Daily Archives: July 12, 2011
Make Indigenous Poverty History
In 2009 the National Council of Churches set a target to eradicate poverty among Indigenous Australians by 2015.
At the heart of the campaign is that all Australians should have a shared responsibility for the profound disadvantage that affects many Aboriginals.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have a death rate three times higher than all Australians.
Whilst only 20% of caucasian Australians die before 65, 70% of Indigenous people do. And on every key indicator, such as education, Aboriginals are far behind other groups.
The campaign recognises that money isn’t the only barrier to the problem. It’s a story of cultural dispossession, lost languages, and a lack of respect in mainstream Australia. It’s for that reason that the campaign is based on the principle that all Australians have to take a stand. It isn’t simply a problem for the government. All Australians must feel responsible for this travesty.
Follow the work here, see what you can do and demand more from our leaders!
Save the Kimberely
Do you know what is happening to the Kimberely?
SaveTheKimberely.com is an independent awareness organisation and exist to engage and educate the Australian and international community about the threat to the Kimberley Coast and its inland wilderness areas posed by gas and large-scale industrial development proposals.
The Kimberley is a vast and very sparsely populated region of Australia. The landscape of the region is as immense as it is beautiful. Despite its vast natural wonders, there is much of the Kimberley flora and fauna which remains unexplored and little understood.
The Kimberley is home to thousands of plant and animal species, many of them highly restricted or specialised, whilst some are threatened, vulnerable or endangered. Put simply, there remains so much to learn about the region that nobody can claim that bringing heavy industry into the region will not be forming a threatening process
The importance of culture
Today, more than 30 Aboriginal tribes remain in the Kimberley region, each with its own language and many with unique cultural practices. Nobody owns culture. It is loaned to each generation to preserve and pass on to the next generation. Our culture and traditions tie us to this country and we are obliged by our ancestors to see that it continues. We are obliged by respect of country and the hope for a proper life for our children that we honour the culture and traditions of our people.
The Bradshaw Paintings, or gwion gwion, are thought to date back to at least 17,000 years bp. These elegant images have been interpreted as indicating that a vibrant culture had already been long in place¹. There are also indications of Aboriginal habitation of the Dampier Peninsula region dating back 28,000 years² and 40,000 years or more elsewhere in the Kimberley.
An Indigenous Holiday
Tour Guides with over 40,000 years experience!
“Just imagine what we can achieve if the indigenous tourism industry & the mainstream tourism industry can work together to achieve outcomes for both sectors. I would like to see long term commitment and co-operation between mainstream tourism & indigenous tourism industries.”
Mr Djerrkura
Indigenous Tourism Summit 2000
Aboriginal tour operators is a web portal that provides tourists and operators a great resource to find the services to suit their needs. Where ever you are in Australia the chances are there is a local Indigenous Tourism operator who can show you the sites and sounds of this great land like no other. For all information see: –http://aboriginaltouroperators.com.au/
1 Deadly Nation 
