Mood:  d'oh

Interesting to read Laurie Oakes in a News Corp lead opinion piece this weekend with a comment that only a twisted mind would view Tony Abbott's recent words as suggesting a tear down of  Aboriginal tent embassy.

Oh really?

Wikipedia carries this entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Tent_Embassy

"There have been a number of suspicious fires at the site, with the most devastating being the loss of 31 years of records when the container burnt down in June 2003.^[8]"

Reference: "^ Yaxley, Louise (19 June 2003). "Aboriginal Tent Embassy burnt out". The World Today. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 May 2010.

We say Oakes is suffering amnesia, and not just about suspicious fires during the halcyon days of the Howard regime served by Tony Abbott. We note David Oldfield nurtured his bigoted One Nation party in Tony Abbott's electorate office.

Fact is Tony Abbott is sitting on the fence on constitutional reform in favour of the Indigenous and is part of the former racist regime on native title.

We say Piers Akerman gave the true version of Tony Abbott's views on the Aboriginal Tent Embassy today in the Sunday News Corp tabloid - an honest form of racism, if you like. To quote the bloated one:

"The 40th anniversary of this monstrosity should be it's last."

 Or in colloquial terms - tear it down.

13 years ago Tony Abbott's current mentor, then PM John Howard, delivered bucket loads of extinguishment of native title.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Including the lazy big media giving a shallow view of political reality.

Posted by editor at 6:46 PM EADT

Updated: Sunday, 29 January 2012 6:55 PM EADT

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Mood:  sad

COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, AND C*CKUPS 24. Wild Rivers not so "wild" ..... 

Wild Rivers not so “wild”:

Richie Ahmat, chairman of Cape York Land Council, writes: Re. “Abbott braving the rapids over Wild Rivers legislation” (14 January, item 10). The extraordinarily distorted rant about the Wild Rivers declarations on Cape York by the Wilderness Society’s Tim Seelig cannot pass without comment. It’s not worth addressing every libellous and malicious charge against Noel Pearson, but the following statement needs a response.

Seelig claims (wrongly) that Tony Abbott and Noel Pearson “cooked up” Mr Abbott’s Private Member’s bill announcement. He goes on: “Abbott and Pearson are suggesting we can only address indigenous disadvantage by allowing unlimited and unrestrained destructive development in our natural environments, trashing our pristine rivers and landscapes in the process”.

Mr Pearson and all Cape York indigenous communities are on record stating they want a river protection system that boasts no in-stream mining, excessive water pumping or new dams. The only difference between conservationists and our communities is we don’t want to be airbrushed from the landscape.

Even the term “wild” tries to sell an abhorrent “terra nullius” message that our communities haven’t existed or lived in harmony with our lands and waterways for tens of thousands of years. Seelig’s “pristine rivers” are in that condition because of the environmental stewardship of indigenous people for many generations.

To suggest we’re about to change those historical environmental habits, and that whitefellas need to now charge in and save our pristine waterways from the very people who have cherished and tended them for thousands of years, is racial paternalism of the worst kind.

We responded there as follows based on some political research: 

Regarding ‘Wild Rivers not so Wild’ I’ve just been searching my files for the feature opinion piece by Noel Pearson for the Cape York Land Council circa 1996, in the Sydney Morning Herald. No luck, but the message was strong and memorable referring to “Indigenous Wilderness” with all parties putting humanity in the landscape in alliance with The Wilderness Society who helped save Starcke holdings earlier that decade from US investors for traditional owners. No doubt that was then, and this is now but it’s big history.

This was in the context of a reconciliation document between peak green groups and Cattleman’s Union for a joint World Heritage nomination in light of the Wik legal decision. To avoid protracted litigation. In light of an approaching election and a shaky ALP government. Mr Pearson should hold to his word and call off Mr Ahmat in relation to this rhetorical slur about “Even the term “wild” tries to sell an abhorrent “terra nullius” message that our communities haven’t existed ..”.

No one in the green movement proper in modern times argues critical ecological areas are not original Aboriginal Land. It’s how it is managed today and the future that counts.

So Mr Ahmat for the CYLC is opening up a tired f(r)iction regarding cultural slights about humanity out of the landscape. What I did find in the dusty files pre Howard was the “Historic Land Agreement Cape York Peninsula” media release by these parties TWS, Pearson for CYLC, Cattleman’s Union and ACF dated 5 February 1996, with backgrounder chronology, and “Heads of agreement” as a first step under “Section 21 of the Commonwealth Native Title Act”.

Pearson in his own separate media release for the CYLC “welcomed the top priority that the two national conservation organisations, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and The Wilderness Society (TWS) have put on the Cape York regional land use agreement as a federal election issue.” No suggestion of terra nullius complaints there from Mr Pearson working with TWS.

Attached to the media kit is a statement by PM Paul Keating 5 Feb 1996 stating “Today’s announcement of an historic landuse agreement on Cape York represents a watershed in the reconciliation process and a major boost for environmental protection of one of our most pristine regions. / It lays the foundation of consensus for the creation of one of the world’s truly great protected areas ….”

Then John Howard was elected. I also relocated two big fat files of news clippings 1996-7 promising bucket loads of extinguishment of native title under Wik by the new regime - in breach of the Racial Discrimination Act. Who doubts Howard and Deputy PM Tim “bucketloads of extinguishment” Fischer poisoned the creek in Cape York right up until 2010?

What is apparent is that item 19 in the 1996 Agreement has failed, and here I smell Coalition cynicism, broken $40M election promise to fund same:

“The nomination for World Heritage listing of any land on Cape York Peninsula shall proceed only where there is a management arrangement which is negotiated with all landholders who may be affected directly by such listing.”

This leaflet above from a file otherwise stuffed with news clippings from 1996 and 1997 to extinguish and limit the High Court decision in the Wik Case, tells the story of how the Howard regime did as much as possible to unravel reconciliation. Hand in glove with that aggressive redneck agenda has been the desire to vandalise the environment, not least in Tasmania's forests. Other Howard Govt agendas include converting the North to a new agricultural development zone as the Murray Darling Basin literally crashes.

In this context several Qld green groups supported state legislation to prevent a Howard Govt attack on unregulated rivers in the Cape York, with a World Heritage listing a forlorn hope at national and international level. Now Howard is gone it's may well be time to pick up the pieces of the former Cape York Land Use Agreement. Regretably Rick Farley as gifted mediator has since died but perhaps there is another in the wings?

This will not be easy:

Cape York group to fight World Heritage bid  Posted Fri May 22, 2009 9:37am AEST

Posted by editor at 5:45 PM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 28 January 2010 6:26 PM EADT

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Mood:  happy

Dynamo Dave was an enthusiastic supporter of Tradtional Owner Yvonne Margarula in 1998 in the Northern Territory.

Sadly Dave died of cancer in 2006 here in Sydney. Out of his belongings this historic activist flag was rescued and can be flown today to celebrate the national event of sorry day in Federal Parliament.

We noticed all of SBS, ABC2, 7, 9, 10 carried the live feed. How unusual to see the only dedicated community tv channel so badly under resourced on TVS31 being forced to carry nursing home exercise routine - not that there is anything wrong with that.

ABC 702 radio carried the broadcast and unlike the chamber microphones picked up the crowd in the main hall slow hand clap of Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson. Ouch. PM Rudd looked disconcerted, and Nelson himself looked in real pain at the end of his generally sympathetic speech - trapped by dinosaurs in his own ranks. Jon Faine with the narration for the ABC made it clear later what the noise was.

Here's a Big Media sample:

Kevin Rudd says sorry

Prime Minister apologises to stolen generations.

• Annabel Crabb: Ancient tensions fail to mar apology
• Speech gets standing ovation in Redfern
• Britain urged to back Rudd's apology
• Thunderous applause in Sydney for Rudd's speech
• A nation apologises
• 'Sorry speech was magnificent'
• Long queue to witness Rudd speech
• Family saddened by apology that comes too late for some
• A nation shocked by tales of sorrow
• Protest against intervention
• Welcome ritual marks opening of Parliament
• Tears for those who vanished, never to return
• Mother's regret carried to grave
• Bondi BBQ for live apology
• Rudd's apology revealed
• Finally their voices will be heard
• Slideshow: The day we said 'Sorry'
• Video: A historic speech
• Slideshow: Sorry won't ease shock
• In their own words: Why we should be sorry
• Why I need the apology
• Poll: Rate the apology

In all this emotion we notice the astute and jealous politics of the ALP to own the reconciliation agenda. Whether this is all virtue or self interest we are still pondering. ABC's Chris Uhlmann in the Canberra press gallery also noted the role of calculating wedge in his comments to Tony Jones on ABC TV. Seven's Mark Riley and Ch9 nightly news coverage note some Rudd staffers played to the crowd reaction against harsh aspects of Nelson's speech, rather than keep a bipartisan neutrality.

Highlights for SAM micro web news included the pride and enjoyment of academic Jackie Huggins, and the softer side of very tough minded Marcia Langton on 7.30 last night. Fred Chaney, ex Coalition MP was beaut too. The dead straight to camera apology of PM Rudd with not a blink or quaver. The reference to St Paul which we wrote only recently in our traverse of Brideshead Revisted about action with love over loud words otherwise it's merely a 'clanging gong'.  And even the nerves of Opposition leader Nelson showed how very serious this matter was.

Tragically the Coalition party were vulnerable to this wedge for a long term history of lost opportunity to embrace an ancient and impressive culture though obviously people like former MP Fred Chaney, and ex PM Malcolm Fraser, from that side of politics are absolute champions for cross cultural understanding. We get the impression these two at least are regularly welcomed in fellowship by their Indigenous compatriots. It just goes to show it doesn't have to be that way.

We got the feeling Nelson's spirit was willing and humbled by the event but ambition for his side of politics as traditional land barons got the better of him.

Many years ago we had an appointment in Canberra but by night we had no where to go and no budget either. We crept into the Aboriginal Tent Embassy ready to grovel but it was otherwise deserted. Our boldness came from having visited there with Winiata, and Paul Ferguson, Aboriginal blokes at the Croobyar forest protest on the NSW South Coast in '94. Steve Lalor was our Aboriginal Liasion colleague at The Wilderness Society back then. And then there is young Jimari in our guidance for about a year later in the 90ies.

The moving conversations with elder Guboo Ted Thomas of the NSW South Coast. Meeting Yvonne Margarula at Jabiru courthouse, and her stalwart defender Jacqui Katona both in Sydney.

The rascally kids out at Mootwingee sharing a kick of the footy. The dignified elders down from Cape York. Monkey Mark local rap artist.

Eddie Mabo in our honours law degree thesis in 1989, who changed our jurisprudence.

This is their day for a fair go in their own country.

Postscript #1 14 February 2008

 We took some time to trawl the active comment threads on crikey.com.au not least the absence from the ritual of John Howard, machine man par excellence whose divisive ways finally exhausted Nov 24 federal election 2007. He still has proxies there in the parliament too.

We came across this major reversal Howard suffered early in his prime ministership which we are proud to have helped in our small way:

While we are in cynical mode another thought about ALP virtue overlap with self interest - the northern and western half of the country needs as many willing workers in the booming resources sector as they can train up and get. And there is good precedent for this in the cotton sector in NSW:

7.30 Report - 08/01/2007: Aboriginal Employment Strategy gives ...

Rudd's wife is a very rich re-employment expert. It all seems to add up economically speaking. It does make us wonder this motive of the Howard 'Intervention' in 2007 ongoing also. That Marcia Langton for one says must remain 'hard edged' (as per 7.30 above).

Only the profound morality of the occasion even managed to overwhelm these grasping realities. As we wrote on crikey.com.au threads paraphrasing the literary giant de Lampedusa in The Leopard  'history is often  lost in the retelling, with all the different perspectives and adaptation to the times'. We feel like this is one of those times so big it's nearly impossible to perceive it all. Maybe like God herself. Very emotional.

Posted by editor at 3:15 PM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 14 February 2008 7:13 AM EADT

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Mood:  sharp

We wove that 1987 book into our honours law thesis in 1989 called A Legal Foundation for Aboriginal Land Rights around the nascent concept of Native Title which was in fact recognised by the High Court of Australia 3 years later in Dec 1992. The famous Mabo Case and surely a hero of the age. But in 1989 we never quite nailed down what Australia was legally because the British empire had officially 'conquered' some of their global dominion in which case local people's land law continued in some form say under a treaty like Waitangi in NZ, and 'settled' other 'empty' land. But Australia seemed to be "sui generis" which is latin meaning "one of a kind" mentioned in some of the writings in dusty old common law cases from India and South Africa. 

Now we conclude Australia was neither empty/settled or peopled/conquered in the minds of the UK seat of government. We personally have no doubt it was a covert creeping invasion and consquest using convicts as the catspaw of the Empire. It was invaded by convict criminals sent in with sickness and violence to clear out whatever they came across. All very convenient and racist to not even formalise an international legal categorisation for the hapless Aborigines who lived so very close to nature.

In 1993-4 we played an active role at least here in NSW in reforming The Wilderness Society's national approach to such issues into a quite strong and ethical Land & Rights Policy which prefaced alliances over such campaigns in Starcke and Jabiluka of the 1990ies with Traditional Aboriginal owners of land. (We were not the instigator of such a reform, rather this was a couple Larry and Marg from memory, but we loved the change.) This was in a time when Noel Pearson was pretty friendly to the non govt group too. 

The essence of the TWS reformed policy was to recognise large intact natural areas known as wilderness under the NSW 1987 legislation as in fact Indigenous land, and secondly while never walking away from the goal to conserve such lands, to never seek to pre emtively extinguish that traditional, custodial Indigenous history in any deal making with other stakeholders in land such as govt, agri or other resource extraction industries.

One implication of that huge symbolic shift was that it could theoretically involve the TWS both supporting a native title holder's ownership and at the same time campaigning against them if they sought to act as a vandalistic black developer of crucial conservation values. This was a risk deemed essential in a new moral path for the green movement and for the nation post Mabo. It felt right and it was right.

5 years later 1997 we realised the game of covert extinguishment was still under way in NSW but this time by the NSW Govt Depts,  farmers and also either using or willingly with the aid of certain green groups.

Indeed the name of the game in conservative politics under the federal Howard govt was extinguishment of the Mabo legal test of 'ongoing physical connection with the land' and in the most redneck parts of the nation it looked like the bulldozer was the preferred method as here in Qld:

And not just the bulldozer to ensure extinguishment of native title with ongoing agri industry pressure on govt for corporate welfare via freeholding of govt leasehold land to the non indigenous squattocracy of the Western Division here:

Posted by editor at 9:58 AM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 20 December 2007 3:42 PM EADT

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Mood:  caffeinated

Author’s general introductory note (skip this if you know this regular weekly column):

This is not a well packaged story. It’s a contemporaneous traverse of the Sunday television free to air political talkies indicating the agenda of Establishment interests: Better to know ones rivals and allies  in Big Politics and Big Media.

Indeed it’s the tv version monitoring task similar to what Nelson Mandela refers to here in his book Long Walk to Freedom (1994, Abacus) written in Robben Island prison (where he was meant to die like other African resister chiefs of history in the 19C), at page 208

“..newspapers are only a shadow of reality; their information is important to a freedom fighter not because it reveals the truth, but because it discloses the biases and perceptions of both those who produce the paper and those who read it.”

Just substitute ‘Sunday tv political talkie shows’ for "newspapers" in the quote above.

For actual transcripts go to web sites quoted below except with Riley Diary on 7. And note transcripts don’t really give you the image content value.

Media backgrounder 

- We noticed on the vision last night Rudd, and the night before, with no NSW State Premier within cooee, perhaps to avoid protesters like those pictured above. Or here below at the ALP National Conference. Pesky protesters about real stuff. Don't they know they didn't pay for the best democracy money can buy:

- On reflection it looks like Ruddy (Rudd's bold challenge)

is trying to spook the Coalition about the proximity of the election, they being  on tenderhooks if and when Newspoll dumps on PM Howard next Tuesday 18th Sept and his backbench really stares at the political abyss for real. More here via The Curmudgeon (we do love)

Alan Ramsey: PM bowled over by the bright side of life

- Fallout for the Iemma/Howard law and order tub thump after APEC continued to dribble in the suburban freebies via front pager sympathetic to the protesters in the Earlwood/Canterbury Valley Times Sept 13 07, and News Ltd owned The Glebe at page 7 13 Sept picture story re Daniel Jones prominent in SBS Dateline coverage pre big rally, and an impressive young bloke too.

 

- Which calls up the NSW Police Media Unit prize for Talking Turkeys in the The Media supplement, inhouse media industry bible:

 

- Speaking of jelly backs, we notice Jeff Angel director of Total Environment Centre oft in the news seems to have found his voice regarding cosy secretive govt committee processes (eg renewable energy), and seems indeed to be singing like a bird about Part 3A repeal of planning and environmental protections (a prominent lead letter in the SMH a week or two back: See Rule rides roughshod over community voices in decision-making ... signing for some 50 groups as distinct from say the 120 member groups of the Nature Conservation Council and non aligned groups like Greenpeace and this writer's small network). Angel is often on abc radio and Stateline last Friday here in NSW (By Any Other Name ) again attacking the ALP State govt. But it all looks too little too late and face saving to this writer as regards Angel's past collaboration.

 

It seems too much of a coincidence such new found back bone coming after SAM here writing a withering, and we think accurate piece about Angel's 10 year history of giving comfort to the Carr led ALP in NSW (he famously wrote in the SMH in 2002 that Carr was the greenest premier in the history of Australia). Yet Angel's complaints now source from Carr's governance (including Carr's Part 3A) and Angel helping achieve such a disastrous majority for Carr in 1999 and 2003:

 

Thursday, 16 August 2007

Is Jeff Angel an ALP collaborator in environmental destruction?
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: nsw govt

 

 

 

This process no doubt self aggrandised Angel's status and role, but at the immeasurable expense of the NSW and Australian environment in terms of land clearing (about 2M ha in NSW alone), woodchipping (at least 10M tonnes natural forest onging in NSW, 80M nationally) especially in East Gippsland but exported out of Eden, cyanide mines at Timbarra and Lake Cowal, failure to really deliver a 'green' Olympics, and any number of other depredations. And that's not counting corrupted governance of the NSW ngo green sector itself. Just ask Noel Plumb ex CEO of National Parks Assocation and a swathe of mid rank green campaigners. Angel till now has been the Howard of the NSW green movement. Ruthless. Which is why the Green Party is an essential contrast.

 

- Surprisingly turgid article by James Woodford, Jeff Angel protege and NSW ALP groupie about how to write fiction - for 10 year olds? p53, August 26 2007 Sun Herald. Woodford has been absent Fairfax media for quite a few months now.

 

- Naomi Klein has a very tightly written piece in the Good Weekend presently, updating what JK Galbraith called the "military industrial complex" which bleeds the social services budget of the USA dry to promote it's "disaster economy" as Klein denotes it. How true. Some stats - in 2001 there were 2 security oriented lobby firms in the USA and in mid 2006 there were 543 linking legislators to venture capital. Another - as of December 2006 there were 205 of 245 that could be tracked out of a total of 360 released from Gitmo had been totally cleared by their home countries of any terrorism. She laments the commercialisation of security for lacking real democratic rigour, but methinks JK Galbraith sadly has been here before too.

 

- Same Good Weekend has a funny piece on Shrek, err IR Minister Joe Hockey who prefers to "observe pain" not live pain, hence the hard days work on the back of a quad bike looking at the view? Quite obviously a spoiled youngest child and cowardly about his real wet liberal values under the Howard regime. Sad really.

 

- Amusing to notice the Daily Telegaph acknowledging Howard's "hubris" in the Saturday editorial after the PM has put a daisy cutter through the Liberal Party organisation such that he owns all good news and thus still a 49% personal approval rating. All it signifies is he will be last to drown, such that Warren's cartoon has Howard as a toss up "can't win with/without him" on a coin. Truth to tell Howard is a tosser.

 

- Not that Rudd is less so if Mike Steketee in his book review "The Steel in Rudd" Australian Literary Review July 4 2007 p10 is to be believed" "determined ....innate conservatism ... humility ... didn't come naturally ....accepts where power lies ....never challenged anything [as a student] ... pragmatic". A perfect PM for a convict/survivor society?

- AAP story in Resources within Career section of the Australian every week p10 sept 15 re Robert Purves's Environment Business Australia re binding targets on climate change.

 

Meet the Press

Hockey IR minister with compere Paul Bongiorno. Displays his Howard loyalty despite Sunday Age story Speculation won't peter out about Costello ascension still quite possible this Tuesday re next Newspoll.

Avuncular Joe but mostly waffle.

First adbreak IR advert by unions against Howard extreme system, they say.

Jennifer Hewitt now with The Australian, and Mark someone Adeliade Advertiser both News Ltd folks.

Good question re Joe happy to be fall guy on IR? He really does look like Shrek. Amusing but is it ministerial? Not really.

Hewitt drives in the nails on Costello/Howard oscilliations as per disturbing vivisection cartoon by Moir yesterday.

Next guest is John Conner who in fact is aspiring ALP politician like Peter Garrett by the judge of the funding sources, Carr involvement in same Climate Institute, just as Carr used forest protection to drive a wedge on Liberal National Party in NSW then trashed them like this at Badja 2007, which Conner helped to facilitate when CEO of NSW Nature Conservation Council, hand in glove with ... Jeff Angel.

Footage of Garrett claiming hypocrisy. Ironic given his own failure on Tas pulp mill.

Conner sings a slick song re Kyoto, like a lawyer looks at the questioner?, not the camera so all we are seeing is a profile. Now to front with panel. Strong grasp of his subject, and progressive setting. Handles Hewitt bouncer easily. Very fluid talker, even a little haughty (before a fall?).  Looks and sounds like ALP pollie material after this interview. After the wedge has worked, with not one less coal mine. Camera out take has chatting going strong because climate change really is the wedge despite piss weak ALP, and inevitable post election sleaze - like the Tas pulp mill (subject of a Sydney) conference Balmain Town Hall yesterday.

Transcript in due course www.ten.com.au/meetthepress

7 Weekend Sunrise, 8.35-40 am Riley Diary  -

Howard leadership, Python allusion we used earlier this week, very gross and bloody re only a flesh wound, blood spirting from stump(s). "Your a looney". 'Team work' with cartoon music.

Savage satire. Frightening politics.

Again Don Bradman allusion we also have sledged, team won but he got a duck and footage of Howard lousy bowling style.

Q & A Howard stay on backbench is incredulous.

http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend

Insiders 2

Julia Gillard as Deputy Opposition leader is talent. Trawls Coalition leadership travails notes uncertainty point as the real crux of the problem for Howard, Costello and Coalition generally.

Claims Costello in lock step with Howard, worse on IR, lack policy like ALP as per question time in Parliament last week. Vote for Rudd is really a vote for him. Declines Carr triumphalism.

Panel Fran Kelly (abc radio national), Glen Milne (News Ltd) both very acute. Misha Schubert Age also clever.

The 'Howard/Costello leadership' - co joined - "Coward leadership" is the Glen Milne line, ouch.

Misha also reckons Costello is more problematic for the ALP with Howard’s measure.

Similar to 9 slow mo deconstruction of the  power transfer, as the big power cogs turn from Howard to Costello in the minds of hundreds of thousands of viewers in a mind meld with the show’s script, and not pushed but holding hands, like Oakes and Costello on 9 at roughly the same time similarly taking hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Very interesting, not seen such a consensus in footage in real time before.

Milne says PM is being airbrushed out of local MP campaigns according to his advice. Fran Kelly says Coalitino morale down. Tips housing affordability policy emergence. Misha schubert quietly says policy emergence on early childhood. And Milne says Textor Cosby will meet on when to call election (? not sure I got that).

Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Sunday 9

Costello with Laurie Oakes. Diumvirate? Costello leaves open he can be drafted, words show he won’t challenge if newspoll is bad on Tuesday. Won’t break his word to  Howard to run with him as his deputy. But if Howard loses his job, he has to reconsider obviously. He will be released from that word as his bond.

Costello sings the govt (ie his own) virtues on economic credentials.

LO teases out the confusing situation of who has finality on policy settings.

LO coauthor policies? Costello labours responses around Treasurer costing as usual and team work. Mouths all the words but sounds very problematic.

LO, supporters worry PC will be tainted if lose the election. PC says that’s the way it works in Cabinet system.

It’s a slow pace scary dangerous interview you can hear the rusty cogs of changeover from Howard to Costello turn against age and time and grime for lack of use. But turn they do.

Costello livens up what he stands for, strong economy, education, enfranchising people etc etc. Fluid, positive lively animated.

LO uses co-prime minister tag, Costello doesn’t blink and answers accepting the tag. The slow big cog turns another half wheel.

Costello goes on with his economic soliloquy re future funding etc.

LO delicately asks what he would do as prime minister. Costello again answers accepting the tag, as ostensible prime minister. The big cog turns another half wheel. Like backing a giant truck into a narrow drive. They both look at eachother knowingly at the transfer of power symbolism on the screen.

Last week poll had 59% surprisingly vote Howard should stand down as PM.

Feature story on alcohol drugs.

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp

Posted by editor at 8:34 AM NZT

Updated: Friday, 18 January 2008 11:08 AM EADT

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Mood:  special

NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia in the first full week in July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week (see History of NAIDOC), and its acronym has become the name of the week itself.

The week is celebrated not just in the Indigenous community, but also in increasing numbers of government agencies, schools, local councils and workplaces.

At the local Marrickville Addison Rd Community Centre a big event was held last Sunday 8th July 2007 with more events all week there with more detail here:  Linda Burney MP launches NAIDOC week action at Addison Gallery 2pm Sunday 8th July 07

Here are images of the launch at ARC:

Postscript #1 11th July 2007

While most Big Media are involved in supporting the underlying positive message behind NAIDOC, politically minded people probably unwisely seek to leverage the event. This was evident in the event above in some speechmaking but we didn't bother to report it because it was a negative energy compared to the greater truth of such a friendly positive cross cultural vibe as proven by the artwork too showing a love of land, love of life, love of humanity.

That is not to say some artworks were not cutting in their politics too. So it's not reality to sanitise/ go all Pollyanna either. These messages of the Indigenous are pretty strong in the Big Media on January 26th Australia Day aka Invasion Day aka Survivial Day. But it is a choice, and here at SAM we make an ethical editorial decision to amplify the "celebration" as per our introduction which is a straight lift from the official NAIDOC website.

Which brings us to today front page poison headline in today's low rent Sydney Daily Telegraph appealing to the white trash One Nation types

referring to this "sorry song" about the stolen generation subject of a federal govt report called Bringing Them Home in a NSW School songbook.

Here is their deliberately provocative, argumentative piece that inevitably leads to angst tension and dissension:

Kids sing Aborigine apology

CHILDREN as young as eight are being taught to sing sorry to Aborigines in a widely distributed song book, sparking concerns that NSW students are being "politically indoctrinated".

• Song of shame: Read the lyrics and decide for yourself

But for all those schools with lots of Aboriginal and non Aboriginal kids it's probably a great song as per this very profound witness of Bob Randall and his very well known song "Brown Skin Baby .... they take him away" which actually happened to the artist at age 7:

Funny isn't it how our kids are supposed to learn about the death and heroism of Gallipoli, but not about the sad history of Australia too. We read the other day of how anti semitism should not be sanitised in another context. Well exactly.

Another ugly editorial performance by the Daily Telegraph. It's not a song of shame. It's a song of historical reality. By the by, the first picture above by Barbara Weir is based on her experience as a child of hiding in the long grass for hours whenever the white welfare officers came to "steal" her from her parents. The price tag is $26,500.

What is quite wicked is the sneaky way the Telegraph headline is slyly equivocal, from one angle addressing a past 'shameful' situation of stolen children, but then leading into a text attacking schools for allegedly politicising children as the 'real' shame. Gallipoli anyone - conscription, abuse of colonials by British idiot generals, warfare to solve international disagreements .....?

Here is the Bob Randall tune - and it takes a heart of ice and stone to deny the emotional power of the song for its tenderness           

YouTube - Bob Randall: "Brown Skin Baby (They Took Me Away)"

Postscript #2 12th July 2007

 Dominic Wy Kanak - Greens
message (w) 93698027
(mob) 0401 006 380
(h) 9130 8460
dominick@waverley.nsw.gov.au

> Good article Tom , Give it to 'em Brother ....
>
> THAN..X..
> dominic

................

A school in NSW has banned students from singing a song with lyrics that calls for an apology to be given to Aboriginal people. A NSW politician is worried that young children are being indoctrinated while at school, but the song's composer doesn't know what all the fuss is about.

   TRANSCRIPT  REAL AUDIO   WINDOWS MEDIA  MP3

Posted by editor at 10:25 AM NZT

Updated: Thursday, 12 July 2007 11:24 AM NZT

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