ANTaR ACT April Bulletin of coming events

ANTaR ACT April 2015 Bulletin
Why you are receiving this: ANTaR ACT invites people to provide us with their email address if they would like to learn more of our activities, relevant coming events, and matters of interest.  Someone, hopefully you, has provided your address.

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Coming Events – join us

PAINTING WORKSHOPS  with CHRISTOPHER PEASE Painting on a Mythic Scale (ages 7–12) Monday 13 April 10.30 am – 12.30 pm, repeated 2.00–4.00 pm National Gallery of Australia $25, $20 child members, bookings essential.
Internationally acclaimed Indigenous artist, Christopher Pease, leads a painting workshop inspired by his work on show in the current exhibtion Alive and spirited. at the National Gallery of Australia

ANZAC DAY March for those killed in Australia’s Frontier WarsMay occur about 10.30 am Saturday 25 April, Anzac Parade, Canberra. To be confirmed.

ANTaR ACT Monthly Meeting6 – 7.15 pm, Tues 5 May, Civic Library (entry at rear).
All welcome. Enquiries Peter 0417 197 382.
Mark in your diary:
26 May – Sorry Day
27 May – Anniversary of 1967 referendum
27 May – 3 June – Reconciliation Week
3 June – Mabo Day
5 – 12 July – NAIDOC Week
4 August – National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day
7-10 August – Round 22 NRL – Indigenous Round (Raiders will play Tigers in Canberra)
9 August –  International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Please let us know, by return email, of events, news and requests we should publicise in future bulletins.
For enquiries about ANTaR ACT, visit us at http://antaract.wordpress.com/or email us at antaract@yahoo.com.au

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WA Community Closures – take action!

Dear supporter,

It is distressing that remote communities in WA are being targeted by the WA Government for closure – a reckless and harmful policy brought on by the withdrawal of Federal Government funding for essential municipal services.

Again we find Aboriginal communities facing dispossession of their land and culture by Australian governments. 

Take action now!

ANTaR believes in a fairer society that supports and promotes justice, rights and respect for First Peoples in Australia and we appreciate that you do too.

Closing down remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia is out of step with that vision so we’re asking you to stand with us in opposing it.

Imminent Disaster

Premier Barnett himself acknowledged that closing communities would:

“…cause great distress to Aboriginal people who will move, it will cause issues in regional towns as Aboriginal people move into them.”

Professor Patrick Dodson, Yawuru man from the Kimberley, said closing down communities would:

“…be disastrous, increasing access to drugs and alcohol and exacerbating social tensions, which would flow on to antisocial behaviour and incarceration. The immediate consequences would be to create an internal refugee problem for the indigenous people.”

He also said that breaking people’s connection to land:

“…would threaten the survival of Aboriginal knowledge and culture, because in towns people were restricted from camping, lighting fires, hunting and fishing.”

I’m sure you’ll agree that we can’t let this stand.

Take action by writing to the Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Premier of WA, and relevant WA Ministers.

In solidarity,

Andrew Meehan (and the team at ANTaR)
National Director

PS We could not find any examples of government decisions to refuse to fund essential municipal services for non-Indigenous communities, including small communities in remote areas in WA.

Help ANTaR to continue to campaign for Justice, Rights and Respect for Australia’s First Peoples

Donate

Further information

According to the WA Department of Aboriginal Affairs, there are around 12,000 Aboriginal people currently living in the 274 communities in WA, with around 1,300 living in 174 of the smallest. In 115 of those communities, there are around 500 people in total.
It is not known where any closures might occur, nor what criteria might be used. In fact, there has been great anxiety and uncertainty over this, particularly as no consultation has occurred prior to the statement being made by Premier Barnett.
Find out more.

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