Latest news with #IndigenousRights
SBS Australia
4 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
'Enough is enough': Uluru Statement architects condemn governments for Closing the Gap failures
The architects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart have dismissed the government's attendance at Garma Festival in the wake of discouraging Closing the Gap figures, declaring there is "no accountability" for the entrenched failures. Released on Wednesday night by the Productivity Commission, the data show stalling or even worsening outcomes for many of the CTG targets. Aunty Pat Anderson and constitutional law professor Megan Davis, architects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, condemned successive governments. "Our people are being locked up, our Elders are dying, and our people are continuing to live in a country where their rights are neglected," they said. "Their voices and calls for help are falling on deaf ears. "Enough is enough." Stagnating, worsening Only three of the socio-economic CTG outcomes (the amount of lands and waters subject to Aboriginal interests and early childhood education) were deemed "on track" in the Productivity Commission's data compilation report. The percentage of healthy birth weights, as well as First Nations life expectancy, showed improvement but were not on track. Most concerningly, four targets had regressed: child development, instances of suicide, the rate children in out of home care, as well as the number of adults in the criminal justice system. "Of all jurisdictions with an increasing imprisonment rate and worsening progress, the Northern Territory had the largest increase," the report states. "Between 2019 and 2024 the age-standardised rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people imprisoned in the Northern Territory increased by 812.4 per 100,000 adults." It follows the introduction of several punitive bail laws in the Northern Territory by the Country Liberal Party earlier this year. Just this week the NT Government introduced a sweeping youth justice overhaul, reviving the use of spit hoods and abolishing the principle that detention be a last resort. The NT Government says a tough-on-crime approach is needed to reduce crime, improve public safety and deliver a better lifestyle and stronger economy. While youth justice is marked as having seen "no change", some in the sector have pointed out that this is in comparison to a high benchmark set in 2018. In reality the figures show steadily worsening outcomes in the area for the last three years. "Closing the Gap isn't just stagnant, it's going backwards because the data lags," Davis and Anderson said. "We are tired of being told, yet again, that there is no progress on Closing the Gap, there is more to do, there is more data to get, there are more bureaucrats to convince, more departments to get on board... "We've had 18 years to make progress on Closing the Gap, but the same people and institutions are in charge. "Where is the accountability? There is none." Performative opportunity Their comments come as Garma, the annual summit of community, politics and ideas, held by the Yothu Yindi Foundaiton on Gumatj Country in northeast Arnhem Land, opened on Friday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is scheduled to give a keynote address on Saturday. During last year's address, the first in the wake of the rejection of the Voice to Parliament, Mr Albanese appeared to walk away from his 2022 election night commitment to implement the Uluru Statement "in full", failing to mention the remaining pillars of truth and treaty. "Garma is imminent. A performative opportunity for the government to repeat their talking points,: progress in 10 of 15 targets," Profesor Davis and Ms Anderson said. "Some will lap it up. Not our people. "But this isn't about Garma, it's about the disappointment ... directed at the sheer magnitude of how different this year could have been if we had a voice."
SBS Australia
4 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
NITV News: 1 August, 2025
New government data shows Australia is still failing to close the gap. The Senate passes Lidia Thorpe's condolence motion for the family and community of Kumanjayi White. And tributes flow for veteran Indigenous rights campaigner Paul Coe.
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Gizmodo
Missionaries Are Targeting Isolated Tribes in Brazil With Solar-Powered Audio Devices, Investigation Finds
If you thought the age of Christian missionaries traveling the world to spread the word of God and evangelize locals was over, think again—they've just gotten sneakier. A recent investigation by The Guardian and the Brazilian newspaper O Globo reveals that missionaries have left solar-powered audio devices in Brazil's Javari valley, near the Peruvian border, in an attempt to evangelize isolated or recently contacted Indigenous Amazonian people. The devices play biblical readings in Portuguese and Spanish. For example, a device identified by The Guardian announces, 'Let's see what Paul says as he considers his own life in Philippians chapter 3, verse 4: 'If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more.'' The Javari Valley Indigenous Territory has the highest concentration of uncontacted human groups in the world. To protect the indigenous tribes, Brazil's National Foundation for the Indian (FUNAI) made it illegal to enter Javari Valley in 1987. Nevertheless, locals have reported up to seven audio devices, though the investigation secured photo and video evidence of just one—a yellow and gray phone-sized gadget that materialized in a Korubo village and plays audios spoken by an American Baptist. The Korubo are members of a recently contacted group of indigenous people known for their war clubs. According to the investigation, the device is now in the hands of a Korubo woman named Mayá. The device is reportedly called 'Messenger,' and the Baptist organization In Touch Ministries donates them to 'unreached' people around the world, as reported by the investigation. In fact, their website clearly features what seems to be a version of the device, along with a whole host of similar gadgets. 'What began with a solar-powered audio player containing the Bible and Dr. Stanley's messages is now much more than a device,' reads the website. 'Wherever we go, we look for the right solution at the right time—whether it's one of our proprietary devices or another tool—to make sure the message of salvation in Jesus Christ is accessible to those who have never heard.' In Touch Ministries' chief operating officer Seth Grey, however, told The Guardian that while he knew of missionaries from other organizations who bring Messengers to regions where it is illegal to do so, 'we [In Touch staff] don't go anywhere we're not allowed.' In case anyone forgot since the last time we reported on Westerners trying to contact isolated tribal people, such contact could transmit devastating diseases to communities with little to no immunity to them. Of course, this risk is higher in the case of direct physical contact, as opposed to leaving gadgets outdoors, but it's still in violation of Brazil's public policy for the protection of isolated indigenous peoples of not establishing contact.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report raises questions about First Nations ownership in major projects
OTTAWA — A new think tank report is questioning how the federal and provincial governments' sprint to build major infrastructure projects might affect Indigenous Peoples' rights — and warns that it could end up pitting Indigenous communities against each other. The report by the Yellowhead Institute, "Buried Burdens," takes a look at major projects through a case study of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project and the Ksi Lisims facility in B.C., which are expected to transport millions of tonnes of gas per year. Owned in part by the Nisga'a Nation, the project has seen staunch opposition from other First Nations communities that did not approve or consent to it. The Yellowhead report, released this week, comes amid a countrywide push to rapidly launch major projects, including pipelines, to shore up the economy against U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. The recently passed One Canadian Economy Act gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects it deems to be in the national interest by sidestepping environmental protections and other legislation. Governments have been encouraging First Nations leaders to support such projects through loan guarantees and promises of financial incentives. But many First Nations leaders fear their ways of life could be irreparably harmed if governments evade environmental standards. "Right now, the narrative is full speed ahead on resource development," said Hayden King, a member of Beausoliel First Nation who serves as Yellowhead's executive director. "Increasingly, that includes Indigenous partners, but there's not a lot of discussion on the dynamics of investing in projects like these, and there's a risk that has to be considered … "First Nations are not necessarily the ones merely impacted by these developments, but they're being encouraged to invest in these projects, to be partners in these projects and grant social licence to enable these projects." Some provinces have enacted laws similar to the One Canadian Economy Act, including Bill 5 in Ontario, now the subject of a court challenge by nine First Nations. And in B.C., Premier David Eby's government passed Bills 14 and 15 — pieces of legislation meant to ramp up energy and infrastructure development that have come under fire from First Nations. Prime Minister Mark Carney has frequently pointed to Indigenous participation in major projects as a means to ensure their success and prevent delays. He has pointed to the $10 billion Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program as proof of Ottawa's commitment to ensuring Indigenous communities have a meaningful stake. The report challenges that argument altogether, calling it an "industry-driven narrative." "While there are potential benefits from participating in equity ownership when compared to shorter-term impact benefit agreements and service contracts, there are also greater risks," the report says. "This particular philosophy of 'economic reconciliation' imagines Indigenous communities regaining control of their economies, aiming for self-sufficiency, sustainability, and self-determination. This is an industry-driven narrative that presents resource extraction as the singular pathway to achieve these ends." That narrative, the report says, could also cause rifts between Indigenous communities that support specific projects and those that do not. "While uncomfortable, conflict and disagreement are part of Nation-to-Nation relationships — and always have been. However, it is equally important to recognize that in true Nation-to-Nation relationships, the self-determining rights of one Nation cannot supersede the inherent rights of another," the report says. King said potential conflicts between pro-development communities and those more hesitant lends itself to conversations about the kinds of development that align with their values. But that conversation is also about rights, King said, and how courts will strike a balance among First Nations who don't see eye-to-eye on project proposals. "Let's not have the courts decide the answers to those questions, but let's actually work through diplomacy and figure those out on our own terms, using our own Indigenous law," he said. King said that discussion should "feed back into the conversation about what kind of economy … we want," pointing to the pre-contact economies that once sustained Indigenous Peoples. "We had these economies, and still do to a degree. So what would it look like to reimagine those, and rearticulate them in the face of the narrative that we only have one option, which is resource development?" he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Report raises questions about First Nations ownership in major projects
People rally against Bill C-5 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA — A new think tank report is questioning how the federal and provincial governments' sprint to build major infrastructure projects might affect Indigenous Peoples' rights — and warns that it could end up pitting Indigenous communities against each other. The report by the Yellowhead Institute, 'Buried Burdens,' takes a look at major projects through a case study of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project and the Ksi Lisims facility in B.C., which are expected to transport millions of tonnes of gas per year. Owned in part by the Nisga'a Nation, the project has seen staunch opposition from other First Nations communities that did not approve or consent to it. The Yellowhead report, released this week, comes amid a countrywide push to rapidly launch major projects, including pipelines, to shore up the economy against U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. The recently passed One Canadian Economy Act gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects it deems to be in the national interest by sidestepping environmental protections and other legislation. Governments have been encouraging First Nations leaders to support such projects through loan guarantees and promises of financial incentives. But many First Nations leaders fear their ways of life could be irreparably harmed if governments evade environmental standards. 'Right now, the narrative is full speed ahead on resource development,' said Hayden King, a member of Beausoliel First Nation who serves as Yellowhead's executive director. 'Increasingly, that includes Indigenous partners, but there's not a lot of discussion on the dynamics of investing in projects like these, and there's a risk that has to be considered … 'First Nations are not necessarily the ones merely impacted by these developments, but they're being encouraged to invest in these projects, to be partners in these projects and grant social licence to enable these projects.' Some provinces have enacted laws similar to the One Canadian Economy Act, including Bill 5 in Ontario, now the subject of a court challenge by nine First Nations. And in B.C., Premier David Eby's government passed Bills 14 and 15 — pieces of legislation meant to ramp up energy and infrastructure development that have come under fire from First Nations. Prime Minister Mark Carney has frequently pointed to Indigenous participation in major projects as a means to ensure their success and prevent delays. He has pointed to the $10 billion Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program as proof of Ottawa's commitment to ensuring Indigenous communities have a meaningful stake. The report challenges that argument altogether, calling it an 'industry-driven narrative.' 'While there are potential benefits from participating in equity ownership when compared to shorter-term impact benefit agreements and service contracts, there are also greater risks,' the report says. 'This particular philosophy of 'economic reconciliation' imagines Indigenous communities regaining control of their economies, aiming for self-sufficiency, sustainability, and self-determination. This is an industry-driven narrative that presents resource extraction as the singular pathway to achieve these ends.' That narrative, the report says, could also cause rifts between Indigenous communities that support specific projects and those that do not. 'While uncomfortable, conflict and disagreement are part of Nation-to-Nation relationships — and always have been. However, it is equally important to recognize that in true Nation-to-Nation relationships, the self-determining rights of one Nation cannot supersede the inherent rights of another,' the report says. King said potential conflicts between pro-development communities and those more hesitant lends itself to conversations about the kinds of development that align with their values. But that conversation is also about rights, King said, and how courts will strike a balance among First Nations who don't see eye-to-eye on project proposals. 'Let's not have the courts decide the answers to those questions, but let's actually work through diplomacy and figure those out on our own terms, using our own Indigenous law,' he said. King said that discussion should 'feed back into the conversation about what kind of economy … we want,' pointing to the pre-contact economies that once sustained Indigenous Peoples. 'We had these economies, and still do to a degree. So what would it look like to reimagine those, and rearticulate them in the face of the narrative that we only have one option, which is resource development?' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
