Yesterday someone threw a bomb out of a car at a group of Aboriginal people at the One Mile Community in Broome, in Western Australia. Four people were injured, one seriously. Can you find it in the news?
Aboriginal
Signal Boost: women being prosecuted for retracting domestic violence allegations
From Destroy the Joint, a call for action at NSW state level: call upon the Attorney General Greg Smith to issue a direction to the NSW DPP under the Director of Public Prosecutions Act to ensure that no one is prosecuted solely for retracting an allegation of domestic or sexual violence without the approval of a senior lawyer within the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Update: Attorney-General Greg Smith has made a statement that he has no plans to revise the existing laws relating to this matter. Now is the time to up the pressure.
Thoughts on Australia Day / Invasion Day
Wesley Enoch, Artistic Director of the Queensland Theatre Company, and always a wise voice from the Aboriginal community, wrote this about the significance of what we have chosen to commemorate today. I found it both insightful and moving, and (with his permission) wanted to share it:
BTW: “invasion”
I put up a post on LP about it yesterday. The discussion is mostly better than I feared.
Quick Hit – Oh really?
The hanging suicide of a transgender Aboriginal woman in a male jail could not have been prevented by the Department of Corrective Services, a coroner has found.
Namatjira at Belvoir Street Theatre
If, like me, you are interested in seeing more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, you will be delighted to hear that the Belvoir Street Theatre’s collaboration with Big hARTto produce Namatjira has resulted in the best play I’ve seen for a long, long time.
Quickhit: Icedancers with a new twist on blackface.
Via baby_elvis, this ice-dancing routine. From the news: Russian world ice-skating champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin have danced around the controversy surrounding their Aboriginal-themed routine, insisting they will still use it at the Winter Olympics. Aboriginal elders say the… Read More ›
Tom Calma: Indigenous Advisory Body to have Full Gender Equality at All Levels
Tom Calma, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, announced today at the National Press Club the proposed formation of a new national advisory body to bring the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to the Minister,… Read More ›
11 August 2009: Yolngu Nation Federation
Edited to add 11 Aug 2136(+8): The Indigenous people of north-eastern Arnhem Land have formed a federation and declared self-government — and nobody noticed. There is almost complete radio silence in the media, blogs, twitter… everywhere. It’s rather eerie. SMH:… Read More ›
United Nations: Elder’s heatstroke death in police van possible torture or inhuman punishment
Today, a senior chemist who assisted in a re-enactment of the incident in similar conditions told the inquiry the air temperature in the back of the van reached 50.4C [123 F]. He also told the court the surface temperature of the metal floor in the back peaked at 56.6C [134 F] during the re-enactment.
Hoyden About Town 