2 in 5 (39%) of those under juvenile
justice supervision on an average day in 2010-11 were
Indigenous. There were 2,820 Indigenous young people under
supervision on an average day and 5,195 during the year.
Indigenous young people first entered supervision at
younger ages than non-Indigenous young people, on average,
and spent longer under supervision during the year.”

* NICOLE WATSON: WE ARE A LOT POORER FOR ATSIC’S ABSENCE

– Analysis / Opinion

agendaTracker:
Little Black Duck: We are a lot poorer for ATSIC’s absence
http://tracker.org.au/2012/11/little-black-duck-we-are-a-lot-poorer-for-atsics-absence/
21 Nov 12: “NATIONAL: NICOLE WATSON* searches the archives
of ATSIC’s website and laments the fact we have no national
independent voice. Recently, I took a trip down memory lane
and perused the old ATSIC website, now stored in our
national web archive, PANDORA. When ATSIC was disbanded
seven years ago, I had no real grasp of what it was that we
were losing. Perhaps, I was sick and tired of the media’s
focus on particular individuals in leadership positions.
Looking at the ATSIC website, however, it struck me that we
are a great deal poorer for its absence.” By Nicole Watson,
a Murri lawyer and researcher with the
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning,
University of Technology, Sydney

* JEFF MCMULLEN: THE WAY AHEAD: A STRONGER SMARTER FUTURE

– Analysis / Opinion

agendaTracker: The Way Ahead: A stronger smarter future
http://tracker.org.au/2012/11/the-way-ahead-a-stronger-smarter-future/
21 Nov 12: “NATIONAL: JEFF MCMULLEN* reports from the
Stronger Smarter summit. An impassioned call to support the
social and emotional well being of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander children has marked one of the largest and
most important gatherings of educators in the “Stronger
Smarter” movement gathering force across Australia. As the
‘education wars’ rage on over the best way to teach
Indigenous kids, Donna Bridge, a Yamatji woman and
Principal of the Fitzroy Valley District High School in
Western Australia, told teachers gathered in Brisbane for
the 2012 Stronger Smarter Summit that what was paramount
was to believe in the worth of these children as Aboriginal
people.” By Dr Jeff McMullen AM,
one of Australia’s most respected journalists,
and a winner of the UN Media Peace Prize

* SBS LIVING BLACK: TENT EMBASSY FOUNDER REMEMBERS ISABEL COE

– Audio Interview

SBS Living Black: Tent Embassy Founder Remembers Isabel Coe
By Michelle Lovegrove
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/highlight/page/id/243135/t/Tent-Embassy-Founder-Remembers-Isabel-Coe/in/english
23 Nov 12: “The last surviving founder of the Aboriginal
Tent Embassy pays tribute to the Wiradjuri Elder. …
“Beautiful, intelligent, committed and determined” are the
words used by the last living Tent Embassy Founder Michael
Anderson, to describe Isabel Coe. Michael met Isabel when
she was 16, and the two remained friends across the
tumultuous decades that followed. Michael says Isabel made
a huge impact on the emerging land rights and Black Power
movements of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.”

See:

WGAR News: The Wire:
Influential tent embassy activist passes away [Isabel Coe]
(15 Nov 12)
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/15/wgar-news-the-wire-influential-tent-embassy-activist-passes-away-isabel-coe

WGAR News: Update on Aunty Isabell Coe’s funeral … (18 Nov 12)
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/18/wgar-news-update-on-aunty-isabell-coes-funeral-adelaide-book-launch-a-decision-to-discrim

* BACKGROUND TO THE ABORIGINAL TENT EMBASSIES:

Last updated: 22 November 2012

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-aboriginal-sovereignty-movement-and-the-aboriginal-tent-embassies