
Pope Francis – Image, www.therecord.com.au
Chairman of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, Bishop Christopher Saunders says Australia’s human rights record is being undermined by inhumane policies. Bishop Saunders pointed to the asylum seeker asylum policies which deny refugees sanctuary and the push by the Western Australian Government to close up to 150 of the State’s 274 homeland (remote) communities. He is also concerned that the South Australian Government may follow Western Australia’s lead and close as many as 100 communities.
Bishop Saunders is the Bishop of Broome, a tourist mecca for many but one of shanties and homelessness of many of the region’s First Peoples. Seven per cent of the Kimberley is homeless with nearly 100 per cent of that homelessness comprising First Peoples.
The feeble excuse pushed by State Governments to justify their call to shut down communities are that the State Government cannot afford to pick up the annual bill for municipal services for these communities for basics such as power, water and rubbish collection. Non-Aboriginal communities have their municipal costs picked up by State and Territory Governments.
“How can we possibly say that Australian citizens in remote communities do not have the same rights? But the Commonwealth and State Governments seem unwilling to scrape together a small fraction of the amount needed to provide the basic services to Indigenous communities,” said Bishop Saunders.
He states that the benchmark of a country’s human rights performance is seen in how it treats its most vulnerable.
There are now fears across Australia that State and Territory governments will adopt the same policy and shut down many of the nation’s Aboriginal homelands. Some of these homelands have never seen their people moved off Country – their ancestors have lived on Country for thousands of years.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) released a statement saying it was gravely concerned at the proposals to close down remote Aboriginal communities and that the move is a further drive to dispossess First Peoples people off their lands, hence disconnecting them from their history and their culture.
The NATSICC statement quoted from Pope Francis’ 2013 Evangelii Gaudium in which the Holy Father said: “it is essential to draw near to new forms of poverty and vulnerability, in which we are called to recognize the suffering Christ, even if this appears to bring us no tangible and immediate benefits. I think of the homeless, the addicted, refugees, Indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned, and many others.”
NATSICC stated that dispossessing First Peoples from their land, unfortunately, is not a new form of poverty and is a recurring theme in Australia. According to Pope Francis, “Severing the ties of Aboriginal people from their land and thus their culture, spirituality and very foundation of their being, is unethical, immoral, un-Christian and heartless.” He warned that further dispossession of Australia’s First People will lead to even more disturbing and abysmal socio-economic, social disaster and with incarceration rates of First Peoples tragically continue to soar. He lamented the human rights record of contemporary of contemporary Australia.
WGAR News: Closure of remote communities devastates residents: Miranda Wood, Red Flag Newspaper
https://indymedia.org.au/2015/02/14/wgar-news-closure-of-remote-communities-devastates-residents-miranda-wood-red-flag
Contents:
* Change.org Petition: Saving Aboriginal communities: Stop Colin Barnett premier of Western Australia
* Video: Eleanor Gilbert, Vimeo: Gerry Georgatos discusses the closure of WA Aboriginal homelands with Hugh Riminton
* Analysis / Opinion: Miranda Wood, Red Flag Newspaper: Closure of remote communities devastates residents
* Analysis / Opinion: Jessica Lukjanow, Global Research: Australia May Stop Providing Water and Power to Remote Aboriginal Communities
* Analysis / Opinion: Ben Collins, ABC Kimberley: Indigenous community closures: essential service uncertainty
* Video: NITV News: Planned Closure of WA Communities Highlights WA’s Poor Contribution to Closing the Gap
* News: Calla Wahlquist, The Guardian: WA premier withdraws royalties help for struggling Aboriginal communities
* News: Sydney Morning Herald: Spend ‘to save WA Aboriginal communities’
* News: Vicky Validakis, Australian Mining: Mining not dead in WA
* WGAR Background: Plans to close Aboriginal homelands / remote communities in WA and SA
WGAR News: Forced Displacement of Aborigines in West Australia: Franciscans International & Edmund Rice International
https://indymedia.org.au/2015/01/08/wgar-news-forced-displacement-of-aborigines-in-west-australia-franciscans-international
Contents:
* Joint Urgent Appeal: Franciscans International & Edmund Rice International: Forced Displacement of Aborigines in West Australia
* Background: Franciscans International: Indigenous Peoples
* WGAR Background: Plans to close Aboriginal homelands / remote communities in WA and SA
Support for WA Remote Communities is Going Global
WGAR News: International exposure: Rallies throughout Australia protesting closure of Aboriginal homelands / remote communities
https://indymedia.org.au/2015/03/25/wgar-news-international-exposure-rallies-throughout-australia-protesting-closure-of
Contents:
* Video: NITV News: Support for WA Remote Communities is Going Global
* Open Letter: Sovereign Union Letter to United Nations – SOS Forced closure of Aboriginal homeland communities in WA
* Photo: Sovereign Union facebook: “Here is Sovereign Union founder and convenor Ghillar Michael Anderson speaking on a Russian TV program on Thursday night by Skype.”
* News Analysis: Charlotte Chabas, Le Monde: En Australie, la colère des Aborigènes face au « mépris » de leur culture: “The World: In Australia Aboriginal People’s anger faces the ‘contempt’ of their culture”
* News Analysis: teleSUR: Australians Rally against Closure of Aboriginal Communities
* Media Release: Sisters of Saint Joseph: Josephites express profound concern at proposed Government plans to withdraw basic services to Aboriginal communities
* Media Statement: Bishops Commission for Relations with Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders: What Choice? Aboriginal peoples have the right to decent services where they live
* Joint Urgent Appeal: Franciscans International & Edmund Rice International: Forced Displacement of Aborigines in West Australia
* Background: Franciscans International – a voice at the United Nations: Indigenous Peoples
* News Analysis & Video: Heeni Brown, Maori Television: NZ MP’s support Aboriginal protest over proposed closure of indigenous communities
* Analysis / Opinion: Royce Kurmelovs, Al Jazeera: Shutting down Australia’s Aboriginal areas
* News Analysis: Alan Austin in France, Independent Australia: Abbott trashes Australia’s reputation abroad – again
* Analysis / Opinion: Marie McInerney, BBC News: Australia’s remote indigenous communities fear closure
* Facebook: Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia
* Background: Diet Simon, sourced from WGAR, Linksunten Indymedia: Aboriginal Australian communities send a powerful message to government
* WGAR Background: Plans to close Aboriginal homelands / remote communities in WA and SA
WGAR News: Abuse in remote communities is the oldest excuse for catastrophic evictions: Tammy Solonec, The Guardian
https://indymedia.org.au/2015/04/07/wgar-news-abuse-in-remote-communities-is-the-oldest-excuse-for-catastrophic-evictions
Contents:
* Analysis / Opinion: Tammy Solonec, The Guardian: Abuse in remote communities is the oldest excuse for catastrophic evictions
* Analysis / Opinion: Tammy Solonec, Indigenous Rights Manager, Amnesty International Australia: Update: forced closure of homelands communities
* Audio Interviews: Cassandra Tim & Warren Barnsley, NIRS Weekly News-in-Review [Featuring Dennis Eggington & Margaret Culbong: remote community closures]
* Analysis / Opinion: Revive Magazine: Concern for WA’s remote Indigenous communities
* Analysis / Opinion: Ruth DeSouza: The closure of remote Aboriginal communities: What is the role of nurses in Indigenous disadvantage?
* Poster: Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia, facebook: “We would like to confirm that that 2nd National Call of Action will be held Friday 1st May 2015.”
* Facebook: Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia
* WGAR Background: Plans to close Aboriginal homelands / remote communities in WA and SA