March 2000

Trust Fund Win for Native Americans

Native American Indians have had a win in the battle to regain monies held ‘in trust’ by the United States Government for the last 100 years.

Qld. Fund Hope

New hope to Qld. Welfare Fund claims following Native American Trust ruling.

The recent appeals court ruling in the United States regarding the Native American Trust Fund has given momentum to Aborigines seeking to claim monies owed by the Queensland government.

Cec Fisher: on Welfare Fund

“Don’t sign off on welfare fund” says Fisher

Tell me about your case. At one time you were going to be the test case for the Welfare Fund.
I still am, still am.

Aboriginal Independence

Talks of treaties don’t take long to evolve into discussions about sovereignty. This then begs the question - do Aboriginal peoples have sovereignty? Here, Mr Mansell teases out the relevant issues.

A Question of Sovereignty

Mililani Trask doesn’t sugar-coat anything. The Native Hawaiian Attorney and former Trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is calling on Indigenous peoples the world over to work together to eliminate the prevailing colonial mindset, and she's not taking a backwards step.

Oslo model

APPLICATION OF THE OSLO MODEL FOR RELATIONS BETWEEN STATES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.
This paper calls for an Accord which provides a regime for working through issues of a treaty, resolution of social problems, Native Title and Land Rights ....

Grassroots Murri Action Group

Learn the Truth About Australia’s Black History

Fact sheet distributed by Grassroots Murri Action Group on Wages, savings and the Welfare Fund - the facts and issues

PAYBACK TIME: LRQ is a Casualty

Land Rights Queensland has become a casualty of the path of destruction the Howard government is carving through Indigenous Affairs. Government decisions on the administration of Native Title mean that FAIRA will no longer be able to offer the newspaper as a regular monthly publication.

U. S. TRUST FUNDS CHALLENGED

The Native American Rights Fund is continuing with a bid to resolve the issue of outstanding trust monies in the United States.

Tough sentences for threatening violence on racial grounds

People who publicly incite hatred by threatening violence on racial or religious grounds could face jail ....

O’Donoghue slams Bolt

Professor Lowitja O’Donoghue hits back at journalist Andrew Bolt.
“The Murdoch press coverage of my lengthy interview with journalist Andrew Bolt has been simplistic, sensationalist, misleading and mischievous”.

No justice for Indigenous women in Western Australia

In Western Australia an Indigenous woman is fourteen times more likely to be imprisoned than her non-Aboriginal sister!

WORKING GROUP

Julian Burger is the head of the United Nation’s Working Group steering the Draft Declaration. Kristen Smith recently caught up with him in Sydney where he attended ATSIC’s conference on Racism and Indigenous Peoples.

World Conference on Racism recommendations adopted

A major conference of Indigenous Peoples from Canada, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Hawaii, the United States of America and Australia has ended in Sydney with the adoption, in principle, of a draft report ....

Philip Ruddock Interview

At ATSIC’s recent Racism Conference, Philip Ruddock gave an opening address. His words, reportedly drafted by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, inspired around 100 conference delgates to walk out. His door-stop interview outside the venue was a telling tale.

UNACCEPTABLE LEGISLTION

ATSIC URGES - Reject unacceptable cultural heritage legislation.

Lest we forget indigenous heritage

The Federal Government has abandoned negotiations with Indigenous people on controversial national cultural heritage legislation.

Acting Race Discrimination Commisioner Delivers

Bill Jonas is Social Justice and Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. He recently gave a particularly well-received speech at ATSIC’s Conference on Racism and Indigenous Peoples. Kristen Smith spoke to him about the main themes of the speech as well as some current issues relevant to his professional position.

Directions for Change

The consideration of programs and funding for Indigenous peoples by Australian Governments and funding agencies should move from a handout to a rights focus.

SPECIAL THANKS

Land Rights Queensland would like to pay particular thanks to all those who have given us their well-wishes and support not only over the past years, and also over the past couple of weeks.
Like the Opposition and ATSIC, we too are disappointed that Land Rights Queensland will no longer be a regular and reliable voice on Land Rights and Native Title.
Thanks especially to ATSIC Public Affairs and the Federal Opposition, particularly the office of Shadow Indigneous Affairs spokesperson Bob McMullan, for sharing our disappointment.

Bookmarks

Links to interesting places on the internet.

FAIRA Aboriginal Corporation
Phone +61 7 3391 4677 • Fax +61 7 3391 4551 • email letterbox@faira.org.au
Post Office Box 8402 Woolloongabba Q 4102 Australia
37 Balaclava Street Woolloongabba