National Indigenous Affairs

Australian constitutional recognition: a chance to have your say, and why it matters

Posted: October 21st, 2014

Filed under: Constitutional recognition, Federal Government, Recognise

Get your voice heard

The Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples has been established to inquire into steps that can be taken to progress towards a successful referendum on the recognition of Indigenous peoples in the Australian constitution.

The committee is currently receiving public submissions, and they are due by THURSDAY 30 October 2014. The committee prefers that written submissions are made online at their website. Submissions can also be sent by email (jscatsi@aph.gov.au), or post:

Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

In July of this year the committee tabled an interim report in the Parliament, and it has since been holding public hearings around Australia. To access the report click here.

What is this all about?

There are a few aspects to this area: it is not just about adding positive recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the Australian constitution, but also about removing very outdated and negative things that are still in that document. Unfortunately, the famous 1967 referendum that allowed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be counted in the national census, did not fix other big problems in the Australian constitution.

Section 25 of the Australian constitution allows States to disqualify people from voting, on the basis of the race of those people. The majority of people now agree that this section is discriminatory and that it should be deleted.

The 1967 referendum changed the constitution to allow the Federal Parliament, rather than the States, to make laws relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. But today, most people agree that power sometimes has been misused to allow the making of laws that harm particular races, including Indigenous Australians, more than other Australians. There are a lot of different views about how this problem might be fixed though, and YMAC is open to hearing from you about it. If you have time to read the interim report mentioned above, don’t be shy about letting YMAC’s new policy officer, Cameron Poustie, know how you think we should respond: he’s at cpoustie@ymac.org.au or on 08 9268 7000.

Finally, there’s the question of whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be recognised with an introductory paragraph somewhere in the Australian constitution. There seems to be strong support in the Australian community for this type of change as well, but at the moment there are different views as to how it might be done. It should be remembered that a proposed ‘preamble’ was voted down in a national referendum in 1999, so the consultation process before the voting needs to be a lot better this time. Again, if you have an opinion, please get in touch with Cameron Poustie as above.

Rotary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tertiary Scholarships

Posted: October 17th, 2014

Filed under: Indigenous Scholarships., Rotary

Applications are now open for the Rotary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tertiary Scholarships.

The Scholarships are available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school leavers pursuing Tertiary education. The scholarships cover a range study areas at a number of institutions across Australia.

Scholarships are valued at up to $100,000 over four years to cover living costs while at university. Each Scholar will also have a Rotary Mentor and an Indigenous Mentor appointed to them for the duration of the Scholarship.

Click here for more information and application details.

Charlie Perkins Scholarship Applications Open

Posted: October 13th, 2014

Filed under: Cambridge University, Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust, Indigenous Scholarships., Oxford University.

Applications for the Charlie Perkins Scholarship are now open.

The scholarship is awarded to outstanding Indigenous Scholars to study at Oxford or Cambridge universities in the United Kingdom. The value the scholarship differs depending on the recpients course of study. It will cover full university and college fees, travel costs and an annual stipend to cover living expenses.

YMAC employees Jessica Hutchens and Tamara Murdock were among last year’s scholars, and are now commencing their first year of the scholarship. Tamara is pursuing a Master’s of Science in Biodiversity and Conservation Management, and Jessica will be pursuing Doctorate in Fine Arts.

Applications close Friday 28 November 2014. For more information on the Charlie Perkins Scholarship and how to apply click here.

World Mental Health Day call to close the gap

Posted: October 10th, 2014

Filed under: Close the Gap, World Mental Health Day

Today marks the World Mental Health Day, a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy.

Professor Pat Dudgeon, chair of NATSILMH, took the opportunity to call on the Government to take action on closing the gap which exists between Indigenous and other Australians in the area of mental health. Professor Dudgeon spoke about  Indigenous Australians suffering psychological distress, mental illness and suicide at twice the rates of other Australians with evidence suggesting that the gap may be getting wider.

Professor Dudgeon was NATSILMH member, Dr Tom Palmer AO who called on the Government to prioritise the development of a mental health action plan in Indigenous Affairs.

“On World Mental Health Day 2014, we call on Australian governments to adopt a bipartisan approach and make closing the mental health gap a further priority for Indigenous Affairs,” said Professor Dudgeon and Dr Calma.

For more information on NATSILMH visit their website and to find events around Mental Health Day click here.

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

National Landcare Programme consultation survey

Posted: August 15th, 2014

Filed under: Department of the Environment, National Landcare Programme, public consultation

The Australian Government is seeking your views on the design and delivery of the Regional Stream of the National Landcare Programme.

Click here to take the survey and read the consultation paper that  provides an overview of the National Landcare Programme. The consultation paper will help inform your response to specific questions in the online survey.

The survey will be open until 8pm 29 August 2014.

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: get it, know it, use it.

Posted: August 11th, 2014

Filed under: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission, International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Mick Gooda, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

In celebration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, has unveiled a new website to provide practical information about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The website informs Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about their human rights and encourages people to use these principles in their daily lives.

The website includes a copy of the Declaration, as well as videos clips about how to breathe life into it.

Today is Aboriginal Children’s Day

Posted: August 4th, 2014

Filed under: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day, Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Care (SNAICC)

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day is celebrated across Australia each year on 4 August.

Children’s Day, and the week leading up to it, is a time to for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to celebrate the strengths and culture of their children. The day is an opportunity for all Australians to show their support for Aboriginal children, as well as learn about the crucial impact that community, culture and family play in the life of every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child.

In 2014 Children’s Day will focus on celebrating the positive role culture plays in children’s safety and wellbeing. This year’s theme is: Kids in Culture – Strong, Proud, Resilient.

To learn more visit the Children’s Day website

Celebrating NAIDOC Week!

Posted: July 7th, 2014

Filed under: Celebrate, NAIDOC week 2014, serving country

NAIDOC Week began yesterday with events held throughout Australia.

The NAIDOC theme for 2014 is Serving Country: Centenary & Beyond. This theme honours all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have fought for the defence of country.

YMAC staff joined many other organisations at the NAIDOC Opening ceremony where a number of outstanding acts performed with further celebrations to follow in the Pilbara and Yamatji regions.

For more information about events near you visit the NAIDOC website.

Overseas higher education study tour for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

Posted: June 19th, 2014

Filed under: Indigenous scholars international study tour, The Aurora Project

The Aurora Project is seeking applications from high achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander undergraduates in any field of study, who have completed at least two years of their course of study.  University graduates are also welcome to apply.

The group of successful applicants (around 15 in total) will leave Australia in late October or early November and spend approximately 2½ weeks in the US visiting several top-tier universities and approximately 2 weeks at Cambridge and Oxford in the UK.  All costs associated with travel, accommodation and meals will be covered by Aurora and its supporters.

This is a fantastic opportunity for students, click here to find out more and read testimonials from last year’s participants.