SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA Aboriginal Communities send a powerful message to government

ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN
COMMUNITIES SEND A POWERFUL MESSAGE TO GOVERNMENT.

Aboriginal Communities across every state and territory of Australia send a powerful message to the Premier of Western Australia and Prime Minister of Australia.
Kimberley Aboriginal Women took the lead with support from their men folk in sending a powerful message to the Premier of Western Australia Colin Barnett after they instigated a call for a national day of support to the wider Australian nation. The call to action held around Australia on Thursday 19th March resulted in a massive show of support registering collectively more than 20,000 people marching in remote communities, towns and cities. The outpouring of support via social media has resulted in a reach of over 1million people worldwide and continues to grow as awareness spreads. This outcome furthers the feeling and sentiments of the Kimberley community that they will not accept Premier Collin Barnett’s plan to shut off essential services to 150 remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia, ultimately forcing them into closure.

The sentiments expressed by local Kimberley, Pilbara, Murchison, Goldfields and South Australian people and supported by the actions throughout the state of WA and indeed across the nation, ranged from fear of uncertainty about which communities would be closed, to questions about what criteria the state would use to justify cutting of essential services, to outright objection of the Premier’s plan, saying that they will not be moved off their homelands under any circumstance and citing that his plans would be a step backward in reconciliation and moreover a playing out of historical policies of further marginalising and disenfranchising Aboriginal people again.

Local Shire President of Broome Graham Campbell who spoke at the Broome event weighed into the discussion stating that even the local Shires of the Kimberley were not in the consultation process to date and were very concerned about the social flow on effects that may eventuate due to displacement of community people targeted in the direct outcome of the Premier’s plans.
Two key messages that came from the Kimberley

Aboriginal community were that the:

· Government, either State or Federal need to consult and create an open and transparent conversation with Aboriginal people within the State / Region / Communities they are targeting for closure.

And:

· Current influential leaders of the Kimberley must create solidarity, to unite and be one voice to represent the Kimberley region in order to present solutions to the issues that affect the region, and that these influential leaders must include their strong Aboriginal women leaders in this process prior to engaging in conversations with the State or Federal Government.

The Kimberley Aboriginal Women will be meeting with the Local MLA for Labor, Josie Farrer next week to discuss a community closure strategic plan. Organisers across the states (WA and SA) will also work on strategic action to take in order to open the discussion with their local State Government representatives.

For All Media Enquiries Contact:
Jodie Bell +61418094287(Jodie.bell@gme.com.au)
Janine Dureau +61 419478614 (Janine.hunter6@bigpond.com)
Mitch Torres +61481054829 (mitchtorres@hotmail.com) 

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WEST PAPUA: POLICE AGAIN OPEN FIRE, BEAT AND ARREST PROTESTERS IN PAPUA-WIDE CRACKDOWN ON KNPB DEMOS

In several centres across West Papua on October 16, Indonesian police and army (TNI) have again cracked down violently on peaceful political demonstrations held by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), resulting in the injuries of several participants, with unconfirmed reports of police opening fire in related incidents against KNPB members in Kaimana.

The demonstrations, called for October 15 by the KNPB to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the founding of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua, were delayed for a day out of respect for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.   The rallies were also highlighting the historic speech made by Vanuatu Prime Minister Moana Kalosil Carcasses to the United Nations General Assembly in late September, calling for the international community to take action on West Papua.........(MORE) 

‘OTSUS Plus’ a further blurring of Papuan History

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Bobii: Australian PM’s Words Hurt the People of Papua

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W est Papua M edia: Police violently break up 3rd Congress

• October 19, 2013
  West Papua Media team and local stringers
  Early reports received from West Papua Media stringers have described another serious and violent crackdown across West Papua on October 19 by Indonesian security forces, against peaceful gatherings commemorating the third anniversary of the brutal crackdown on the Third Papuan Congress in October 2011.
• click to see more below...
• West Papua Media: Police violently break up 3rd Congress NFRPB commemorations across West Papua

#Oct7Proclaim Sylvia McAdam Video Solidarity #IdlenoMore

#Oct7Proclaim : Sylvia McAdam explains ....

Guarani Kaiowa Idle No More- Brazil

@Idle_No_More Solidarity Sydney Australia are in solidarity with our indigenous sisters and brothers in Brazil -and Globally. We know that the Guarani Kaiowa People have spent decades being driven from their ancestral lands as profit driven agricultural barons seek ever more land for ever more profit by any means necessary. The indigenous people of Mato Grosso de Sul struggle with not only disposession but with the additional issues of introduced addictions and sickness caused by inability to access and harvest traditional foods we hear their call. Today Guarani Kaiowa People are standing as one with Indigenous People from throughout Brazil to assert their rights to the Freedom so many of us in the Western First World consider they have, despite not once having to fight for or defend it. 

 When Indigenous Peoples of the World Stand to defend their way of life and their very existence we stand in solidarity with them. With their stance as in Brazil, they will be IdleNoMore - IdleNoMore Brazil is uniting the traditional voices and todays understandings using all peaceful means to assert. #Oct7Proclaim #IdleNoMore