Australia Day – the good and the not so good
The good. Well, there is a lot of good will between the Aboriginal First Australians, the slightly less new European ancestry Australians, and the newer New Australians from all over the place. And it’s all nicely mixed up with Chinese New Year, celebrated by Chinese Australians and by a lot of the rest of us.
It’s good that amongst the celebrities of all kinds, a couple of Australai Day Awards really do stand out. There’s James Durie, awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. Since 1996 he has been an ambassador for Planet Ark and since 2008 he has been climate change presenter for the Australian Conservation Foundation.
And it’s extra good that Jeffrey Lee is awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. Jeffrey Lee astonished our materialistic Australian culture by refusing to accept $millions for his traditional land in the Northern Territory in exchange for allowing uranium mining there. Instead, Lee donated his land to Kakadu National Park, and fought for it to be a World Heritage Area.
The not so good. Well – the Day recalls the original day in the process of dispossessing Aboriginal people of their country. It’s not surprising that many call this day Invasion Day, or Survival Day. So it would be a healing move to change the national day to a date that held a less tragic meaning .
Also not so good. The move to change the Australian Constitution – supposedly to remove discrimination against Aboriginals. A great idea, supported by just about everybody. But not so great, if it manages to sneak in those loopholes that will entrench the process of dispossessing Aboriginals of their land – especially in the interests of the uranium/nuclear industry.
Honour for Aboriginal man Jeffrey Lee, who saved his land from uranium mining
Territorians recognised in Australia Day honours, ABC News, By Emma Masters January 26, 2012 Four Northern Territorians have been recognised for their contribution to the community with the highest Australia Day honours.
Traditional owner Jeffrey Lee has been made a member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his conservation work in Kakadu National Park.
Mr Lee, who now works as a ranger in the park, offered his uranium-rich country to be included in Kakadu for free, and fought for it to be recognised as a World Heritage Area within the park.
He says he did not expect to receive an award for protecting the country he loves, and he appreciates the support he has been given along the way.
“I love the park,” he said.
“It is good that I get out and look on my country.”….. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-26/20120126-territory-orders-of-australia/3794570?section=nt
Land grab and discrimination against Aboriginals remain in Australia’s draft Constitutional changes
A recommendation that jars, however, is Section 116A that would prohibit racial discrimination. It is not long ago that the federal government over-rode the Racial Discrimination Act to launch its outrageously discriminatory Northern Territory Intervention in 2007 during the Howard era. The Rudd and Gillard governments embraced the policy. It is not ancient history.
The discrimination was said to be ended by atrocious legislation that extended aspects of the Intervention to disadvantaged people of all backgrounds in the Northern Territory and beyond.
While the original Intervention legislation is approaching its sunset clause to be replaced by the cheerier sounding “Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory”, the land-grabbing intent continues. Residents of remote Aboriginal communities are being pressured to sign regular leases on their property. Sign on the dotted line before the August
deadline or lose it. Funding for housing in remote communities is frozen in favour of construction in faraway towns. Opposition leader Tony Abbott is rubbing his hands together on behalf of resource developers referring to the current situation in the NT as that of a “failed state”.
Words won’t replace need for struggle, The Guardian 25 Jan 2012, Symbols and words can be powerful and useful; they can unite and heal. But nobody is impressed by lip service or tokenism. In the lead-up to Invasion Day (or Survival Day as it also known) and which is officially celebrated as Australia Day, such judgements are being made about a government-sponsored report on proposed changes to the constitution.
Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution is the work of a panel headed by Aboriginal leader Professor Pat Dodson and senior lawyer Mark Leibler AC. It is said to be the result of discussions with “… more than 4,600 people, in more than 250 meetings in 84 locations across the country and received more than 3,500 submissions.”
The recommendations include “Recognising that the continent and its islands now known as Australia were first occupied by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; Acknowledging the continuing relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with their traditional lands and waters; Respecting the continuing cultures, languages and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; Acknowledging the need to secure the advancement of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
Commentators have noted that solid majorities in polls taken on these issues have been reflected in the recommendations. The fact that attitudes to questions like recognition of the first peoples of Australia are improving is certainly to be welcomed. Continue reading
Australia’s uranium will promote India’s nuclear weapons, says former Liberal Prime Minister
Uranium to India irresponsible, says Malcolm Fraser, Herald Sun 26 Jan 12,, FORMER prime minister Malcolm Fraser has warned the Gillard Government’s decision to allow exports of uranium to India will contribute to a global spread of nuclear weapons.
Mr Fraser has used Australia Day to launch a petition signed by 713 Order of Australia recipients, urging the Government to ban nuclear weapons.
Signatories include former prime ministers Bob Hawke and Gough Whitlam, former foreign ministers Gareth Evans and Andrew Peacock, and former high court justices.
“What we want to do is keep the idea of a nuclear-free world alive,”
Mr Fraser told ABC radio today. He criticised the Government’s decision to allow uranium exports to India, given the developing nation had not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
“There is no doubt that exports to India will make it easier for India to divert uranium for weapons purposes,” Mr Fraser said. He believes US policy under former US president George Bush has contributed to the spread of nuclear weapons, and countries like Iran and North Korea have responded accordingly. “They will be safer if they have nuclear weapons,” he said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/uranium-to-india-irresponsible-says-malcolm-fraser/story-e6frf7jx-1226254068007
700 prestigious Australians call for international nuclear weapons ban
Top Aussies call for nuclear weapons ban, news.com.au AAP January 26, 2012 MORE than 700 prominent Australians have called on the Government to show leadership on outlawing nuclear weapons, saying the need is
urgent. Australians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention is a group of 713 Order of Australia honorees who say there is a growing consensus among world leaders on the urgent need for a ban on nuclear weapons.
“The increasing risks of nuclear weapons proliferation and use in our region and beyond mean there has never been a more important time for Australian initiative and leadership in global efforts to free the world from nuclear weapons,” the group says.
They want Australia to support UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon’s call for negotiations on an international treaty that would outlaw and eliminate all nuclear weapons.
Former prime ministers Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke and Gough Whitlam, and former foreign ministers Gareth Evans and Andrew Peacock are among the signatories…….
Mr Fraser’s Government established the convention that Australia would only sell uranium to countries that had signed the non-proliferation treaty.
Eight former state premiers and four former armed forces chiefs as well as prominent media, literary, sporting and community personalities also endorsed the statement. “We wanted to show that nuclear disarmament isn’t a left-wing issue.
This is something that has support across the political spectrum,” campaign director Tim Wright said. “Nuclear disarmament is something that we as a nation should care about and that the government should show leadership on.
“This is an urgent threat that needs urgent attention.”
He said while Australia had been a leader in non-proliferation activities in the past, its position was undermined by current defence policies stating the importance of the US having nuclear weapons and moves to sell uranium to India, which makes nuclear weapons. “Although the government does state that it supports nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, that position isn’t matched by its actions,” he said….
Mr Wright said while the Australians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention campaign was open only to people appointed to the Order of Australia, others could take part in activities run by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). http://www.news.com.au/national/top-aussies-call-for-nuclear-weapons-ban/story-e6frfkvr-1226253965331#ixzz1kazsDzNb
Uranium mining and its danger to groundwater
The truly frightening part is the sentence that reads, ” Covering tailings material with water during operations …” Where do they imagine all that water will end up? It’s water containing not only radioactive material, but a host of other toxins as well? And how do they know for certain that an earthquake could not crack that containment cell open like an egg or that a hurricane would not dump enough water on Coles Hill to cause those cells to become so saturated that they leak their contents into the groundwater surrounding them?
Uranium risks far outweigh benefits AltaVista Journal, Jesse Andrews, 25 Jan 12, Virginia Uranium Inc.’s most recent propaganda release, “We’re committed to protecting water quality.” Why does VUI feel the need to continue to explain itself if in fact uranium mining would be as safe and innocuous as they claim? If uranium mining had ever been safe anywhere, which it has not, they wouldn’t feel such a desperate need to explain just how safe their mine would be. Continue reading
Secrecy in Japan’s lack of records about nuclear catastrophe
“Perhaps there were some goings on that the participants did not feel comfortable being made public,”
Japan Task Force Kept No Records Of Nuclear Crisis Response, Planet Ark, 25-Jan-12, JAPAN by Yoko Kubota and Shinichi Saoshiro Japan’s energy minister admitted on Tuesday that no records were kept of top level discussions in the critical early days on how to respond to the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 