home | newsletter

	welcome to the european network for Indigenous australian rights (eniar) -  email update - march 2008
apology
	Apology to the Stolen Generations - On 13 February, the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made the first item of Australia's new Federal Government an official apology to the Stolen Generations. The apology received cross party support from main political parties. Why an apology? Is an apology enough? eniar supports compensation for the stolen generations and the recommendations in the 1997 'bringing them home' report - see the Stolen Generations - http://www.eniar.org/stolengenerations.html
action
	British MPs’ motion to support Australia’s ‘sorry’ to Indigenous people - Over 40 British MPs’ have signed a motion acknowledging responsibility for ill-treatment of Indigenous Australians. The motion supports the Australian government’s recent apology to the stolen generations of Indigenous children and their families and communities, and comes at a significant and moving time in Australian history. If you live in the UK, we encourage you to contact your MP's to sign the Early Day Motion - EDM1000 - http://www.eniar.org/action/EDM1000action.html
	The new Australian Government continues the quarantining of welfare payments to Indigenous people, some of the previous governments interventions are to be srapped. Debate continues in Australia about the benefits and workablity of the intervention and the need for more government services to Aboriginal communities. For further information and news updates on the Northern Territory Intervention - http://www.eniar.org/news/news-issues/NTintervention.html
issues
	Australia is to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples- the Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith recently confirmed that Australia would now endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This follows the previous conservative Australian government’s refusal to do so in September 2007 at the UN General Assembly - http://www.eniar.org/action/undrip.html
events
	Celebrations are planned for later in 2008 to mark eniar's 10th anniversary (tba) and from 6-13 July 2008 is NAIDOC week, which celebrates the survival of Indigenous culture and all Australians are encouraged to participate. In London, eniar is planning a Koorioki night (a version of Karaoki, involving a trivia quiz on Indigenous Australian subject matter). Other events around europe include photographer Wayne Quilliam's Berlin exibition - Lowanna and author Alexis Wright - reading of 'Carpentaria' in London - for other events in europe - http://www.eniar.org/events/index.html
	New eniar book page - our current feature is The Grand Experiment a book about 'two boys who travel three continents to follow one monk's dream ... In 1848, the Spanish missionary Rosendo Salvado, founder of New Norcia Monastery in Western Australia, took two Nyungar boys to be schooled in Europe" by Anouk Ride - if you have a new book to recommend, that is published in english or any other european language, please contact us with your suggestions - http://www.eniar.org/action/bookpage.html

|| click to go to the top of this page