Sovereign Audio Collection

Indigenous elders have welcomed a new agreement between France and Australia on the repatriation of Indigenous remains. Michael Kenny - World News Radio 20 NOV 2014 - (Transcript from SBS World News Radio) - Indigenous elders have welcomed a new agreement between France and Australia on the repatriation of Indigenous remains. - They say they hope it sets a precedent for similar agreements with other countries. - Prime Minister Tony Abbott and France's President Francois Hollande signed the agreement in Canberra this week. - Indigenous elders say it will help ensure Indigenous human remains held in French museums are returned to Australia. - Tony Abbott and Francois Hollande have agreed to establish a joint expert committee to help identify the origin of Indigenous Australian remains held in France. Australia and Italy signed a similar agreement in 2009, and remains have also been returned from Britain, Sweden and Austria over recent years. - Palawa elder and Amnesty International campaigner Rodney Dillon has had a long interest in the repatriation of Indigenous remains from overseas collections. - He is a former chairman of the National Reference Group for the Repatriation of Australian Indigenous Remains. - In 2000, as a board member for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, he successfully pushed for a deal to speed up Indigenous repatriation between Australia and Britain. - Mr Dillon estimates four to five thousand Indigenous Australian remains are held in overseas galleries and museums, mainly in Europe and across the United States. - He hopes the deal with France can set a powerful precedent for similar agreements with other governments on an issue symbolically important to many Indigenous Australians. - "These remains were stolen in the first place. They were taken, and, the people's remains that were taken, they didn't want to be taken. So it's very, very disrespectful the way these were taken in the first place. And I think that the people who have still got our remains around the world are common thieves." - Since 1990, the federal government estimates the remains of about 1,150 Indigenous Australians have been returned to descendants for burial or cremation. - But the government estimates around 10,000 remains are held in Australian public collections. - Gumulray elder Bob Weatherall has campaigned for the repatriation of Indigenous remains to Traditional Owners for over four decades. - He is currently chairman of the Centre for Indigenous Cultural Policy in Brisbane. - Mr Weatherall believes the government needs to shift more decision making over the repatriation of remains away from bureaucrats and into the hands of Indigenous communities. - "Aboriginal communities have enormous barriers in bringing their ancestors home and laying them to rest. There are remains up in the Kimberly that are sitting in shipment containers. They've been there for over 10 years. There has not been a concerted effort and commitment by Australian governments of all levels to, basically, assist Aboriginal people to alleviate those barriers and to lay their ancestors to rest." - Anthropologist Dr Steve Webb has been involved in research projects on the repatriation of Indigenous Australian remains for over 30 years. - The Bond University lecturer believes some European scientists have been allowed to interfere too much in blocking the return of remains to Traditional Owners. - He says very little scientific research has actually been conducted on the remains and many European collections have been lost because of bombing in the world wars. - Dr Webb has told NITV French scientists now need to take care to ensure Indigenous remains are carefully identified before being returned to Traditional Owners. - "There have been instances and times where non-Aboriginal remains have been returned to Australia because of the lack of expertise over in Europe with regard to identifying these sorts of remains. So I think, before any of this takes place, I think the French collections should be thoroughly inspected, in terms of the true identity of these remains."

Radio National 'Drive' program on 19 November, 2014 Picture: Lex at G20 - Deaths in Custody March - Speaches

There are fears that a West Australian Government decision to scrap funding for an interpreting service could deny justice to some Aboriginal people in the Kimberley. - The Kimberley Interpreting Service helps Aboriginal people navigate the technical English of police interviews and the courts. And the state's chief justice says Government should be increasing funding for Indigenous interpreters, not cutting it. - From Perth, Anna Vidot reports on ABC RADIO PM

The 3 Stooges: Marcia Langton, mining magnate Twiggy Forrest and the Coalition Parliamentary Secretary, Alan Tudge hatch a plan for the employment of First Nations people. A key player in the Abbott Government review into Aboriginal and Islander employment says both incentives (Mining Companies) and disincentives of the welfare system (First Nations people) are in their plans. Alan Tudge, who is in charge of the Indigenous employment review says the review panel is taking advice from Twiggy and it appears that Marcia will undertake the propaganda. In this interview with CAAMA, Tudge says despite all the efforts and goodwill of previous Governments… things need to change. The complete interview here: http://caama.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Adam-Tudge.mp3

A First Nations health service in South Australia says claims of an ice crisis in remote Indigenous communities are overblown and could harm the fight against drugs. The APY Lands in the far north-west of South Australia, the Nganampa Health Service covers eight remote clinics and the director says if the drug ice was being widely used in the region, the clinics would probably know. - 12 November 2014 - ABC AM AUDIO TRANSCRIPT - CHRIS UHLMANN: An Indigenous health service in South Australia says claims of an ice crisis in remote Indigenous communities are overblown and could harm the fight against drugs. - University of Melbourne Professor Marcia Langton recently told The Australian newspaper she'd heard many reports of crystal methamphetamine use in remote Indigenous communities. - But she's been accused by a Northern Territory politician of generalising about all Indigenous remote communities to win support for a major welfare change. - Sara Everingham reports. - SARA EVERINGHAM: On the APY Lands in the far north-west of South Australia, the Nganampa Health Service covers eight remote clinics. The director John Singer says if the drug ice was being widely used in the region, the clinics would probably know. - JOHN SINGER: And as far as I know we've had no reports of ice use amongst Anangu in the APY lands. - SARA EVERINGHAM: Last month the Melbourne University academic Marcia Langton told The Weekend Australia newspaper, "We heard many reports of ice or methamphetamines in remote communities. Whereas it was once marijuana and Kava," she said, "now there is a youth epidemic of amphetamine use." - Her comments were based on consultations while working on the review of Indigenous affairs by mining magnate Andrew Forrest. He has backed Marcia Langton's statements about ice, saying she spent countless days reviewing the information and that her academic reputation is beyond reproach. - But John Singer fears her comments could make it harder to deal with the problems his clinics already know about, such as marijuana and alcohol abuse. He says they also won't help if ice takes hold. - JOHN SINGER: It does put people off, in terms of if you want to make a change, if you want to do things in remote areas, you need to take people with you on that journey as a collective. - And automatically now people are on the defensive in the communities because they see these sort of extreme headlines with no real basis or evidence. - The peak body for the Aboriginal-run medical services in the Northern Territory says there are serious concerns about ice in urban areas such as Alice Springs and Darwin, where a community meeting was held about a month ago to discuss it. - The chief executive John Paterson says he fears the drug could end up in remote Indigenous communities but has not heard about widespread use there for now. - JOHN PATERSON: It is a major concern to the Aboriginal community, particularly in Darwin. I don't know how widespread. I am not hearing too much from our remote communities at this point in time, but that's not to say that, you know, it might be finding its way out there. - SARA EVERINGHAM: Ted Wilkes is a Perth-based drug and alcohol researcher and the chairman of the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee. He says there's a lack of solid evidence about ice use in remote Indigenous communities. - TED WILKES: I say to many Australians, this is a thing where not one size fits all, where some communities are more vulnerable and others may well and truly be safe. - But if we were to create a hysteria or a knowledge that Aboriginal Australians throughout Australia are using drugs of this nature, it would certainly be an unknown. We don't know what the evidence is. We need to make sure we get the evidence before we start saying things like this. - CHRIS UHLMANN: Associate Professor Ted Wilkes ending Sara Everingham's report.

Archives: National Indigenous Radio - "Now people are just going back into the corrugated irons that they came out of in the '50s and '60s. Concerning their policies, we're going backwards." Pastor Stokes from the Kalgoorlie region in Western Australia, is also calling for unity amongst Indigenous people to improve their standing in Australian society. He has lashed out at Australian governments for ignoring Aboriginal people and culture when formulating crucial policies in housing and land rights. Pastor Stokes says Indigenous Australians who are often portrayed as 'leaders' by the media have vested political and economic interests and don't represent the majority of their people. He says Indigenous people have been the victims of 'divide and conquer' policies by governments. "The biggest weapon we have is us and unity and if we haven't got unity amongst ourselves, well the Government can do whatever they want. "Our people were able to live for thousands of years in such harsh conditions because of family, their culture and their way of life and we can still do that today only if we live in peace with one another."

Professor John Maynard's new book, 'True Light and Shade' is filled with beautiful images by convict artist Joseph Lycett that powerfully capture in intimate detail Aboriginal life, a rare record of Aboriginal people within the vicinity of Newcastle and how they adapted to European settlement before cultural destruction impacted on these groups.

Keischa Haynes-Jamieson reveals part of her life at the National day of Action, Justice for Ms Dhu, Canberra - Introduced by Lara Pullin

There are calls for the man who reviewed the national English curriculum to lose his University of Sydney job over emails he sent to colleagues that are considered racist and misogynistic. The university is investigating whether Professor Barry Spurr's emails are a breach of the school's code of conduct. The Opposition wants the Education Minister Christopher Pyne to explain whether the curriculum review is now irrevocably tainted.

Sovereignty Union Founder Ghillar Michael Anderson speaks about many things relating to First Nations Sovereignty, past plans, present and the future. - Source: Sovereign Voices Broadcaster Shane Mortimer on 2XX FM Canberra - 10 October 2014

Sovereignty Union Founder Ghillar Michael Anderson speaks about many things relating to First Nations Sovereignty, past plans, present and the future. - Source: Sovereign Voices Broadcaster Shane Mortimer on 2XX FM Canberra - 10 October 2014

First Nations people from across Western Australia will travel to Rottnest Island, or Wadjemup, to remember their ancestors who were brought there in chains. - The island's former prison, 19 kilometres from the Perth coastline, incarcerated thousands of people from as far as the Kimberley, Pilbara, Western Desert and across Nyungah lands. - It's believed at least 370 and possibly up to 700 men and boys are buried in unmarked graves on the island, which is now a tourist destination. - Friday marks 175 years since the first prisoners were brought there and remembrance co-organiser Iva Hayward-Jackson says the event will become annual.

Gary Foley 'in a past life' was a well known throughout Australia and beyond as an Aboriginal activist that didn't mince his words. Dr Gary Foley is now an academic, writer and actor. - In a lead up to his 2014 Melbourne University lecture, 'Tangled up in black' he speaks with Jonathan Green from ABC's Radio National.

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Delegates at a bush meeting by the Yule River Representatives from Pilbara Aboriginal communities vote to reject the proposed changes to the WA Aboriginal Heritage Act.

'The Wire' interview with Simon Hawkins - CEO, Yamtji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation - September 2014 Western Australia paved the way for Australia in the issue of Aboriginal heritage. But now, it's making a huge backflip. The state passed the nation’s first laws to protect sites of Aboriginal Heritage. The Government of Western Australia has proposed amendments to the Aboriginal Heritage Act, which will allow the potential destruction of heritage sites by developers. Aboriginal leaders and the local community have condemned the proposal. In fact, the Government has been accused of creating a “stolen heritage generation”. Produced by Ben Nielsen - www.thewire.org.au

Murrumu Walubara Yidindji in a frank, informative and inspiring conversation with Michelle Lovegrove - SBS Living Black Radio 30 September 2014

ABC - AM - Michael Brissenden Across Australia female imprisonment rates have doubled in the last decade and Indigenous women account for almost the entire increase. That's the shocking finding of new research conducted by criminologist Professor Eileen Baldry, who's labelled the situation appalling and scandalous. The first Indigenous magistrate in New South Wales, Pat O'Shane, says handing out repeat short sentences means prison rehabilitation programs are useless. Sarah Dingle reports.

John Paul Janke from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs with the story of a 19th century tintype photo of a young Aboriginal woman. Source: ABC TV 66 Canberra

Mick's eyesight must have got worse if he hasn't seen the growing skepticism regarding the CON-stitution recognition farce by many First Nations people. - He fronted up for the the Nulungu Reconciliation Lecture at the University of Notre Dame, Broome with a lot of hoo har on the topic 'The Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Australian Constitution as an Act of Reconciliation.' - Mick called out to his mate Tony Abbott requesting the referendum to recognise Indigenous people in the Constitution is held by the end of 2015, imploring the Prime Minister to hold a vote before the next Federal election. - He says delays are no longer acceptable and the time has come to launch a 'proper debate' ... or is he getting itchy feet over the growing skepticism by First Nations people on this issue.