Reading from right to left
A couple of articles caught my eye this week.
The first item appears on the ANTaR website but was originally published in the National Indigenous Times. It discusses the importance of accepting responsibility for the atrocious disparities (in opportunities, representation, income, life-expectancy) between indigenous and non-indigenous communities. It urges the government to say Sorry and to look to Canada to identify solutions for a just Australia which we can all be proud of. There are a couple of points I don't agree with, but it is a holistic, solutions-based piece which makes some excellent recommendations to government and to us all.
The second item, in today's online edition of The Age, discusses the insidious shift in Australia's immigration policy. The author reminds us that the Convention of the Status of Children is threatened by the latest Migration Amendment bill, and describes offshore processing as "cruel and inhumane". He argues that the government's policies impact on the country's international standing and urges all Australians to stand up and fight the proposed immigration changes.
Interestingly, both these articles were written by a chap named Malcolm Fraser. Mr Fraser just happens to have been the Liberal PM of Australia (1975-1983) and was incidentally described as an "extreme right-winger" in his early political career. A little more research however, shows that Fraser has become one of John Howard's most vocal critics, in recent years. He has taken the government to task over its acquiescence to the USA. He is particularly outspoken about the fear, reaction and deception practiced since September 11, 2001, the War on Terror, and the Tampa affair.
No wonder that a search on his name led me to the promotional site for "Beyond Right and Left". Worth more of a look when I get a minute.
That chilling Winston Churchill line, "Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains" can be laid to rest for once and for all.
Other links:
http://www.chilout.org/ - Say No! to children back in detention
http://www.unhcr.org.au/basicoblig.shtml - UNHCR basic obligations
http://www.safecom.org.au/malcolm-fraser-rights.htm - Malcolm Fraser on Human Rights and Responsibilities in the Age of Terror
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/news/media/rel05/austcana.htm - Australia, Canada and New Zealand: collaborative research project to improve Indigenous health
http://www.ncylc.org.au/croc/images/Aust_NGO_Key_Issues_CRC_200.pdf - NGO report on Australia’s record with regard to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/898586b1dc7b4043c1256a450044f331/6f6879be758d0e8ec12570d9003340ba/$FILE/G0544374.pdf - UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: Concluding observations on Australia. Grim stuff.
The first item appears on the ANTaR website but was originally published in the National Indigenous Times. It discusses the importance of accepting responsibility for the atrocious disparities (in opportunities, representation, income, life-expectancy) between indigenous and non-indigenous communities. It urges the government to say Sorry and to look to Canada to identify solutions for a just Australia which we can all be proud of. There are a couple of points I don't agree with, but it is a holistic, solutions-based piece which makes some excellent recommendations to government and to us all.
The second item, in today's online edition of The Age, discusses the insidious shift in Australia's immigration policy. The author reminds us that the Convention of the Status of Children is threatened by the latest Migration Amendment bill, and describes offshore processing as "cruel and inhumane". He argues that the government's policies impact on the country's international standing and urges all Australians to stand up and fight the proposed immigration changes.
Interestingly, both these articles were written by a chap named Malcolm Fraser. Mr Fraser just happens to have been the Liberal PM of Australia (1975-1983) and was incidentally described as an "extreme right-winger" in his early political career. A little more research however, shows that Fraser has become one of John Howard's most vocal critics, in recent years. He has taken the government to task over its acquiescence to the USA. He is particularly outspoken about the fear, reaction and deception practiced since September 11, 2001, the War on Terror, and the Tampa affair.
No wonder that a search on his name led me to the promotional site for "Beyond Right and Left". Worth more of a look when I get a minute.
That chilling Winston Churchill line, "Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains" can be laid to rest for once and for all.
Other links:
http://www.chilout.org/ - Say No! to children back in detention
http://www.unhcr.org.au/basicoblig.shtml - UNHCR basic obligations
http://www.safecom.org.au/malcolm-fraser-rights.htm - Malcolm Fraser on Human Rights and Responsibilities in the Age of Terror
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/news/media/rel05/austcana.htm - Australia, Canada and New Zealand: collaborative research project to improve Indigenous health
http://www.ncylc.org.au/croc/images/Aust_NGO_Key_Issues_CRC_200.pdf - NGO report on Australia’s record with regard to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/898586b1dc7b4043c1256a450044f331/6f6879be758d0e8ec12570d9003340ba/$FILE/G0544374.pdf - UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: Concluding observations on Australia. Grim stuff.
posted by Seeking Illumination at 12:40 AM
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