Melbourne Indymedia

Uncle Kevin Buzzacott

Melbourne Indymedia — 2007-06-10T01:01:10

The Australian Conservation Foundation's (ACF) Peter Rawlinson Award was given to 'Uncle' Kevin Buzzacott, an Arabunna elder, on World Environment Day in 2007 for two decades of work highlighting the impacts of uranium mining and promoting a nuclear free Australia. Uncle Kev has been a tireless campaigner for indigenous rights including reclaiming the kangaroo and emu sacred totems from the Coat of Arms from Parliament House in Canberra and accusing the Federal Government of genocide. [Full Story]

Wikipedia | ACF Award citation |
Video: reclainming sacred totems from Parliament House

Police Extinguish Camp Soverignty Fire

Melbourne Indymedia — 2007-03-12T22:22:49

Police extinguished the sacred flame at the King�s Domain on Monday as Camp Sovereignty supporters celebrated the first anniversary of the successful 60 day occupation held there in 2006. While earlier negotiations had led to an agreement to allow the flame to continue during the celebrations, Police later pushed through the crowd to extinguish the fire on several occasions. [Full Story]

Video 1 2 | Camp Sovereignty site | Camp Sovereignty established]

Australia Day - Invasion Day - Survival Day

Melbourne Indymedia — 2007-02-18T01:59:11

Australia Day. Invasion Day. Survival Day. To indigenous Australians it is a symbol of the ongoing war and genocide of aboriginal people. Outside Parliament House when it was announced "Hurley is going to be charged with manslaughter," people cheered. At last the prospect of a small amount of justice in regards to the death in custody of Mulrunji Doomagee at the Palm Island Police Lockup, North Queensland.. [Read more...]

Robbie Thorpe summed up the mood in Melbourne: "Instead of celebrating the invasion help us stop this war and we can have a real day to celebrate together. Inclusive of all people in this country..." Robbie Thorpe on the Australian Genocide.

In Brisbane there was jubilation as Manslaughter charges were announced regarding the Death in Custody on Palm Island. [Second report]

Australia Day Commemorates the European Invasion | Indigenous Resistance Fighters Remembered | Indigenous Resistance in the Hidden Frontier War in Victoria

Australia Day; Invasion Day; Sovereignty Day

Melbourne Indymedia — 2007-02-18T02:05:20

On January 26 2006 Aboriginal Sovereignty Day was declared, when representatives of Aboriginal Sovereign Nations agreed that the 26th of January would be known as Aboriginal Sovereignty Day (although not without dissent). The gathering from across the land at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 2006 was in response to the continual Government threat to control the Tent Embassy site. Aboriginal sovereignty was first declared in Australia in 1972 at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy...[Full Story]

Aboriginal resistance to the invasion will also be commemorated in Melbourne on Sunday 21 January, the anniversary of the public execution in 1842 of the freedom fighters:- Tunnerminnerwait (Jack of Cape Grim) - Peevay (Robert of Ben Lomond)

Aboriginal community members reject review appointment as another whitewash
Aboriginal Sovereignty can be recognised! | The Indigenous Political Renaissance | Melbourne rally on Invasion Day

Queensland Racism

Melbourne Indymedia — 2007-02-18T02:18:43

The refusal of the Qld Dept of Public Prosecutions to press any charges over the death in police custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee has abhorred Queensland Murris. More than a thousand people marched in Brisbane, with protests also in Palm Island, Townsville, Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne. At the Brisbane rally well known indigenous personality Ernie Dingo attacked the Queensland Government for treating his people like children.

In a surprise finding, the Queensland State Coroner reported (Word doc 1.2MB) that police bashed and killed an innocent Aboriginal man on Queensland�s Palm Island in November 2004, sparking riots against the police with the island being placed in a state of emergency. Police also unlawfully stormed houses, on Palm Island after the riot, according to an inquiry by Queensland's crime watchdog. During the raids, police used Stun Guns and pointed semi-automatic weapons at childrens heads.

Indigenous Times: Man jailed over Palm revenge bashing
Factsheet | 2005 Anniversary | Ratbag Radio Network | Petition

Save Dampier Rock Art

Melbourne Indymedia — 2006-11-27T22:31:12

A proposed $5 billion liquefied natural gas processing plant (LNG) jointly owned by the largest petrochemical companies in the world and managed by Woodside Energy Ltd will destroy some of the world's oldest rock art on the Burrup Peninsula (or Murrijuga by its Indigenous name) in Western Australia. Michael Anderson, spokesperson for the Gumilaroi Nation, has accused the Australian and WA Governments of �not having the intestinal fortitude to stand against the multi-nationals who seek to destroy Aboriginal culture� and that aboriginal icons are being destroyed for profit. [Read more...]

The World Monuments Fund has put the Dampier Rock Art Complex on its list of 100 of the world's most endangered sites, according to an ABC report. Federal environment and heritage minister Senator Ian Campbell has called for submissions (closing 28 Nov) on a proposal that would see most of the area placed on the National Heritage List. "Would the Egyptians knock down the Pyramids?" asks the activist campaign site Getup.

[Getup Email Campaign | Save Dampier Rock Art]