Latest news with #StolenGenerations
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Leaders weigh up landmark Yoorrook truth-telling report
A state government is under pressure to adopt a redress scheme for the post-colonisation pain and suffering of Aboriginal people The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday, handing down 100 recommendations across five volumes. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the findings, which also included an official public record of the state's history since colonisation. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Yoorrook, with royal commission powers, held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. The final report calls on the Victorian government to provide redress for injustice, which should take the form of restitution of traditional land, monetary compensation, tax relief or other financial benefits. Other recommendations include shifting prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health, and providing more funding to First Peoples-led health services to ensure they are sufficiently resourced, regardless of where they are located. It also calls on the government to establish independent funding streams, including the use of land, water and natural resource-related revenues to support Victoria's self-determination fund and other initiatives led by Aboriginal Victorians. The report supports the treaty processes currently under way, saying it was "imperative to reconcile contested sovereignties". Co-chair of the First Peoples Assembly Ngarra Murray described the official public record as an invaluable resource for all Victorians. "For the first time, our peoples have had our stories truly heard and valued through a process led by First Peoples, grounded in our culture and lore," she said. The recommendations will inform treaty talks between the state government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria with legislation expected to be introduced later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and a state-based voice to parliament. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A state government is under pressure to adopt a redress scheme for the post-colonisation pain and suffering of Aboriginal people The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday, handing down 100 recommendations across five volumes. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the findings, which also included an official public record of the state's history since colonisation. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Yoorrook, with royal commission powers, held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. The final report calls on the Victorian government to provide redress for injustice, which should take the form of restitution of traditional land, monetary compensation, tax relief or other financial benefits. Other recommendations include shifting prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health, and providing more funding to First Peoples-led health services to ensure they are sufficiently resourced, regardless of where they are located. It also calls on the government to establish independent funding streams, including the use of land, water and natural resource-related revenues to support Victoria's self-determination fund and other initiatives led by Aboriginal Victorians. The report supports the treaty processes currently under way, saying it was "imperative to reconcile contested sovereignties". Co-chair of the First Peoples Assembly Ngarra Murray described the official public record as an invaluable resource for all Victorians. "For the first time, our peoples have had our stories truly heard and valued through a process led by First Peoples, grounded in our culture and lore," she said. The recommendations will inform treaty talks between the state government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria with legislation expected to be introduced later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and a state-based voice to parliament. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A state government is under pressure to adopt a redress scheme for the post-colonisation pain and suffering of Aboriginal people The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday, handing down 100 recommendations across five volumes. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the findings, which also included an official public record of the state's history since colonisation. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Yoorrook, with royal commission powers, held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. The final report calls on the Victorian government to provide redress for injustice, which should take the form of restitution of traditional land, monetary compensation, tax relief or other financial benefits. Other recommendations include shifting prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health, and providing more funding to First Peoples-led health services to ensure they are sufficiently resourced, regardless of where they are located. It also calls on the government to establish independent funding streams, including the use of land, water and natural resource-related revenues to support Victoria's self-determination fund and other initiatives led by Aboriginal Victorians. The report supports the treaty processes currently under way, saying it was "imperative to reconcile contested sovereignties". Co-chair of the First Peoples Assembly Ngarra Murray described the official public record as an invaluable resource for all Victorians. "For the first time, our peoples have had our stories truly heard and valued through a process led by First Peoples, grounded in our culture and lore," she said. The recommendations will inform treaty talks between the state government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria with legislation expected to be introduced later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and a state-based voice to parliament. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A state government is under pressure to adopt a redress scheme for the post-colonisation pain and suffering of Aboriginal people The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday, handing down 100 recommendations across five volumes. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the findings, which also included an official public record of the state's history since colonisation. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Yoorrook, with royal commission powers, held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. The final report calls on the Victorian government to provide redress for injustice, which should take the form of restitution of traditional land, monetary compensation, tax relief or other financial benefits. Other recommendations include shifting prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health, and providing more funding to First Peoples-led health services to ensure they are sufficiently resourced, regardless of where they are located. It also calls on the government to establish independent funding streams, including the use of land, water and natural resource-related revenues to support Victoria's self-determination fund and other initiatives led by Aboriginal Victorians. The report supports the treaty processes currently under way, saying it was "imperative to reconcile contested sovereignties". Co-chair of the First Peoples Assembly Ngarra Murray described the official public record as an invaluable resource for all Victorians. "For the first time, our peoples have had our stories truly heard and valued through a process led by First Peoples, grounded in our culture and lore," she said. The recommendations will inform treaty talks between the state government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria with legislation expected to be introduced later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and a state-based voice to parliament. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
Perth Now
a day ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Leaders weigh up landmark Yoorrook truth-telling report
A state government is under pressure to adopt a redress scheme for the post-colonisation pain and suffering of Aboriginal people The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday, handing down 100 recommendations across five volumes. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the findings, which also included an official public record of the state's history since colonisation. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Yoorrook, with royal commission powers, held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. The final report calls on the Victorian government to provide redress for injustice, which should take the form of restitution of traditional land, monetary compensation, tax relief or other financial benefits. Other recommendations include shifting prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health, and providing more funding to First Peoples-led health services to ensure they are sufficiently resourced, regardless of where they are located. It also calls on the government to establish independent funding streams, including the use of land, water and natural resource-related revenues to support Victoria's self-determination fund and other initiatives led by Aboriginal Victorians. The report supports the treaty processes currently under way, saying it was "imperative to reconcile contested sovereignties". Co-chair of the First Peoples Assembly Ngarra Murray described the official public record as an invaluable resource for all Victorians. "For the first time, our peoples have had our stories truly heard and valued through a process led by First Peoples, grounded in our culture and lore," she said. The recommendations will inform treaty talks between the state government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria with legislation expected to be introduced later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and a state-based voice to parliament. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Harvey Coyne is facing triple-heart bypass surgery. His social housing provider wants to evict him
Sitting on his hospital bed, his voice scratchy and strained, Harvey Coyne gives a bleak insight into what will happen if he's evicted from community housing in Perth. 'Without it, I'm pretty well buggered,' Coyne says. The Noongar elder, 66, is suffering from serious ill health. He has severe heart disease, requiring a pending triple bypass surgery, and this week had another heart attack, which left him hospitalised in Perth's Fiona Stanley hospital. Coyne has emphysema, hypertension and is blind in one eye. Earlier this year, he suffered a fall that left him with a broken hip. He was taken from his family as part of the Stolen Generations, leaving him with complex trauma. Coyne has been forced to fight another battle, too. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The provider of his community housing unit in Kenwick, on the south-eastern fringes of Perth, is trying to kick him out. The organisation, Housing Choices Australia, has used a no-fault eviction – something that Western Australia, unlike most other states, still deems lawful – to remove him. Coyne and his advocates say the decision to evict him will force him into homelessness, returning him to the rough sleeping that he endured before moving into the Housing Choices Australia property in 2021. Court documents allege the termination notice was sent while Coyne was both hospitalised and grieving for his nephew, who died while living with him. The documents allege he was subjected to 10 inspections in a single year. Each raised new issues that Coyne said he 'struggled to address … due to my age and health'. The case has led to an intervention by leading health researcher Emeritus Prof Fiona Stanley, a former Australian of the Year and namesake of the hospital where Coyne was being treated this week. Stanley earlier this year wrote to Housing Choices Australia expressing her 'grave' concerns about its treatment of Coyne – particularly given his pending triple-bypass. 'This is an extremely serious operation with a number of risks for Mr Coyne. It is imperative that he has stable and secure accommodation in which to prepare for this procedure and then to recover and rehabilitate afterwards,' Stanley wrote in March. 'Mr Coyne's condition is life-threatening, and it is inconceivable to me that he should face homelessness at this time.' Coyne is now fighting his eviction in the Perth magistrates court, which is due to deliver judgment next week. Housing Choices Australia said it was unable to comment on Coyne's case specifically due to ongoing legal proceedings and privacy concerns. 'Housing Choices Australia is committed to providing safe, secure, and appropriate housing for all our residents and supporting them to sustain their tenancies,' the chief executive officer, David Fisher, said. 'As a not-for-profit community housing provider, we operate under the same standards and regulatory requirements as government housing agencies, and we take that responsibility seriously.' It previously told advocates it was working with the state government to find a 'sustainable housing solution that considers both his immediate and longer-term needs'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Court documents suggest it had previously raised concerns about noise, visitation and the cleanliness of the property, all of which Coyne disputes. Academics and Coyne's housing advocate, Jesse Noakes, say his case is symptomatic of a broader issue. Coyne's home would once have been part of the public housing system. Now, the state government has shifted it to community housing under the management of Housing Choices Australia. Experts say state and federal governments are increasingly relying on organisations like Housing Choices Australia to house low-income and vulnerable citizens. The trend is leading to unnecessary evictions and the erosion of tenant rights, they say. In a briefing paper on Coyne's case, David Kelly, a human geographer with RMIT's Centre for Urban Research, said community housing units had increased by 61.4% in the past decade, helped in part by heavy government subsidies. The stock of public housing units had declined by 7.4% over the same period. Kelly said the shift had 'redefined both the nature of the tenancy and the rights attached to it'. 'Tenants like Harvey, had they remained in public housing, would have been afforded stronger on-paper protections against eviction, and subjected to fewer behavioural interventions disguised as support,' he said. 'These homes have been steadily moved into the portfolios of community housing organisations (CHOs), who operate under different regulatory frameworks and priorities.' Housing Choices Australia receives public funding. Records filed with the ACNC suggest about half of its yearly revenue, or roughly $33m, comes from government funding. It also manages a huge number of dwellings. As of mid-2024, records show it owned 3,099 units and managed a further 4,395 units of housing. Its total assets are worth $1.2bn, according to its latest financial reports. The not-for-profit publicly states that its vision is for 'all people in Australia to have a safe, affordable home and the opportunity to thrive'. WA Greens MLC Tim Clifford said Coyne's case illustrated the dangers of outsourcing public housing. He said it was 'unconscionable' that he should face eviction, given his ill health. 'It is clear from Mr Coyne's case that the choice to outsource public housing to big NGOs means that there is less transparency, less accountability and less access to justice for renters,' Clifford said. Fisher said Housing Choices Australia strongly believed that community housing -operated social housing was an important part of the solution to the 'growing housing crisis in our country'.
Courier-Mail
22-06-2025
- Courier-Mail
I spent 48 hours in the Yukon, this is the ultimate 2 day itinerary
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. Whitehorse, the capital of the Canadian territory of Yukon, is famous for its nightlife. But forget clubs and bars; up here – at the gateway to the subarctic – Mother Nature is in charge of the after-dark entertainment. Travellers flock to this tiny northern outpost, population about 30,000, to glimpse the aurora borealis (aka Northern Lights). But if you can keep your eyes open in daylight hours, this snow-blanketed frontier town on the banks of the mighty Yukon River has much to explore, including a fascinating melting pot of natural history, First Nations culture and pioneering tales, as well as wildlife, hot springs and even ice fishing. DAY 1: Morning Step off the plane and go back in time 2.5 million years. Next to the airport, at the end of a short forest trail, is the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. This prehistoric time capsule is a window into the last ice age when Canada was covered in 1km-thick ice and a land bridge existed between Siberia and North America, providing passage for megafauna such as the woolly mammoth. See their fossils up close, together with a 55,000-year-old mummified wolf. Arriving in Whitehorse, you'll be surprised how navigable this compact little city is on foot. Start on the banks of the Yukon River at the Healing Totem, a tribute to Whitehorse's version of the Stolen Generations. Here, in the Traditional Territories of Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta'an Kwäch'än Council, you can gaze across North America's third-longest river as mist rises from its frozen fringes. Visit the nearby MacBride Museum, adjoining the 1898 telegraph station, and learn about the history of the Yukon, from First Nation's occupation 14,000 years ago to the fur traders and gold prospectors who put Whitehorse on the map as a stopover en route to the Klondike goldfields downstream. Take the river trail north to Shipyards Park, a dry dock during the gold rush where you can ice skate in winter. At the southern end of the trail, see the SS Klondike, one of Canada's last remaining steam-powered paddlewheelers. Downtown Whitehorse is conveniently walkable. Afternoon Drop in for lunch at Burnt Toast Cafe in 2nd Ave, a block back from the river. Housed in one of the city's original buildings, this all-day diner serves a mean brunch, pimped-up sandwiches (the Hot Italian, for instance, includes prosciutto, spicy capicola and pesto) and lashings of Canada's national dish, poutine – fries with cheese curds and gravy. Check in to Best Western Gold Rush Inn in Main Street. You know you're in the Yukon when there's an enormous moose head in the lobby. The adjoining Gold Pan Saloon, with its pressed-metal ceiling and candelabra chandeliers, is an atmospheric spot for a drink. Pop in to Lumel Studios, the hottest destination in Whitehorse – quite literally. The family-owned glass-blowing studio enables visitors to make their own Yukon souvenir. Choose a design and colours and the staff will help you ease a molten orb at the end of a blowpipe in and out of the furnace, burning at more than 1000°C. Take a seat at the on-site eatery, Gather Café and Taphouse, and enjoy a Mexican-inspired feast of tacos and cocktails. Glass blowing workshop at Lumel Studios. Picture: Andrew Strain Evening It's showtime! Join Northern Tales for a guided aurora viewing. The team will pick you up from the hotel at 10pm and take you to a remote site with a clear view of the night sky, free from light pollution. Cast your eyes skyward as a witch's brew of green light pulses and streaks across the heavens. When the cold seeps into your bones, warm up by the campfire or in one of the toasty log cabins where a midnight feast of snacks awaits. Aurora spotting is the major attraction in Whitehorse. DAY 2: Morning Sleep in and grab breakfast on the run at Baked, a bustling café that does an excellent bacon breakfast croissant to go. While you eat your pastry morsel, make your way to the Old Log Church in Elliott St. Resembling a set from Little House on the Prairie, the quaint church is across the road from a mural depicting old-town Whitehorse. Don't miss the quirky three-storey 'Log Skyscraper' in nearby Lambert Street. Drive out to Yukon Wildlife Preserve, a 140ha sanctuary about half an hour north of Whitehorse. Take the 5km trail around the preserve, home to 12 species of animals including moose, elk, bison, caribou, Arctic foxes and two very shy Canada lynx (you can also opt for a hop-on-hop-off bus tour). Far from a zoo, the preserve is in a natural setting with large enclosures and is your best chance to see local wildlife up close. Wander to the Old Log Church Museum in Whitehorse. Afternoon Warm up across the road from the preserve at Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs, an outdoor bathing complex with steam rooms, a relaxation room and saunas . If it's cold enough (-20C°) you can even enter the frozen hair competition – it's a thing! Dry off and grab a bite to eat back in Whitehorse at Bullet Hole Bagels, a scrumptious bakery serving Montreal-style sangas with your choice of bread and filling. Rug up once more for an epic ice-fishing expedition with North Country Outdoor Adventures. An afternoon with owner Kyle Callbeck starts with a pick-up in his Ford F 150, ahem, pick-up truck. Soon you're zipping through a spruce tree forest in a sled behind a skimobile and sweeping across a frozen lake. Once in position, Kyle drills a 20cm hole through the ice, pops up a tent, fires up the heater and – hey, presto – you dangle a fishing line into the icy water below. Success! Ice fishing with Kyle from North County Outdoor Adventures. Picture: Justin Kennedy Evening Join Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip for dinner at the Woodcutter's Blanket. The royals' portraits adorn the walls beside a pair of caribou antlers at this cosy restaurant-brewery in a 1930s log cabin. If you didn't manage to catch a fish dinner, fear not, the bison Bolognese here is the bomb. Do not retire just yet. You're in the Yukon and sleep is for suckers. Every night is another chance to glimpse the northern lights. The Northern Lights over McIntyre Creek near Whitehorse. Picture: Peter Mather The writer was a guest of Travel Yukon and Destination Canada. How to get to Whitehorse, Canada from Australia Air Canada flies direct to Vancouver from Sydney and Brisbane with connections to Whitehorse in the Yukon. Originally published as I spent 48 hours in the Yukon, this is the ultimate 2 day itinerary
ABC News
18-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Fears for Stolen Generations records as Broome heritage centre closes
Families in Western Australia's north fear they could lose access to the only known records of relatives as the Sisters of St John of God Heritage Centre Broome prepares to close. WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following article contains information about people who have died. In May the Sisters of St John of God (SSJG) announced it would shut the centre's doors in October as the congregation in Australia also winds up. Since 1995, the sisters and volunteers have worked to transform its Broome convent into a museum and archive. While the building is heritage-listed, it remains unclear what will happen to its award-winning exhibition or the thousands of historical photos and documents. Nyikina woman Phillipa Cook said the lack of assurance concerned her and many others. She said the centre contained the history of "just about every Aboriginal family" across the Kimberley — connections the Stolen Generations had threatened to erase. "There's a lot of photographs there that we hadn't seen before." Ms Cook said her grandmother and grandmother's sister were taken from Derby to the Beagle Bay Mission during the Stolen Generations in the early 1900s. "They never saw their mothers again until they were in their 40s," she said. The heritage centre contained photos of her grandmother, and even photos of herself, which allowed them to re-draw a family tree that was intentionally severed. Ms Cook said whenever people who had been fostered visited Broome they also went to the centre. "We bring them up here and we take them there to see the connection between the family," Ms Cook said. Ms Cook said the state government should step in to help keep the centre open. Monash University Indigenous research fellow and Jaru, Kitja and Yawuru woman, Jacinta Walsh, said church archives were not protected under the Commonwealth Archives Act. She said because they were privately owned they could technically be destroyed. "The laws don't protect us and that's a real concern Australia-wide," she said. Ms Walsh said many Aboriginal families lived with the reality their stolen history was privately held. "Many of the places Aboriginal children were taken to were run by church organisations," she said. Ms Walsh studied her family history as part of her PhD research. She was adopted as a child and grew up separated from her community and culture in Melbourne. The Broome centre holds some of the only archival photos of her grandmother, who was taken to Beagle Bay Mission. The heritage centre is yet to respond to the ABC's questions about plans for the preservation and continued access of its photos and archives. A government spokesperson did not rule out whether the state would purchase the historical documents or advocate for them to be made public, but said "future leasing opportunities" were a matter for the building owner, the church. "The state would need additional time to investigate and understand the options relating to storage of historical records and archives," the spokesperson said. For Ms Walsh, the materials held at the centre provided validation to heal from "trauma that runs through families". "When you find a document, that textual record is evidence of what my family went through," she said.
