Author: allisonnorthover

Aboriginal supporters say that indigenous peoples living in remote areas of the Northern Territory want work opportunities rather than welfare.

According to Aboriginal Peak Organizations NT, participation in education is increasing, but employment rates are declining due to the lack of available jobs.

Residents live under immense financial stress-often paying three times more than cities for food and other necessities. Poor housing and poor health are also challenges.

“The need to invest in remote jobs remains significant and unaddressed,” CEO John Patterson told the Federal Parliamentary Commission on Indigenous Employment and Business on Thursday.

“We can’t afford to keep doing the same old, the same old, and achieve the same disastrous results every year.”

Unemployment has become systematic in many communities, with Aboriginal employment rates at 37% across the territory.

Creating safe and meaningful work leads to better results than struggling to manage welfare payments, Patterson said.

“In NT’s larger remote community, if all jobs were undertaken by job seekers in that community, employment rates would still be half the national average,” he said.

APO NT has called on the federal government to invest in work, reducing the cost of improving welfare programs such as cashless debit cards.

It proposes a remote employment investment fund to create 10,500 part-time jobs, a youth-focused work experience scheme, and a corporate fund to support investment in business projects.

Patterson said the plan would improve community employment and skills while reducing poverty.

“It will also support Aboriginal-managed community organizations and other local groups to provide projects that address local economic, social and cultural objectives,” he said.

The proposed scheme will fund Aboriginal organizations to hire local workers 20 hours a week with old-age pension qualifications and training.

Small indigenous organizations such as clinics, art centers, horticultural businesses and homeowners are assisted to take on additional workers.

Ranger programs and cattle businesses may also be supported.

“Importantly, wage subsidies must be sustainable for up to five years,” Patterson said.

This will increase employee participation in the community over time and address persistent issues, he said.

The APO NT program will also fund 1500 paid work experience jobs and training for Aboriginal youth each year.

It helps young people in remote areas develop the skills to move from school to work.

Scheme management is shared between independent indigenous-led national organizations and governments.

But first, bureaucratic bureaucratic formalism must be cut, Mr. Patterson said.

The plan will allow the federal government to fulfill some of its promises under an agreement to fill the gap, APONT’s submission to the Commission said.

After being released from detention, Medebuck detainees visited the Capitol to seek relief from the uncertainties faced by asylum-seekers affected by Australia’s offshore treatment regime.

Thanush Selvarasa and Ramithyar Sabanayagam were one of the approximately 60 refugees and asylum seekers released from immigration detention in Australia last month, a surprising move by the federal government.

A refugee from Sri Lanka, Serbalasa was detained for nearly six years off the island of Manus before being transferred to Australia for mental health treatment under the now abolished Medebuck Act.

After the transfer, Mr. Selvalasa was detained at a hotel in Melbourne designated as an alternative camp before moving to another immigration detention center.

He has been granted a six-month bridge visa to live in the community, but his battle to secure a “permanent solution” to resettlement in Australia is not over. It states.

“I know the pain of being detained indefinitely for no reason. It’s very difficult and painful,” Ms. Serbalasa told SBS News.

“I don’t know what will happen in six months, but I want to stay and contribute to this country.”

Refugees, in collaboration with Canberra advocacy groups, submitted a petition signed by about 37,000 to the Labor Party, Greens, Crossbencher MPs and Senators on Thursday.

The document, submitted to Parliament on Thursday, calls for the release and resettlement of all persons transferred from offshore processing facilities to Australia.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Center, Amnesty International, Human Rights Law Center, Refugee Advice and Casework Services are one of the human rights organizations that supported the campaign.

Sabanayagam was also transferred from Manus Island to Australia for treatment and subsequently detained at the Mantra and Park hotels in Melbourne.

The short-lived and politically controversial Medebuck Act has given doctors additional power to decide when detainees should be transferred to Australia for treatment.

Interior Minister Peter Dutton stated his recent decision to release Up to 60 of these detainees It was based on cost savings.

“People in the community are cheaper than being in a hotel or we pay to detain them,” he told 2GB in January.

More than 100 people have been detained in Australia and it is understood that many are still working on health issues.

Sabanayagam said action must be taken to help those who are still trapped in the system and to provide certainty to others who currently have bridge visas.

“Let them be released,” he said. “They have a family. They are people like you.

“We need a permanent solution. This is a temporary solution for us.”

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry previously told SBS News that anyone arriving by boat in Australia would not be allowed to settle permanently.

The ministry urged Medebuck transferees to complete treatment so that they could continue their journey to settle in a third country or return to Papua New Guinea, Nauru, or their home country.

Sarah Dale, Chief Attorney for Refugee Advice and Casework Service, said the Australian Government needs to address the suffering of asylum seekers affected by Australia’s offshore detention regime.

“We call on the government to take further action and free everything else, because it’s time for everyone to have a home,” she said.

Greens senator Nick McKim also urged the Australian government to consider a proposal to reset up to 150 asylum seekers from New Zealand from offshore detention.

“It’s time to regain our national conscience,” said Senator Makim. “It’s time for the New Zealand deal to be accepted by the government,” he said.

The government has so far refused to accept long-standing offers.

Labor Rep. Andrew Giles said the continued uncertainty imposed on asylum seekers in detention was equivalent to “meaningless atrocities.”

“What we see here is meaningless atrocities, completely meaningless atrocities by governments that are out of control with arrogance and arrogance, and despise vulnerable humans.” Giles said.

“I say it’s enough.”

We asked the Ministry of Interior for comment.

One of the companies responsible for providing coronavirus vaccines to Australian Elderly Housing with Care residents may subsequently revoke the contract Two older people were given excessive doses by an untrained doctor..

Healthcare Australia provided the federal government with false information about doctor training.

Its CEO, Jason Cartwright, Health Minister Greg Hunt said Thursday afternoon that this was also set aside.

“The company is introducing a new management team and an additional management team,” Hunt said in a congressional question time.

This week, the doctor in question gave two Brisbane elderly caregivers high doses of Pfizer vaccine and did not receive the required training.

Healthcare Australia initially admitted that he had not completed training after telling the federal government that he had seen evidence that the doctor had completed training.

“They were informed that they could be fired in the event of a serious further breach,” Hunt told Canberra reporters earlier.

“A company with a long history of healthcare delivery across Australia and a long history of healthcare delivery COVID, but frankly, we threw a book at them.”

Approximately 70 Elderly Housing with Care residents are vaccinated, and the government initially expects that number to reach 240 by the weekend.

Mr. Hunt defended the delay and claimed that the deployment would go smoothly.

The federal government acknowledges that public confidence in the deployment of vaccines is affected by a bunch of overdose.

A pair of elderly people show no signs of side effects after being given an amount that is believed to be four times the intended dose.

One of the vaccinated men, an 88-year-old man, was admitted to the hospital for observation and stayed there for unrelated elective surgery.

A 94-year-old woman has returned to the Elderly Housing with Care.

Healthcare Australia has a federal contract for vaccinated workforce in New South Wales and Queensland, while Aspen Medical is responsible for other states and territories.

Another provider will be introduced to support Healthcare Australia in New South Wales and Queensland.

Healthcare Australia will also invite more senior management, and former Chief Nursing Officer Debra Thoms will join the company’s program at the request of the government.

Queensland has called for the national cabinet to be held next week ahead of schedule to discuss issues with the vaccination program.

The healthcare professional who manages the jab must prove that they have completed the required training module.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd investigated what happened at a geriatric care facility in Brisbane and found that Australian healthcare was not in compliance with a government contract.

“Safety continues to be our primary concern for the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccination program,” he told Canberra reporters.

“This quality and safety breach was unacceptable.”

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese said the government needed to do the right thing.

“Vaccines save lives,” he told Canberra reporters.

So far, more than 17,500 vaccinations have been given nationwide.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reese Carshaw sent a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning that allegations of criminal activity should be reported without delay.

His letter arrived following a serious allegation by former liberal staff Brittany Higgins, who said he had been raped in the Capitol in March 2019.

The Morrison government has been sharply criticized for handling the allegations, including not reporting the charges to Mr. Morrison.

“I can’t emphasize the importance of timely referrals to allegations of criminal activity,” Carshaw said.

“If you do not report the criminal activity alleged in this way, or if you choose to communicate or disseminate the allegation through other means such as the media or a third party, you risk interfering with subsequent police investigations. there is.

“Delayed reporting of criminal activity can result in the loss of important evidence and the continuation and / or re-crime of the suspected criminal.”

Ms. Higgins chose not to file further complaints about the case filed by the police at the time, fearing that this would affect her career.

Mr. Carshaw said members, senators, and their offices should refer to such issues mentioned to them “in consideration of victims’ rights and privacy.”

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said he requested a letter from the AFP Commissioner so that he could provide guidance to MPs and Senators.

Morrison also sent a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Speaker of the Senate, asking him to circulate the advice of Commissioner Carshaw among politicians.

“As we all admit, these are serious and traumatic events for everyone,” he said.

“The events of the last two weeks have made all members and senators informed of their responsibilities in these situations to provide compassionate support to affected people and ensure that the rule of law is upheld. Here’s why it’s so important. With these issues. ”

Many federal ministers were aware of the allegations before they were released last week.

Defense Minister Linda Reynolds, Ms. Higgins’ employer at the time of the rape, subsequently apologized for handling the suspect’s case.

She says she advised Higgins to go to the police when she learned of the alleged crime, as did Higgins’ next boss, Michelia Cash.

Morrison consistently states that his office first learned of the allegations on February 12, but then his staff took almost three days to notify him.

Ms. Higgins then revived her formal police complaints about the alleged case.

The Australian government is required to follow the United States and Canada in declaring China’s crackdown on Uighur minorities as “genocide.”

The push, boosted by the Uighur community in Australia, arises with increasing evidence of reported human rights abuses against Muslim minorities, including torture, forced labor and sterilization of women.

This week’s Parliament of Canada voted to admit the Chinese government’s alleged campaign against minorities as a genocide. In January, the US State Department declared that China had genocide against Uighurs in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Uighurs in Australia are now asking the government to adopt the same stance-the explanation says they are really aware of the difficulties they have experienced.

“We want to stand in solidarity in admitting the genocide against Uighurs,” Nurmuhammad Majid, president of the East Turkestan Australian Association, told SBS News.

“This kind of genocide [a] Crimes against humanity. Australia should not sleep until all Western nations have acknowledged the Uighur Chinese genocide. “

The United Nations cites reports that at least one million Uighurs have been detained in a political re-education camp in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, where reported human rights abuses have been documented.

Beijing has strongly denied allegations of human rights abuses.

Canadian lawmakers approved a non-binding motion on Monday proclaiming China’s actions against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region as a genocide.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and senior members of the Cabinet have abstained from voting submitted by opposition conservatives.

Mr Trudeau himself hesitates to call China’s actions against the Uighur minority in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region a genocide, calling the term “very heavy.”

Current and former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mike Pompeo state that the treatment of Uighurs is equivalent to a genocide.

The UK is also stepping up its rhetoric against China’s actions in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said China’s “reported abuse” in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is taking place “on an industrial scale.” I’m warning you.

Michael Clark, an associate professor at the Australian National University, said momentum seems to be gaining momentum among Australia’s international allies to take a stricter stance on the treatment of Uighurs.

“The use of that label can be potentially controversial-at the same time, we can make a very strong claim based on the evidence we have,” he told SBS News.

Dr. Clark said he believed in the “balance” of evidence that the Australian government should also consider making decisions.

“A complex factor for Australia is the deep hole that bilateral relations with Beijing are currently facing,” he said.

Genocide has a legal definition under Article 2 of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide Crime, which is signed by China.

This definition includes acts aimed at destroying a country, ethnic, racial, or religious group in whole or in part.

This includes measures aimed at killing members of the group, causing serious mental or physical harm, or causing cultural or physical destruction.

Dr. Clark said genocide claims appear to be an attempt to hold the Chinese government accountable for the reported abuses documented in Xinjiang.

“This is the difference between holding a state to explain the UN treaty on genocide, rather than going through something like the International Criminal Court,” he said.

Ask Australia to adopt “genocide” accusations

The Australian Government has consistently expressed deep concern about human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and has called on China to join other countries at the UN Human Rights Council to end the detention of ethnic minorities.

He also supported calls for an independent UN investigation to give “free” access to Xinjiang to investigate reported abuses.

However, Australia has so far stopped involving the United States and Canada in treating the Uighur massacre by China.

Independent Senator Rex Patrick also said the systematic crackdown on the minority was “undeniable” and supported calls to explain Australia’s treatment of Uighurs as a genocide.

“It’s time for Australia to work with Canada and the United States to declare China’s treatment of the Uighur massacre,” he told SBS News.

“The Australian Government is out of step with some of our closest allies on this issue. [Chinese Communist Party’s] Persecution of Uighurs. “

Kimberly Kitcheng, a labor senator and co-chair of the China Policy Alliance on China, said the position sent “a strong message that the international community can no longer ignore the reality of what is happening.” ..

Beijing responded to accusations of being involved in the genocide in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and labeled it “made out of ignorance and prejudice.”

Amnesty International Australia campaigner Kinzom Dondue told SBS News that China is responsible for proving that no genocide has occurred in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the face of “continuous evidence.”

“If there is nothing to hide in China, a truly independent human rights monitor should allow immediate and free access to Xinjiang. We have been categorically denying it,” she said.

Australia’s world’s first news media negotiation code will come into force shortly after the law passes Congress.

Google and Facebook signed contracts with major news companies before the bargaining rules were enacted by law.

The groundbreaking bill received a final tick of approval on Thursday when the House of Representatives agreed to a government change after negotiations with a tech giant.

Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, is confident that the significantly modified code will still reduce the huge market power of digital platforms.

“Google and Facebook need media, but they don’t need a specific company, which (previously) meant that media companies couldn’t do business with Facebook or Google,” he said. I told ABC Radio on Thursday.

“The purpose of the code is to give them the possibility of arbitration, which helps their bargaining position and thus helps them reach fair commerce.”

So far, large media organizations, including News Corp and Nine, have been the main beneficiaries of transactions with online giants.

Mr Sims is not surprised.

“In this situation, we expect to trade with the big players first and then move down the list,” he said.

“Given that this supports journalism, it’s not surprising that the most journalists will cost more, but no one knows why we should doubt that all journalism will benefit. . “

Sims hopes the online giant will seal the deal with a small player in time.

“I don’t know why Google and Facebook exclude them,” he said.

“I didn’t understand why you wouldn’t do business with them because it’s less expensive than the cost of those who employ most of the journalists.”

As New South Wales prepares to relax COVID-19 restrictions, people flying from Auckland are being guided to a hotel mascot.

NSW Health introduced a new order on Thursday after the New Zealand government reported three additional virus cases in Auckland on Wednesday.

Travelers arriving from New Zealand after Saturday have been contacted by health authorities to see if they have been to new areas of concern in which infected individuals participate.

They are also required to be tested for COVID-19 and quarantined for 14 days until negative results are obtained or if they go to any venue.

Tweets from @NSWHealth

In New South Wales, a notice has come into effect that designates Auckland as a hotspot, from which arrivals can choose to quarantine the hotel for 14 days or return to New Zealand.

The same is true for Victoria. Classify Auckland as “Red Zone” under Traffic Light Permit System..

Queensland closed its border with the arrival of Kiwi on Wednesday night. Similar requirements apply to the quarantine and testing of people flying from New Zealand.

Tweets from @VicGovDH

Meanwhile, starting Friday, the limit for indoor gatherings in New South Wales has been raised to 50, and the wedding limit remains at 300, allowing up to 30 people to dance at one time.

Physical education classes can accommodate up to 50 people, but indoor choirs can accommodate up to 30 people and cinemas can operate with 100% capacity.

After March 17, if no further COVID-19 outbreaks occur, standing drinking at the indoor bar is permitted.

In New South Wales, there were no new local cases for 38 consecutive days on Wednesday, with one case occurring in a hotel quarantine. We will report the data late Thursday morning.

Victoria recorded a virus-free day for six consecutive days on Thursday, and returning travelers were also free of infection.

Victoria’s Prime Minister Daniel Andrews will announce on Friday that he will further relax virus regulations in his state.

Elsewhere, New South Wales Premier Gladys Beregicrian said more than 3,200 people were first vaccinated during the first two days of the New South Wales deployment.

Frontline healthcare professionals first obtained Jab and vaccinated Pfizer across the three “vaccination hubs” in Sydney.

-Use AAP

Brisbane has been selected as the “priority partner” to initiate negotiations for the 2032 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said.

This move can be seen as the first major step towards the Australian city chosen to host the Olympics.

IOC Chairman Thomas Bach said Wednesday that the IOC had approved the recommendations of the committee responsible for future organizers.

“The Committee has recommended that the IOC Executive Board begin a targeted dialogue with Brisbane 2032, which has unanimously approved the recommendation,” Bach said at a virtual press conference. ..

He emphasized that the decision to choose Brisbane as Australia’s preferred city for the potential Olympic Games in 2032 is “not a decision for anyone.”

“This is just one stakeholder-friendly decision at the moment,” Bach said.

Several cities and countries, including Brisbane, Indonesia, Budapest, China, Doha and the Ruhr region of Germany, were publicly interested in the 2032 convention.

The IOC reviewed its bidding rules in 2019 to reduce costs and facilitate urban processes. There is no official candidate city to campaign before voting as in the past.

I will come more.

-Use AAP

An important witness to the murder appeal of Hobert’s grandmother Susan Neil Fraser provides evidence via a video link at a groundbreaking hearing.

Neill-Fraser, 67, has been in prison for 23 years for murdering his partner Bob Chapel on a couple yachts moored off Hobart on Australia Day 2009.

Her second appeal bid will begin in the Supreme Court on Monday after her legal team is convinced that the judge has “fresh and compelling” evidence of the case.

Prominent barrister Robert Rictor QC, who previously represented George Pell, appeared at a hearing on Wednesday as part of Neil Fraser’s legal team.

Sue Neill-Fraser says it’s innocent or bust. “She does not apply for or accept parole because she appears to be guilty.”https://t.co/9hUF6GG4GL

— Amber Wilson (@ambervwilson) February 23, 2021

In 2017, he met then Prime Minister Will Hodgeman and asked for an independent investigation into the case of Neil Fraser.

The court was told that major witness Meaghan Vass, whose DNA was found on the yacht, would submit evidence at a hearing via a video link from another room in the court.

Prosecutor General Darryl Coates said it was important for Vas to be in the court building so that he could be handed the documents.

Neill-Fraser claims that there is new evidence that then homeless Ms. Vass was on a yacht on the night of the murder and that Mr. Chappell was attacked while Ms. Vass was there.

Neill-Fraser’s first appeal against the 2010 conviction was dismissed by the Criminal Appeals Court in 2012.

The jury found that she attacked Mr. Chapel, used ropes and winches to lift his body to the yacht tender, and dumped his body into the deep sea.

The body of Mr. Chapel has never been found.

Neill-Fraser, eligible for parole in August 2022, qualifies for a second appeal bid in 2019 under the new Tasmanian law requiring the submission of “fresh and compelling” evidence. Did.

If the appeal is successful, Neil Fraser may face a retrial or her conviction may be revoked.

-AAP

According to experts, the Morrison government’s media negotiation code will strengthen the grip of News Corporation and other powerful giants in the Australian media.

It even threatens democracy.

The data show that Australia has one of the highest concentration of media ownership in the world.

Timothy Dwyer, an associate professor of media policy at the University of Sydney, said:

“It’s actually in bad shape because it’s one of the most concentrated newspaper media markets in an equivalent democracy.”

In 2016, Breakthrough international research Regarding media ownership and concentration, under the title “Who owns the world’s media,” Australia was the most concentrated in the newspaper industry in 2011, with the exception of China and Egypt. It became clear that it was doing.

Ownership of the newspaper industry is concentrated primarily because Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation dominated 57% of the newspaper market by circulation.

But that was five years ago, TND I understand that no similar global comparison has been made since then.

“In the age of the Internet, it’s very difficult to track readership,” said Rodnitifen, an emeritus professor at the University of Sydney and one of the Australian researchers in a 2016 survey. I am.

It’s hard to find the latest publicly available data, but experts say the media concentration in Australia is guaranteed to increase in recent years.

Swipe between these two slides for comparison

And it’s all possible to get worse.

This is because the Turnbull government abolished the country’s major centralized ban law in 2017 and removed two of the three rules to allow businesses to sell television, radio and printed matter to the same market.

A year later, Fairfax and Nine took advantage of the overhaul by merging to create a new media giant under the name Nine, further reducing Australia’s media environment.

“News Corporation, along with Nine Entertainment, now owns most of the print media, including online news versions of these printed titles,” said Associate Professor Dwire.

There’s nothing stopping other media companies like News Corp and Seven West from working together to do the same.

“If that level of power is concentrated in very few hands, it’s a problem for democracy,” said Dr. Denis Muller, a senior researcher at the University of Melbourne’s Center for the Promotion of Journalism.

“It limits the number of voices.”

Media negotiation code is “better than nothing”

The biggest beneficiaries of Australia’s new media code are News Corp, Nine, Seven West, and to a lesser extent ABC.

The changes have little impact on media diversity, but experts say it’s still worth the fight.

“It’s true that money flows to Murdoch and Big Three,” Dr. Muller said.

“This is an unavoidable by-product of a much larger and more important principle. It means Facebook should pay for free news.

“It doesn’t matter what money flows into the media organization. It’s better than nothing.

“If they represent the state of our media, they need every dollar they can get. To achieve viable democracy, we need viable media. And this code contributes. “