The Aboriginal Visitors Scheme in disarray as two brothers attempt suicide within 12 hours

Fri 10 Aug 2012
By Gerry Georgatos

Gerry Georgatos - nit.com.au
In June, the National Indigenous Times broke the story of two brothers attempting suicide within 12 hours at Geraldton’s Greenough Prison and how the Aboriginal Visitors Scheme had been made defunct in the region by the Department of Corrective Services and how both the suicide attempts and the loss of the AVS had been kept from the news media.

"Aboriginal people are not sent to prison to die, or are they?" said Aboriginal Visitors Scheme (AVS) Officer, Joyce Capewell.

Royal Commission into the AWU allegations and Gillard's involvement long overdue

Sun 05 Aug 2012
By Anonymous

Prime Minister cannot continue to leave an example of 'trust me' and 'I was young and naive' while other Australians would have come before the justice system

Julia Gillard claimed that she was young and naive while her then partner, Bruce Wilson, siphoned members' funds from the AWU but instead she was a 36 year old lawyer, and a partner in the burgeoning law firm, Slater and Gordon.

A Royal Commission is long overdue into the AWU scandal and especially with the now 66 year old Ralph Blewitt coming out of nowhere, for whatever reasons, and publicly admitting wrong-doing and calling for his immunity from prosecution in order to provide testimony.

Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact would allow national laws to be overruled by corporations

Thu 02 Aug 2012
By Anonymous

By Systemic Disorder Imagine a world in which which labor safeguards, safety rules and environmental regulations will be struck down because a multi-national corporation’s profits might be affected. A world in which measures to reign in financial speculation are illegal. A world in which the task of governments, codified in law, is to maximize corporate profits.

Imagine a world in which corporations can bypass national laws and courts when they are in a dispute with a government, and instead can have their dispute adjudicated by a closed tribunal controlled by their lawyers.

Unfortunately, the above is not dystopian science fiction; it is the reality of the top-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Related: More analysis of the TPPA -- Occupy the TPPA -- Melbourne protest at TPPA negotiations

Simon Peterffy cops 40 hours community service for saving numbats

Thu 26 Jul 2012
By Gerry Georgatos

Gerry Georgatos
Forests Rescue Australia (FRA) coordinator Simon Peterffy appeared in Manjimup Court on July 26 and feared that a prison term was on the cards for his activism in protecting the Warrup forest's numbats.

Mr Peterffy said he has never spent time in prison however feared that his persistent activism may have culminated in a prison sentence "because it appears that police have been coming down harder in recent times and the instructions from 'above' are that harsher penalties need apply" to dissuade FRA type protest actions.

Lizards Revenge uranium protest - information and links

Tue 24 Jul 2012
By Anonymous

LIZARDS REVENGE AT THE OLYMPIC DAM URANIUM MINE

500+ brave souls participated in the Lizards Revenge protest at BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam uranium mine from July 11-20. The event was a huge success in drawing attention to the many problems with the mine. Hundreds of newspaper, radio and TV items provided opportunities to hold BHP Billiton and the SA and federal governments to account for racist policies (such as the mine's exemptions from the SA Aboriginal Heritage Act), grossly irresponsible environmental practices, and irresponsible export policies such as selling uranium to nuclear weapons states and dictatorships.

People smugglers they are not, lawful and heroes instead - we have to change the language

Thu 19 Jul 2012
By Gerry Georgatos

Gerry Georgatos
The misappropriation of language and abuse of semantics in reference to ‘perceived people smugglers’ has to begin to change so we do not further erode compassion, and continue to skew the moral compass, bend and circumvent the rule of law- domestic and international.

Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin on its way to save the Kimberley's coast amidst allegations of sham politics to build the Gas Hub

Tue 17 Jul 2012
By Gerry Georgatos

Gerry Georgatos
The Sea Shepherd, Aboriginal Elders, Dr Bob Brown, the Australian Greens and Kimberley residents have condemned the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) report and recommendations on the proposal to give the go-ahead for the Browse Basin gas hub at James Price Point, and they described the environmental assessment process "as a sham."

"This report and (the) recommendations need to be rejected by the Federal Government. How can anyone expect the results of this sham of a process to be taken seriously?"

Three years of hell - Rex Bellotti Jnr's first interview

Thu 12 Jul 2012
By Gerry Georgatos

Gerry Georgatos
(This is the first time Rex Jnr has given an interview)

Rex Bellotti Jnr was fifteen years old when a police-four-wheel-drive struck him grievously near midnight on a March night in 2006. In an unfettered debacle since the tragic event the Western Australian police have refused to admit adequate culpability and the now 18 year old is still waiting for the State Insurer's payout.

I have written over 70,000 words on this young man and of the incident that wrecked many of his dreams.

Picket of workers at Toll Coles Distribution warehouse begins

Wed 11 Jul 2012
By Anonymous

A picket by workers at Toll warehouse in Somerton in Melbourne began on July 10th. The workers are paying parity of conditions and pay as workers in other Coles warehouses. Workers at Toll are paid significantly less, do not receive RDO's, are forced to work on public holidays and suffer from poor health and safety. A Community Assembly has been called to back the NUW led strike. Differences in terms of tactics exist with many leftist groups urging support for the NUW leadership of the strike whilst the Socialist Equality Party is calling on workers to break free from the NUW and form independent strike committees.
Related: Coverage in The Age -- Analysis from the Socialist Equality Party -- Photos on Flikr -- Solidarity protest at Coles stores -- Workers Solidarity Network fliers -- Updates on strike from Socialist Alternative

Solidarity message from Sydney Stop The War Coalition

Fri 06 Jul 2012
By Anonymous

Sydney Stop the War Coalition in Australia extends its solidarity the Philippines Stop the War Coalition and the other groups demanding that your country's Senate not to ratify the Republic of the Philippines-Australia Status of the Visiting Forces Agreement.

This is a military agreement, developed in secrecy by the governments and military chief of both our governments, that will allow the deployment of Australian military forces on Philippines territory for "combined training, exercises, or other activities mutually approved by the Parties".

This military deal is an attack on the peace, freedom and independence of the Filipino people, and the other peoples in Asia.

We understand that under this agreement, the Philippines cannot exercise primary jurisdiction over visiting Australian military personnel accused of a crime or other breach of the law if the Australian military claims that the action concerned was carried out in performance of an "official duty".
Related: Protests hit Phillipines-Australia Military Deal