Calling all Aboriginal Nations to Canberra 23-24 November 2013

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Goodooga NSW, 21 October 2013

9:00am 23 - 24 November 2013: Sovereign Union National Meeting on asserting our sovereignty

The Sovereign Union symbol is a suggested self-governance model incorporating 4 outer circles to represent the 4 winds - north, south, east and west. Each outer circle has 11 language groups. The language groups representing all nations. The lines are representing the coming together to make executive governance with an elected chairperson or spokesperson in the center.

Old Parliament House, Canberra - Each nations can send delegations that consists of an Elder, a youth and delegation leader - that is only three from each Nation. However, The visitors' gallery will be open for the public and microphone's will be placed in the visitors' gallery for people if they wish to ask questions or make short comments.

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Michael Anderson stated today that the venue for the Nations Gathering will be Old Parliament House, Canberra, commencing at 10:00am with morning tea and registration at the Aboriginal Embassy at 9:00am.

People need to be reminded that the delegations can only consist of an Elder, a youth and delegation leader, that is three from each Nation. The visitors' gallery will be open for the public and microphones will be placed in the visitors' gallery for people if they wish to ask questions or make short comments.

This conference is so important considering where things are at in Aboriginal Affairs. The Sovereign Union National Meeting on Saturday and Sunday 23 - 24 November gets more important every day. Let's just have a look at some of the things that is going on around the country.

1. Changing Land Titles: In Queensland the Government is in the process of changing Land Titles, which gives the Government total ownership of all Land. This ownership factor even takes away the rights of the farmers and Irrigators to use the land in a way that they want to. If the farmers proceed without Government approval then the Government will prosecute them. What does this have to do with Aboriginal Peoples? Simple, what of the ownership of the natural Flora and Fauna? The High court Mabo decision affirmed that under our Law and Customs Aboriginal Proprietary interests are a burden on Crown Title. Then in the next breath the judges in Mabo, create an unjust reasoning of law, when they said that the Australian lawmakers can extinguish Native Title by the legislative process.

   Under normal circumstances the Crown, as State, Territory or Commonwealth governments, would have to pay just terms compensation on all land extinguishment. Under the Australian Constitution it is compulsory to pay just terms compensation. But John Howard and his hoard of colonialists perverted the course of justice, when he amended the 1993 Native Title Act in 1998, and suspended the Racial Discrimination Act, to avoid having to pay just terms compensation for their illegal colonial act.

2. Inherent Rights ignored: In all States and Territories white lawyers, and some black lawyers, fail to inform Native Title claimants that, under the Peoples' Law and Customs we have an inherent right to the flora and fauna, through totemic associations, which link the Peoples to all things natural: kangaroos, emus, koalas, snakes, lizards, birds, fish, plants, trees, shrubs etc. It is these associations, which are referred to when people say that Aboriginal people are "intrinsically linked". This is our culture. This is our 'inherent' right under our Law and Customs. This is a Native Title right and under John Howard's law changes he did not take this away, but the lawyers are taking it from you all because, they do not inform you, that this is who you are and that claiming our inherent rights to all these is a Native Title right.

   If the State Governments want to permit the wholesale removal of trees, plants and shrubs then we have a right to be compensated for them. We have to place a value on each of them. That is: they are food, medicinal, spiritual, building resources for shelter, tools and family. The destruction of core pits is a claimable item under our Law and custom as they are used for ceremony all the time. Some ochre places have a spiritual value and are of a religious nature.

3. Highest suicide rate in the world and appalling social indicators: Then there is the continued mass death amongst our Peoples, particularly our young, as well as the extraordinarily high incarceration rates and increasing ill health.
4. Close the Gap campaign ignores key issues: The Government's Close the Gap campaign is only measuring the number of jobs that our people are being placed in, they never say how many kids are killing themselves. We in the communities and the concerned family members and their supporters are the only ones who acknowledge this. The deaths in custody observers and campaigners are fighting the absolute odds to have the authorities take notice. The Governments will not acknowledge this because they have a vested interest. The only statistics that they are interested in is the Closing the Gap lie.
5. ILUAs [Indigenous Land Use Agreements] are a rip off: Then we look at how our people are being ripped off by the lawyers, by being told, "Well this is the best you will get," and then get the people to sign ILUAs. But how many Native Title claimants around this country get to own and control the expenditure of any moneys that they get from their agreements? How many years have the people been waiting for the benefits to flow through to them?
6. SA Letters Patent breached: In South Australia, there are the 'Letters Patent', without this, South Australia will not be a State. Yet, the law that is written into it regarding Aboriginal Peoples is being totally ignored and the white judges of the courts are once again perverting the course of justice by interpreting it in a perverted way so as to maintain the status quo for the State of South Australia to have control over Aboriginal People and their land and resources. In this regard the APY [Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara] Peoples are now under threat to have their rights circumvented by a corruptible Governmental regime who only have one objective in mind, to take ownership of all of the natural resources within the country of the Peoples of APY lands. If this is done then the Peoples of the APY lands will not get the financial benefits that they would as Sovereign Independent Peoples.
7. No right of veto our mining, only negotiations on how to say yes to mining: In NSW, some Aboriginal people have given up the political fight and now reach for short-term outcomes. An example of this is some of the Gomeroi Peoples in northern NSW, who only care for what they can get for themselves and not the long-term outcomes that would set their children and grandchildren up, so that they would be free from being welfare dependent. Culture! Well, it is the view of the Gomeroi in the Gunnedah and Narrabri area that: 'We will pick up our material culture [artefacts] as long as we are paid by the mining companies and then stack them all in a building that the mining company will build or buy.' Never mind that many of the wider Goomeri Nation are opposed to this type of selling out for a short term pay packet.
8. Native Title lawyers facilitate mining, not the protection of sacred sites and cultural objects. On another matter associated with this is the NSW Native Title Services who, through their live-in lawyers, manipulated the Gomeroi Nation gathering into believing that they are the only ones who can and should do all the legal work for the Gomeroi People. But to date the only thing they have done is to assist to facilitate the mining company's access to our ancient lands without a fight using a State law to hide behind. Never mind the fact that the full Nation gathering authorised a legal challenge against the mining company and the Minister's right to authorise the destruction of our country.
9. Assimilation into a racist constitution from another country. The issue of our continuing Sovereignty is of paramount importance. Our peoples are being lied to; conned by legal tricksters; controlled by Government funded groups; and having government Uncle Toms and Aunt Marys appointed to control policy directions on how Aboriginal people should live and think in this country. Assimilation is alive and well, the problem is we have our own who are now the designers of this evil and vile act against a people who are enslaved and captives to a welfare regime. The threat of losing the only financial income the people have is a great blackmailing instrument. And, it is an instrument that has and will have devastating impacts on a totally demoralised race.

We are extending an invitation to all Sovereign Aboriginal Nations in Australia to meet together in Canberra on Saturday and Sunday 23 - 24 November.

The invitation is open to three delegates: a delegation leader, an Elder and a youth from each Sovereign Nation where and if possible, with limited space for observers in Old Parliament House, Canberra.

Each of the Sovereign Nations who seek to attend must realise that we have NO money to assist with fares and/or accommodation. The Sovereignty movement is a self-funded movement and each Sovereign Nation State must take care of their own. We accept NO money from Government. Our continuing Sovereignty is ours to assert, and we must show our determination to be free and Independent.

The key issues that will be focused on at this gathering are:

• Sovereignty and Self-Determination
• Native Title - v - Aboriginal Sovereignty
• United Nations and International Law on de-colonisation
• Declaring Sovereign Independence.
• Developing International Relationships and
• Unification of Sovereign Aboriginal Nations within Australia.

There is a possibility for some billeting of Elders whilst in Canberra. In regards to accommodation, it is recommended to bring some tents, if and where possible, and we will all camp at the Aboriginal Embassy as we have done for many years.

It should be noted that if any Sovereign Nation State seeks to have a matter or matters put on the agenda, please make contact and this matter will be proposed.