Latest news with #TorresStraitIslander
SBS Australia
13 hours ago
- Health
- SBS Australia
'We need the slip, slop, slap of brain health - now': Advocates call for new national approach to dementia
Results from the world's largest online dementia prevention program trial called 'Maintain Your Brain', studied the impact of personalised online coaching in physical activity, nutrition, cognitive training, and mental health on dementia risk and progression. Dementia advocates say research funding in Australia lags behind other conditions, limiting access to life-changing dementia prevention and management programs. Dementia Australia is working to address gaps in dementia support for vulnerable communities, including Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino
ABC News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
NT chief minister flags capping coronial spends after Walker inquest cost revealed
The Northern Territory government is considering making changes to the Coroners Act in an effort to drive down the costs of coronial inquests. WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of their family. The plan comes after the almost three-year coronial inquest into Kumanjayi Walker's death in police custody in Yuendumu was revealed to have cost almost $8 million. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro told ABC Radio Alice Springs the amount spent and the length of the inquest "didn't meet the community's expectations". "As a government, we're responding by saying 'What can we reasonably do … to put some limits or restrictions around endless time frames and endless costs?'" The chief minister said "dragging on" the proceedings for so long "had added trauma to the family, trauma to the police force, and the community". In a statement, NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said the money poured into the coronial inquest could have been better spent for Territorians. "As we work through the findings and recommendations, I will be considering how to ensure coronial processes are more efficient and deliver faster outcomes for families and the community." The government costs of the Kumanjayi Walker inquest were revealed in response to a question on notice during NT budget estimates last month. In it, the attorney-general's department stated almost $5.5 million of the almost $8 million total was spent by the NT Police Force, with the figure including legal costs, flights and accommodation. The ABC understands the force imported senior silks from interstate to work on the inquest. About $1.9 million was spent by the coroner's office, and Ms Boothby has since said another $557,798 was spent by the territory's health department. In its budget estimates response, the attorney-general's department also said the average cost of a coronial inquest in the Northern Territory in 2024-25 was $6,120 — calculated by dividing the total inquest spend of $1.73 million in that timeframe, by the 283 coronials that were finalised. Coronials include any coroner investigations into unexpected or suspected deaths in the NT, only some of which lead to public hearings. Comparing the Walker inquest — which did have a public hearing — to the average figure determined by the department, Ms Finocchiaro said its costs had blown out. "The question is, is three years and $8 million a justified use of taxpayer-funded money for the outcomes that [the inquest] will deliver?" she said. The Walker inquest was initially meant to run for three months but stretched out due to a string of legal appeals, led predominantly by former NT police officer Zachary Rolfe, who argued many of the issues the coroner explored were irrelevant. Mr Rolfe also urged Coroner Elisabeth Armitage to stand aside from the investigation, claiming she was biased, leading to further delays. Neither Ms Finocchiaro or Ms Boothby have indicated any of the specific changes the government may make regarding the legislation. Also speaking to ABC Radio Alice Springs, Bill Doogue — a lawyer who represented Mr Walker's Warlpiri community during the inquest — said the NT government's proposal to look at changing the act was "absurd". Mr Doogue said the coronial inquest was "necessary", "handled exceptionally well", and that scrutiny should instead be on the costs incurred by NT police. He said at the inquest the Walker family was represented by two legal teams while the police force had seven. "Why are all these [government department] teams being given funding to have silks, kings counsel, to have all the great lawyers they had?" he said. "The delays in this case were caused by those teams, it wasn't caused by the community. "The Indigenous people at the coronial were not funded at all to have lawyers — the lawyers who were there, were there on the goodwill of the profession." Mr Doogue said discussions around changing the Coroners Act took away from the real issues raised by the inquest, noting the chief minister had not yet announced whether the government would be accepting the coroner's 32 recommendations. "She's distracting from the important issue, which is that the NT police had all the hallmarks of institutional racism," he said. "That is what should be dealt with."
ABC News
20 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
As Torres Strait battles rising seas, Canberra has been put on notice
To the beat of ancient drums, in the language of their ancestors, dancers from Australia's northernmost islands share a modern story. Outside the federal court in Cairns, Torres Strait Islander dancers wear grass skirts and the traditional headdresses of their warriors; their movements depict the rising of the seas and the strengthening of the currents. It's the story of climate change. Across the globe, outside the world's highest court in the Netherlands, our Pacific Island neighbours shared a similar dance about their culture and traditions. Together, they send a message to the world of what stands to be lost if leaders don't take serious action on climate change. Last week, the federal court found Australia does not owe a duty of care to protect Torres Strait Islander people and their culture from the impacts of climate change. In its wake, the International Court of Justice declared that states do have a "duty to cooperate" on addressing climate change or they risk breaching international law. It raises the question — will the Australian government heed the warning? Not many get to visit Australia's northernmost islands, but as one of the lucky ones, I witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts climate change is having on these small island communities, their livelihood, and culture. It is not a distant threat; it's happening now. Their loved ones' gravestones have been destroyed, beaches once used for camping eroded, and food is unable to be grown due to salty earth. Lead applicants for the case, Uncle Paul Kabai and Uncle Pabai Pabai, explained how the seasons have changed and the migration of traditional food sources, turtles and dugongs, has shifted — generations of passed-down knowledge are being lost. As some of the lowest emitters contributing to the global carbon footprint, they are also amongst the most vulnerable to the impacts of the imposing climate frontline. Sea levels in the Strait are estimated to be rising at about twice the global average. Scientists predict that in 25 years, the islands will be uninhabitable. This is the reality we face as a nation — the severing of our connection to some of the world's oldest traditions and culture. Justice Michael Wigney accepted these facts in court last week but found the case failed not because it had no merit but because negligence law doesn't apply to 'core government policy', nor does it acknowledge the loss of culture. While sympathetic, he ultimately determined it was up to parliament to make decisions on climate policy, not the courts. "Until the law in Australia changes … the only real avenue for those in the position of the applicants and other Torres Strait Islanders involves public advocacy and protest or ultimately recourse via the ballot box," Justice Wigney said. This is little comfort for First Nations people who have been protesting environmental degradation and heritage destruction for decades, and are a minority at the ballot box. Three thousand kilometres away from the Torres Strait in Canberra, where the impacts of climate change are arguably not so visible, our leaders make the decisions on how Australia will participate in its global responsibility to address climate change. As Justice Wigney noted, "perhaps still are some climate change doubters and deniers among the politicians and bureaucrats." The landmark case put under the microscope the government's willingness to address the impacts of climate change and found that in the past, it hadn't been doing enough. The Commonwealth argued Australia was not the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, at 1.3 per cent, and therefore has little impact on a global scale. But the Torres Strait Islanders argued Australia — a high-emitting country in per capita terms — was not contributing its fair share to the global effort to reduce emissions, based on the best available science. If you include exports, Australia accounts for 4.5 per cent of global fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions, with 80 per cent of those emissions from exports, according to the Climate Analytics Institute. Justice Wigney acknowledged the current Labor government has set "significantly higher and more ambitious goals" than the previous government. But Traditional Owners, environmental groups, and scientists were dismayed when it green-lit the controversial expansion of Woodside's Northwest Shelf gas project until 2070, despite their continued protests about the degradation of 50,000-year-old sacred rock art as well as its impact on emissions. Like the Torres Strait, our Pacific Island neighbours maintain ancient traditions and a deep connection to the land and sea. They are also on the climate change frontline. This week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared that states have a legal obligation to address climate change, and if they don't, it may constitute "an internationally wrongful act". It was a campaign started in 2019 by students and youth organisations from Vanuatu, which is amongst the nations that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts. The 500-page opinion is not legally binding, but advocates and lawyers hope the world's highest court will hold some weight amongst the largest carbon emitters. Australia was one of 132 member states that requested the opinion in 2023, but in hearings, it argued that nations have no legal obligations on climate change beyond those in existing pacts like the Paris Agreement. This diverged from the views of the Pacific Islands and put into question Australia's role and responsibility as a key strategic partner in the Pacific. Could and should Australia be doing more to encourage other nations to do more to stop our neighbours from sinking beneath the tide? The historic ruling could pave the way for reparations for nations harmed by climate change and create a moral responsibility for Australia to take more action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But, as determined in the uncles' climate case, it will be up to the Commonwealth to decide whether it will listen to the international court, its Pacific neighbours, and its own people to do more. Uncle Paul Kabai and Uncle Pabai Pabai fear their people will become Australia's first 'climate refugees', and it's a fear shared by Tuvaluans. Australia has already made a resettlement agreement with Tuvalu to take in their people as the seas rise. Tuvalu's former prime minister criticised the agreement as a way to "buy Tuvalu's silence over Australia's coal exports" in an opinion piece published by Radio New Zealand in 2023. In other words, planning for the worst rather than working to prevent it. Last year at Garma, I sat in the audience as Tuvalu's Minister for Climate Change Mania Talia spoke of the devastation his island nation faces from the rising seas. Something that stuck with me was his final comment expressing his admiration for the strength and resilience of First Nations people. "Despite all the difficulties, the problem that you're facing, you are able to dance and dancing in the face of despair is literally telling us that we have hope in the future," he said. "That's the message I'm going to take and tomorrow we'll also continue to dance our fidelity, our traditional dance, despite climate change." As the prime minister next week heads back to Garma, one of the country's largest Indigenous gatherings, will climate policy be on the agenda? The international court has made its decision, and vulnerable communities have made their plea, but will Australia act?
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Race-Based Hiring Rot Must Not Spread To The Private Sector
ACT spokesperson for Tertiary Education and Skills, Dr Parmjeet Parmar is raising the alarm after a concerned parent raised concerns that a major engineering firm is actively discriminating based on race when hiring interns. A job application form for a summer engineering internship states that Māori, Pasifika, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicants will be moved directly to the interview stage of the recruitment process. 'We must not let the rot that is so pervasive in our public institutions spread into the private sector,' says Dr Parmar. 'ACT is working hard in Government to remove race-based requirements from our public institutions. Businesses need to get the memo that they no longer need to engage in identity politics to secure Government contracts. 'Last year the Government ditched race-based requirements from procurement rules, including the 8% quota for contracts going to Māori-owned businesses and the requirement that when procuring agencies must consider how they can create quality employment opportunities specifically for Māori. Councils should follow suit. 'When councils set race-based procurement requirements and targets, it's no surprise that companies feel the need to respond by changing their own employment practices. 'More broadly, we're seeing the consequences of a divisive culture being incubated in our universities and public institutions. 'When academics, bureaucrats and politicians constantly promote the idea that people should be treated differently based on race, it's no wonder some start to believe it – and act on it. 'Universities in particular are fuelling these corrosive ideas, teaching the HR managers of tomorrow that a person's ancestry matters more than their character, capability or contribution. 'Race-based hiring, in any sector, is wrong. The ACT Party will keep fighting to stop this rot from spreading any further.'
West Australian
2 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Indigenous people left 'out in the cold' by super funds
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are being left "out in the cold" when trying to access their superannuation, consumer and Indigenous advocates say. Rigid identification policies, culturally insensitive customer service and a push towards digital systems mean many First Nations people are locked out of their superannuation, according to a report from Super Consumers Australia and Mob Strong Debt Help. Surveys of consumers in the Eastern Arnhem region and financial counsellors across Australia found more than half of Indigenous customers were unable to get through to their super fund, while 42 per cent did not understand the information they were given. Super funds often use jargon or complex language or don't have interpreters available, Mob Strong Debt Help senior solicitor Mark Holden said. "Financial counsellors try to be able to help out with the client to understand and try to advocate with the super funds, but the super funds don't accept their authority and leave both the financial counsellor and the client out in the cold," the Dunghutti man told AAP. People face similar barriers across remote, rural and urban communities, Mr Holden said, and the challenges are not unique to those customers surveyed. The system's rigidity also frustrates professionals working with communities, such as Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network financial counsellor Alex Price-Busch. He has spent on the phone to super funds and the Australian Tax Office on behalf of clients who struggle to access their super. "We see families fighting to claim death benefits while grieving. Many just give up because it's too hard," Mr Price-Busch said. Super Consumers Australia chief executive Xavier O'Halloran said the impact on resources is huge for financial counsellors dealing with these issues. "Some of the financial counsellors had told us they felt like they were working for the superannuation funds at times because they were spending hours on the phone dealing with really poor customer service processes ... having to teach the frontline staff at super funds what their actual obligations were," he said. Super funds do not have mandatory customer service standards, and Mr Holden says many lack any cultural safety standards or are not implementing them. This needs to change, says Mob Strong Debt Help, which also calls for better resourcing of financial counselling and legal support for First Nations people trying to access their superannuation. The organisation also wants the Australian Tax Office and super funds to provide culturally safe support and help with identity checks. "We need to see change now," Mr Holden said. "Any delay on this is going to further the intergenerational harm that our mob faces when it comes to superannuation."
