[recoznet2] ANTaR QLD: CERD campaign
Forwarded with permission from Christine Howes: From: Jen Tsen Kwok Subject: ANTaR QLD: CERD campaign Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 10:35 AM Dear everybody. On the 19th March 1999 the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) found that the native title amendments created by the Federal government in the Native Title Amendment Act (NTAA) (1998) breached AustraliaÌs international obligations under the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1969). The CERD committee called upon the Australian Federal government to suspend implementation of the NTAA. ANTaR QLD intends to run a media and letter writing campaign until the end of August concerning the CERD decision. There are a number of factors which have prompted us to do this; a) the original intention of the CERD committee to visit Australia in early July was indefinitely postponed, b) on August 16th the CERD committee will meet to decide what to do further. The importance of the CERD decision is that it gives ANTaR an opportunity to revive the issue upon which the organization's creation was originally based. That is; opposition to the 'Ten Point Plan' native title amendments. This email is in effect a formal invitation to each of you to participate in this campaign via letter writing. It may require a letter being written as often as once a week. We are still formulating our program for the media campaign and therefore it will be at least a week before I send out a formal briefing of the CERD decision. I will probably be required to send additionally mail too as the campaign progress and in response to breaking news. If you are interested, or you know absolutely anyone else who would be interested, please contact or email me. Mr Jen Kwok ph/fax (business). 3841 5333 email. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Individuals who have email access are obviously more convenient for me to contact but as we already have individuals who can only participate via snail mail, it is not inconvenient for me to send them written material. Yours faithfully, Jen Kwok. --- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words:unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
[recoznet2] World Heritage final faxing request: PLEASE act on it
From: Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation [EMAIL PROTECTED] Folks, this from John Hallam, acti-nuclear worker at Friends of the Earth in Sydney, who has coordinated this massive faxing effort over the last months. Please remember, Paris time is about 8 hours behind EST; so even up to lunchtime tomorrow you can still send a fax in the knowledge it'll be there before they get up - ie maximize the chances of them seeing it and it having an effect. Dear People, Hopefully this is the last request you will get to act on Kakadu World Heritage stuff. The full body of the World Heritage Committee meets on Monday. The Australian government has exerted unprecedented pressure against an in Danger listing. There is now a danger that this pressure may be working. The 'In Danger' listing, twice strongly reccommended by the World Heritage advisory bodies, may fall vicitim to the politics of pressure and manipulation. There is one delegation that especially needs to hear a message. That is the Italian delegation. They need to hear that their delegate, mr Gabriele sardo, (+33-1-45-66-41-78), has been consistently undermining the sirit and intent of the World Heritage convention, by siding with Australia against an 'in Danger' listing. This is especially shocking, as the Italians, under Professor francesco Francioni, were responsible for the original Kakadu mission report that reccommended an 'in danger' listing. You should ask that the Italian delegate cease undermining the convention and support the reccommendations of the advisory bodies. Tell them that if Kakadu National Park is not listed as 'in danger', then this will signal to the whole world that uranium mines in the middle of world heritage national parks are acceptable. Tell them this will compromise both the spirit and intent of the entire World Heritage Convention. Tell them that their delegation should continue to uphold the once high standards previously adopted by italy when their delegation was led by Pofessor francesco francioni. Tell them that short-term political considerations have no place in a decision such as this. The fax number of the Italian delegate is 33-1-45-66-41-78. Let them know how you feel about the Italian delegations actions. A letter sent by Friends of the Earth to the Italian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister follows. MR MASSIMO D'ALEMA PRIME MINISTER OF ITALY, +39-06-678-3998 MR EDO RONCHI, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT +39-06-679-1905 DR. LAMBERTO DINI, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS +39-06-323-6210 We are writing to express our dismay that the leader of the Italian delegation to the World Heritage Bureau, Mr. Gabriele Sardo, is undermining the World Heritage Convention by actively lobbying to assist the Australian Government to develop a uranium mine in the middle of Australias preeminent National Park, Kakadu. This is particularly disturbing, given the strong role Italy's chair of the World Heritage Committee Professor Francisco Francioni played in leading a mission to Australia to investigate the damage being caused by the Jabiluka uranium mine to Kakadu. The mission found the Jabiluka mine to be of sufficient concern to warrant placing Kakadu National Park on the list of World Heritage In Danger. The complete turnaround in the Italian governments position appears to be the result of a massive international lobbying campaign by the Australian Government (at foreign minister or higher level) to gain support for this mine going ahead. Australias lobbying campaign runs directly counter to the advice of the World Heritage Mission, and to the unequivocal advice of the three world Heritage technical advisory bodies (IUCN, ICOMOS and ICCROM), that Kakadu should be immediately placed on the 'In Danger' list. Where Italy once led the world in helping to uphold the highest international standards for World Heritage protection, its reputation as an outstanding leader in this field is fast being destroyed. How can it be that a country which placed so much store on maintaining the integrity of the World Heritage Convention can have given in to pressure from the Australian Government and placed short- term political expediency head of the high standing the Italian Government had achieved in this area under Professor Francioni? Please ensure that your delegation upholds the high standards previously adopted by Italy, and supports an In Danger listing for Kakadu National Park." John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth, Sydney, Australia. Karl-Erik Paasonen for Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation Contact details: Phone: Within Australia: (08) 8979 2200; international: +61 - 8 - 8979 2200; Fax: Within Australia: (08) 8979 2299; international: +61 - 8 - 8979 2299 Postal address: PO Box 245 Jabiru, Northern Territory AUSTRALIA 0886. We have this amazing web-site, which you'd be CRAZY not to have a look at: http://www.mirrar.net
[recoznet2] Rod's letter in the SMH
SMH - Letters page Hard call without fieldwork Your report "Trouble in the myth business" (Herald, July 3) cannot pass without comment. The article portrayed Dr Brunton as a whistleblower, ignored for criticising indigenous interests. Ben Hills claimed Dr Brunton left academia because he was "tired of the politicisation of anthropology". Dr Brunton's next job was as research officer for the Victorian branch of the Liberal Party. Since 1990 he has had stints with the Institute of Public Affairs, which has received some funds from Western Mining and other mining interests, and the Tasman Institute. Hills's examination of the Yorta Yorta claim beggars belief. Justice Olney specifically indicated that he was not disparaging "the qualifications, experience or integrity of the [expert] witnesses concerned". Neither Shepparton nor Wangaratta was claimed and only 10 per cent of the traditional lands of the group were involved, not the "enormous piece ... of 20,000 square kilometres" quoted. As the anthropologist who undertook field work and presented evidence on behalf of the applicants, I was bemused to find Hills focusing on the role of Dr Deborah Rose (an anthropologist of the highest repute, with immense experience in Aboriginal Australia) whose involvement was sought to address theoretical issues. It was not intended that she address local ethnography. Anthropologists called by claim opponents had no field experience of the region. Despite his high profile on Aboriginal issues, Brunton admitted he had "not done anything that I would call fieldwork" anywhere in Aboriginal Australia. One may think that this placed him at something of a disadvantage when discussing such matters. - Rod Hagen, Consultant anthropologist, Hurstbridge (Vic) --- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words:unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
[recoznet2] World Heritage decision: timing
From: Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi, folks. If matters go as according to the provisional timetable for the Committee meeting, they're due to make a decision by about 1.30 pm Paris time. According to the Northern Territory phone book that's 8.30 pm NT time, 9.00 EST. But comparing times as we've matched them up in phone calls, it's probably earlier - about 7.30 (Daylight Saving over there?). That's "if". But as soon as I get any news or a release I'll put it out. If anyone out there on this moderately extensive network has a more accurate source, please let me know. karl-erik Karl-Erik Paasonen for Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation Contact details: Phone: Within Australia: (08) 8979 2200; international: +61 - 8 - 8979 2200; Fax: Within Australia: (08) 8979 2299; international: +61 - 8 - 8979 2299 Postal address: PO Box 245 Jabiru, Northern Territory AUSTRALIA 0886. We have this amazing web-site, which you'd be CRAZY not to have a look at: http://www.mirrar.net ... "We will fight to protect our country and that is a fact of life" Yvonne Margarula. Ba-ngurdmeninj Djabulukku! Yun Ngurri-Djalgarung Boiwek Gun-Ngukbim! "Stop Jabiluka! Don't the dig the life out of the Knob-Tailed Gecko Dreaming!" ... --- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words:unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
