Koori Mail

AN Aboriginal woman from Gilgandra in northern NSW has won the 2013 NAIDOC Poster Competiton. Gail Naden’s winning entry ‘Claiming our ground’ reflected this year’s NAIDOC theme, ‘We Value the Vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963′. Ms Naden beat more than 130 other entries to win the $5000 cash prize. The artwork combines two digital images – one depicting the legs of men walking around the land and one of water particles embossed to create crevices – and will feature on a poster distributed across the country to promote NAIDOC Week 2013 from 7-14 July.

KIMBERLEY traditional owners have announced four Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) that will link together to create a conservation corridor along the north Kimberley coast and across the world renowned Gibb River Road. The corridor will form one of the largest Indigenous conservation areas in Australia at 85,110 square kms or 20 per cent of the Kimberley. The announcement was made at Gambanan near One Arm Point on Bardi Jawi country yesterday as part of the Kimberley International Ranger Forum, attended by more than 400 people including guests from Mexico.

THE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation has been allocated $26.4 million in federal funding over the next four years. CEO Richard Weston says the funding will enable the Foundation, established in 2009 following the first anniversary of the National Apology, to consolidate its work around the Stolen Generations, intergenerational trauma and traditional healing. Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said the Foundation was building wellbeing and resilience amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

THE Federal Government has announced a $17.8 million strategy to tackle the alarming rate of suicides in Indigenous communities. Federal Mental Health Minister Mark Butler said the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy would focus on early intervention and building stronger communities, establishing local suicide prevention networks and a centre of best practice to support and prioritise local, community-led activities. Indigenous Australians experience suicides at a rate double the wider Australian population.

Leading Indigenous mental health experts have welcomed Federal Government funding for a national suicide prevention strategy. Dr Tom Calma, Professor Pat Dudgeon and Adele Cox, all members of the strategy’s working group, said the $17.8 million over four years would help build strength and resilience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, where suicide happened at double the rate of other parts of Australia.

THE National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) has welcomed a Federal Government strategy to address high suicide rates among Aboriginal people, particularly the younger generations. NACCHO chair Justin Mohamed said the emphasis on local solutions and capacity building was welcomed, however he said the detail of the plan still needed careful examination. Mr Mohamed said that for any strategy to be effective, local, community-led healthcare needed to be at its core.

A mental health summit has delivered recommendations to the Western Australian Premier on how to curb an Aboriginal suicide epidemic. Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation CEO, Robert Eggington, told the Koori Mail yesterday the Premier’s meeting with the Noongar delegation  ‘well exceeded’ its scheduled duration, and Premier Barnett was very responsive. Premier Barnett told the group that he would now hold further negotiations and discussions regarding the crisis.

THE Federal Government has released a discussion document that outlines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages can be taught and supported in schools across the nation. Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett said the draft Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages would support community language revival and maintenance.

Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett.

INDIGENOUS people with disability will benefit from a $900,000 funding package announced today to improve access to national disability support services. The First People’s Disability Network Australia will receive the funds over three years to assist Indigenous Australians to understand and access support from the newly-created DisabilityCare Australia. Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda said the package would help close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.

A MAJOR mining, infrastructure, telecommunications and energy firm, an Aboriginal company selling work and safety wear, uniforms and promotional merchandise, and Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) are the major winners in the 2013 Supplier Diversity Awards.  The awards, presented by Supply Nation in Melbourne last night, recognise efforts to grow Indigenous business and enterprise. The awards ceremony capped off Supply Nation’s Connect 2013 event, which comprised a conference and trade show at Etihad Stadium.