Reconciliation Queensland Incorporated - reconciliation queensland reconciliation queensland incorporated

Bring Aboriginal flags to demonstrate our fight for our rights

For more information contact: Les Malezer
Ph: 0419 710720
Email: les.malezer@faira.org.au

Read Les Malezer's letter below for additional information:
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Dear Mr Speaker

I am writing to you in response to the incident on 13 February 2010, when the Queensland Police were instructed to remove the Aboriginal flag from the outside of the Parliament fence.

This letter is authorised by the organisers of the protest rally held on 13 February 2010 at Parliament House. You should be aware that this peaceful rally was organised as part of the National Day of Action held around Australia to oppose racism by governments in Australia.

A request had been made to the security staff at the Parliament House, at the time of the incident, to contact you for your approval for the flag to remain on the fence during our rally that morning. Apparently you did not give your approval and the police were given their instructions to act. This led to a confrontation, when the police hesitated and called for backup.

Your decision was a great disappointment and reversed the more cooperative position taken by the previous Speaker of the Parliament. The participants at the rally expressed strong disapproval and calls were made for the Aboriginal flags to be removed from the Parliament House.

However it has been decided instead that a ‘flag rally’ be held at the Parliament House and the Aboriginal flag be formally presented to you in a spirit of partnership and goodwill. We will ask you to adopt a better understanding of our position and desire to have our rights recognised.

We have set this occasion for Tuesday, 23 February 2010. The rally will commence at 12.30 pm, in front of the Parliament House and a march to the entrance will occur at 1.15 pm.

We request that you greet us at the entrance and invite the delegation of flag bearers to carry the official Aboriginal flag into Parliament House and place it at an honoured place inside the building. The delegation will then present a statement on the purpose and importance of the flag, and the relationship that it represents in its place in the Parliament House.

We intend this to be a ‘public’ ceremony and request that our delegation and media be allowed to participate as indicated. Following the ceremony the delegation of flag bearers will proceed through Parliament House and exit via the Parliamentary Annex gates.

We have chosen this date for the occasion because it is proposed to be the date for the second reading of the Bill to amend the Preamble of the Queensland Constitution to recognise the Aboriginal Peoples and the Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the First Peoples.

We are hopeful that you will take care to avoid any future clashes over the use of the Aboriginal flag and the conduct of our protests at Parliament House.

We are happy to discuss the arrangements with you to have a cooperative ceremony. Please contact me on my mobile – 0419 710 720 – or by email les.malezer@gmail.com if you would like to have further discussions.

Respectfully

Les Malezer
Chairman, FAIRA
And on behalf of the Flag Protest group

Lockyer Valley Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Gathering
2 day event -- Wednesday 24 & Thursday 25 February, 8.30am - 3pm
Laidley Uniting Church Hall, 45 Patrick Street, Laidley

For more information please contact Therese Webster. Phone: 5466 4336

RSVP by Friday 19 February
An initiative of the Laidley Shire Community Care Association Inc.

Download the event A3 poster (PDF 2.2MB)

Office for Women -- STRONG VOICES, STRONG WOMEN

2 day Leadership Seminar
Tuesday 2 March & Wednesday 3 March, 9.30am - 2pm
Beenleigh PCYC, Alamein Street, Beenleigh

Build the skills to shape your community!

A gathering of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls (15+) from the Logan, Beaudesert and Beenleigh areas who are leaders or who would like to be.

FREE -- BOOK NOW!

Phone: 1800 177 577 or visit www.women.qld.gov.au

The event flyer (printable version) and registration form can be downloaded from the links below:

Download the event flyer (PDF 2.1MB)

Download the registration form (PDF 94.7KB)

READING FOR RECONCILIATION
Dates and Titles for 2010

Last year's highlight was Riding the Black Cockatoo by local author, John Danalis. We think this book is a MUST READ! This title is readily available through Brisbane City Council libraries.

MEETING DATES AND TITLES for 2010 are:

MARCH 14 : “Ted Kennedy, Priest of Redfern” by Edmund Campion

APRIL 18 : “Footprints: the journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper” by Simon Flagg

MAY 30 : “The City’s Outback” by Gillian Cowlishaw

JULY 11: “Maralinga: the Anangu story” by Yalata and Oak Valley communities with Christobel Mattingley

AUGUST 22: “It is no secret” by Donna Meehan

OCTOBER 3: “Seven Seasons at Arakun” by Paula Shaw

NOVEMBER 14: “Three Warriors Within” by Marcus Pedro

If you want any further details on our group, please contact Helen Carrick - helen.carrick@uq.net.au

National events

1967 referendum (27 May annually)

27 May 2009 marks the 42nd anniversary of the 1967 referendum, in which more than 90% of the Australian public voted to remove clauses from the constitution which discriminated against Indigenous people.

Specifically, the '67 referendum changed the wording of the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal people in the Commonwealth of Australia, as below:

The Commonwealth of Australian Constitution Act 1900
Section 51:
The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to,
(xxvi): the people of any race, other than the aboriginal people in any state, for whom it is necessary to make special laws.

Section 127:
In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives should not be counted.

The removal of the words 'other than aboriginal people in any State' in section 51 (xxvi) and the whole of section 127 were considered by many to be representative of the prevailing movement for political change within Indigenous affairs. As a result of the political climate, this referendum saw the highest YES vote ever recorded in a Federal Referendum with 90.77 per cent voting for change.

The success of the '67 referendum was a strong example of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working together in a 10 year campaign for Indigenous rights.

40 years later, it is time to reflect on what the referendum really meant for Indigenous people and ask - how far have we come since '67?

Every year, Reconciliation Week starts on the day of the referendum (May 27) and finishes on Mabo Day (June 3).

Australasian World Music Expo (19-22 November 2009)

Melbourne takes centre stage with the Australasian World Music Expo to be held at the Arts Centre from the 20th to the 23rd November 2008. This event will bring together musicians, industry representatives and festival audiences from across Australia and around the globe for three days of the finest Indigenous, roots and world music from the Australasian region.

For more information and details see www.awme.com.au

Harmony Day (21 March 2009)

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Harmony Day coincides with United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and began to be commemorated in 1999 as a day to encourage tolerance and understanding between Australians of all races and cultural backgrounds.

For more information and details on the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination go to www.un.org

Human Rights Day (10 December annually)

Celebrates the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

See www.un.org/rights/ for details on the Declaration.

Also see this Victorian Department of Justice site for details on the Victorian Charter of Human Rights at www.justice.vic.gov.au/humanrights/

International day of the world's Indigenous peoples (9 August annually)

For details on the significance of this day see www.un.org/depts/dhl/indigenous/

Mabo Day (3 June annually)

Mabo Day commemorates the anniversary of the 1992 High Court decision in the case brought by Eddie Mabo and others which recognised the existence in Australia of native title rights.

On the 10th anniversary of this day in 2002 there were many calls for the day to become a public holiday, an official National Mabo Day.

Mabo Day is the last day of Reconciliation Week every year and is often marked by events celebrating the culture of the Torres Strait Islands.

NAIDOC Week (first full week in July annually)

NAIDOC has its origins in the fight for Aboriginal rights that began to gather pace in the 1920s and 1930s. In those years, organisations such as the Australian Aborigines Progress Association, the Australian Aborigines League, and the Aborigines Progressive Association were established to draw attention to the living conditions suffered by Aboriginal people and their lack of citizenship rights.

Today, NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia in the first full week in July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC originally stood for 'National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee'. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week, and its acronym has become the name of the week itself.

The week is celebrated not just in the Indigenous community, but also in increasing numbers of government agencies, schools, local councils and workplaces.

For detailed information, background and details on annual events see www.naidoc.org.au

NAIDOC week 2010

NAIDOC Week preparations are underway with the National Committee selecting the theme: Unsung Heroes – Closing the Gap by Leading Their Way

This year’s theme is about recognising the people who contribute to Australian society, often going without recognition. These unsung heroes are quiet achievers in Indigenous communities who are leading their own way,
and in doing so, helping other Indigenous people set their own direction for the future.

The 2010 National NAIDOC Poster Competition and National NAIDOC Awards nominations are now open!

Take the time to recognise someone who makes a difference in the lives of others by nominating them for a National NAIDOC Award. You can nominate online at
www.naidoc.org.au/NAIDOC-awards/nomination.aspx

Also, check out the new NAIDOC Award, the Caring for Country Award! Indigenous artists interested in national exposure and a cash prize of $5,000 enter the NAIDOC poster competition online at www.naidoc.org.au/naidocPoster/enterOnline.aspx

Visit the NAIDOC website for more information
www.naidoc.org.au

National Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June 2009)

National Reconciliation Week provides an opportunity for all Australians to reflect on our shared history and celebrates the diversity and richness of cultures of Indigenous Australians.
Let’s join together during National Reconciliation week to work out strategies for the year in combating racism, cross cultural education processes, developing personal relationships and addressing social and economic disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

History of National Reconciliation Week  

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) was initiated in 1996 to provide a special focus for nationwide reconciliation activities. NRW coincides with two significant dates in Australia's history which provide strong symbols of our hopes and aims for Reconciliation.

May 27 marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum in which more than 90 per cent of Australians voted to remove clauses from the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Indigenous Australians. The referendum also gave the Commonwealth Government the power to make laws on behalf of Aboriginal people.

June 3 marks the anniversary of the High Court of Australia's judgment in 1992 in the Mabo case. The decision recognised the Native Title rights of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the original inhabitants of the continent, and overturned the myth of terra nullius - that the continent was empty, unowned land before the arrival of Europeans in 1788. 

National Sorry Day (26 May annually)

May 26 marks the anniversary of the 1997 tabling of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission report Bringing them Home.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians participated in the first National Sorry Day in 1998. The following year the day was used to launch the 'Journey of Healing', with ten pairs of message sticks which had been despatched from Uluru three weeks earlier being received in the capital cities. Every year since, there have been gatherings and activities across the country-including bridge walks, barbecues, concerts and a Message Sticks Festival at the Sydney Opera House.

A National Sorry Day Committee maintains a web-site with an events calendar at www.nsdc.org.au

Survival Day (26 January annually)

January 26 marks the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove. In 1938, on the 150th anniversary of this landing, a 'Day of Mourning' was organised-principally by William Cooper (who had founded the Australian Aboriginal League in Melbourne and drafted a petition of Aboriginal grievance which the Government refused to pass on to King George V) and William Ferguson (leader of the NSW-based Aborigines Progress Association). For the protest Ferguson and J. P. Patten wrote a manifesto entitled Aborigines Claim Citizenship Rights in which they appealed for a new Aboriginal policy, full citizenship status, equality and land rights. The manifesto opened with: 'This festival of 150 years' so-called "progress" in Australia commemorates also 150 years of misery and degradation imposed on the original native inhabitants by white invaders of this country'. The day is often marked by Aboriginal communities with a Survival Day concert.