Tony Mullen & WACOSS
September 01, 2011
The West Australian Council of Social Service are pleased to invite you to the: Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Social Policy Forum. You may be surprised and alarmed to learn that the Australian Constitution permits laws that discriminate on the basis of race. The Australian Constitution is the legal and political foundation of our nation but it doesn’t acknowledge the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our historical or contemporary society.
Read more: Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
NAIDOC Week commences Sunday 3 July. The theme this year is ‘Change – the next step is ours’. NAIDOC stands for the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda has called on Australians on national Sorry Day today to remember the grief, sorrow and ultimate resilience experienced by members of the Stolen Generations. Commissioner Gooda said this year’s theme, “SORRY. Still Living On Borrowed Time!” was a stark reminder of the fact that more needs to be done to help Stolen Generations members overcome the trauma of the past.
Thursday May 26 is National Sorry Day. Sorry Day began in 1998 to collectively commemorate and express sorrow for members of the Stolen Generations. In Perth, the major event for Sorry Day is organised by the Bringing Them Home Committee and takes place at Wellington Square in East Perth on the 26th May each year.
As you may or may not know, the AEU is putting together a case to lobby governments to establish a long term (we say 25 year intergenerational) plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. In reflecting on programs which have been delivered in Aboriginal Education over the last ten years, it is the AEU belief that the evidence is unmistakable – Indigenous Education programs are generally short term in nature and funding, and driven by political cycles, rather than evidence.
I don’t think there would be too many students who could say that they have planted traditional bush tucker at their school in the hope of being able to eat it. Arbor Grove Primary has recently accepted the PALS (Partnership, Acceptance, Learning and Sharing) Education Award for 2010 for their ‘bush tucker garden’. Many schools participated in this year’s programs with categories including Education, Sustainable Partnerships, Health, Community Development and Arts and Culture.
The Arthur Hamilton Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education. The Arthur Hamilton Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education is named in honour of Arthur Hamilton, a proud Palawa man, educator and union activist. Arthur passed away in 2004 leaving behind a legacy of a strong consciousness for equity and social justice, cross-cultural awareness, recognition of Indigenous peoples and the elimination of racism within the Australian Education Union and in school.
Over the weekend, Fremantle held its annual Festival. This included the Wardarnji Aboriginal Cultural Festival on the Saturday and the Parade through the city on the Sunday. This well attended, colourful and fun afternoon was highlighted by the PALS (Partnership Acceptance Learning Sharing) Program annual award ceremony, which opened the festival, with Director General Patrick Walker and PALS Ambassador Troy Cook presenting most awards.
