Friday, 16 October 2009 - 10:00am
March Against Racism
MAYSAR Sport and Recreation Centre - 184-186 Gertrude street, Fitzroy
MELBOURNE
Wednesday, 14 October 2009, 1pm
Joe Nap B, second floor of Union House
University of Melbourne
Thursday, 15 October 2009, 1pm
Monash University Clayton
Campus Cinema, Building 10
Friday, 16 October 2009, 10am
March Against Racism
MAYSAR Sport and Recreation Centre
184-186 Gertrude street, Fitzroy
Friday, 16 October 2009, 6pm.
Public meeting
Melbourne Youth Sport and Recreation Centre (MAYSAR)
184-186 Gertrude street, Fitzroy
‘Resistance to Invasion: the Aboriginal walk-off and protest against the Northern Territory Intervention’.
Speakers include:
Richard Downs, Harry Nelson and leading Melbourne Aboriginal activist Robbie Thorpe.
Contact: Marisol 0413597315 or Joe 0434127661
SYDNEY
Tuesday, 6 October 2009, 10 am – 12 pm
AMPILATWATJA COMMUNITY WALK-OFF BRIEFING FOR ABORIGINAL WORKERS AND ORGANISATIONS
at the Redfern Community Centre
Address by Richard Downs, Spokesperson for Alyawarr Elders, Ampilatwatja
Introduction by Shane Phillips, Tribal Warrior, Redfern
Please RSVP as soon as possible to liv.nigro@gmail.com or 0401 955 405
For the poster: click here
Tuesday, 6 October 2009, 2 pm
Richard Downs will address Amnesty International staff and supporters at the Sydney office,
Level 1, 79 Myrtle St Chippendale NSW 2008
Wednesday, 7 October 2009, 10 am
Media conference
NSW Parliament House Press Room, Macquarie Street.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009, 6.30 PM
Public Forum
UTS Building 4, Level 2, Room 36, 745 Harris St Ultimo
NT Intervention in Crisis: Why Jenny Macklin must resign
Speakers include:
* Richard Downs, Alyawarr People’s Walk-Off, Ampilatwatja NT
* Harry Nelson, Yuendumu Community Spokesperson
* Larissa Behrendt, NAIDOC Indigenous Person of the Year, 2009
* Chris Graham, Editor, National Indigenous Times
CONTACT: Mon Wiseman 0415 410 558 or Jean Parker 0449 646 593
E-mail: stoptheintervention@gmail.com
Western Sydney
Sunday, 11 October 2009, 3 pm
Wundunarrkoo Hall, 108 Ellsworth Drive, Tregear
Welcome to Country: Aunty Gloria Matthews
For the poster: click here
Southern Sydney
Monday, 12 October 2009, 6 pm
Illawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre, 22 Kenny St, Wollongong.
Welcome to Country: Uncle Dootch Kennedy
For the poster: click here
www.stoptheintervention.org
CANBERRA
Friday 9 October , 6pm
Manning Clark Lecture Theatre,
Australian National University, Canberra
BRISBANE
Saturday 17th October, 1.30pm,
Kurlipa Hall, 174 Boundary Street, West End
With Reverend Aunty Alex Gater, Aboriginal Women For Change
Monday 19th October, 1pm
Room 214, Gordon Greenwood Building (32)
University of Queensland.
CONTACT: Sam Watson 0401 227 443 or Mark Gillespie on 07 3891 5385 / mgillespie3@gmail.com
Help in building networks of active supporters, fundraising to support the walk-off protest camp, promotion of events and much more.
The Federal and NT Governments have come under increasing fire in recent months over the scandals emanating from the NT Intervention. In August UN Special Rapporteur Professor Ananya described it as ‘’clearly discriminatory’’, and characterised the policies as “stigmatising an already stigmatised people”.
Meanwhile, on the ground affected Aboriginal people are struggling to survive and resist the conditions of hardship, division and racism imposed by the legislation.
In July, echoing the dramatic land rights struggle of the 1960s and 70s, Alyawarra Elders at Ampilatwatja community, 300kms north-east of Alice Springs, walked off their community demanding an end to the Intervention and immediate action to address shocking housing conditions.
‘’Aboriginal people had no other option but to walk off the Prescribed Area…(according) them the status of being internally displaced refugees‘’We no longer have any rights to exist as humans in our own country and are outcasts in our own community’’, said Richard Downs, spokesperson for the Alyawarra Elders.
More than 150 of the 300 residents have joined the protest, 3kms from the township. They are threatening to take the entire community to set up camp on ancestral lands unless their demands are met:
“Funds must go to community development, not ‘Intervention’’’. “End the compulsory lease and restore land to Aboriginal control. We are now urging and calling all communities who feel they are in same situation as our community to stand up and support us and keep fighting for indigenous people’s rights’’.
Minister Macklin has made clear that despite the community’s desperate need, no new houses will be built. Ampilatwatja residents are victim’s of the Interventions ‘growth towns’ policy that deems hundreds of remote communities “unviable” and is starving them of funds to drive people into ‘hub towns”.
Widespread condemnation over the Indigenous housing crisis and government mismanagement of the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program (SIHIP) continues to escalate after revelations that from the $672 million funding, not one house has been built for Aboriginal people NT-wide.
This scandal has been explained by pro-Intervention commentators in The Australian as a failure of “red tape”. But the real failure of SIHIP is explained by its racism – the deliberate exclusion of Aboriginal communities and organisations in the design and implementation of the program.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin must resign! Racist Intervention laws must be immediately repealed.
Richard Downs will be visiting Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in October to spread the message of the Alyawarra Elders and to rally support for the walk-off and the campaign to stop the intervention.
“Stop the compulsory welfare quarantine. The Intervention is creating racism, divisions, hatred and resentment across the NT’’ …’I urge all our brothers and sisters along with non aboriginal people to stand up and support us.”
