ANTaR welcomes 2011

ANTaR has had a BIG start to 2011. In January we have been busy:

• pushing positive policy solutions in a range of government submissions,

• preparing to launch our 2011 campaign, and

• boosting our public presence.

Join us on Twitter and Facebook and subscribe to our Media Releases by emailing Jacqui@antar.org.au

2011 Campaigns

Constitutional Recognition

Presently, the Australian Constitution is silent on the history, status and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It also contains a number of racially discriminatory provisions.

In 2011 ANTaR will be seeking to rectify this situation through our campaign for constitutional recognition of the specific status and rights of Indigenous peoples and the removal of all racially discriminatory provisions.

The proposed 2013 national referendum on constitutional reform presents an historic opportunity to recognise the unique place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our nation's history.

Reducing Indigenous Incarceration

An Indigenous young person is 28 times more likely to be imprisoned than a non-indigenous young person. The over-imprisonment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people links directly to reduced opportunities in employment, health and education amongst families and in communities.

In 2011, ANTaR will be launching a major new campaign encouraging governments to strengthen Aboriginal communities, rather than condemning so many Aboriginal people to prison.

So far this year, ANTaR has provided a submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs inquiry into the high level of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system.

The submission details some of the key principles which should be followed to reduce the involvement of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the criminal justice system and advocates for the development of a justice reinvestment approach.

Watch this space.

Close the Gap

2011 marks the five-year Anniversary of the launch of the Close the Gap campaign.

Progress to date shows how essential it is for governments to sustain investment towards achieving these goals.

ANTaR has welcomed the Prime Minister's ongoing commitment to stay the course to close the gap in Indigenous life expectancy, expressed at the annual Close the Gap address on Wednesday 9th February.

We have also welcomed the commitment by Ministers Roxon and Snowdon to develop a national plan of action to close the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.

More than 140,000 people have pledged their support for the Close the Gap campaign. These Australians, and many of you, will be watching to ensure the Government continues to meet its ambitious but achievable targets as the campaign enters its sixth year.

Policy and Advocacy

Submission to Indigenous Economic Development Strategy
Governments of all persuasions have a miserable record of converting strategies for economic development into effective action on the ground.

ANTaR provided a submission in response to the Commonwealth Government's draft Indigenous Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan to "increase the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians by supporting greater economicAustralia's only Aboriginal-owned banking institution, the Traditional Credit Union, supports Indigenous economic development in the Northern Territory.
participation and self-reliance".

Read the full submission

ANTaR Budget submission

ANTaR decided it was important to take advantage of the Federal Treasurer's pre-Budget consultation process to highlight the need for greater investment to address the unmet needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.

Read the full [submission](/sites/default/file /Submission%20to%20Federal%20Budget%202011-12%20FINAL.pdf)

ANTaR submission on Indigenous youth and juvenile imprisonment
ANTaR made a submission to the Inquiry by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs into the High Level of Involvement of Indigenous Juveniles and Young Adults in the Criminal Justice System.

Support ANTaR

ANTaR is committed to informed, evidence-based and principled advocacy on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

However, we rely on the support of individual donors to enable us to contribute to key national debates on questions of justice, rights and addressing disadvantage.

Please consider supporting our work by donating at: http://www.antar.org.au/donate

News

Pete Postlethwaite OBE and Liyarn Ngarn

The year started with the sad news that British actor Pete Postlethwaite had died of cancer. Pete will always be remembered by ANTaR for his wonderful work in participating in the powerful documentary Liyarn Ngarn, , along with Archie Roach and Pat Dodson.

We issued a media release paying tribute to Pete's commitment to reconciliation, not just in participating in the film but speaking about the importance of being aware of the truths it raised.

ANTaR is the sole public distributor of the DVD of this film, and we are maintaining our pre-Christmas half-price cost of $15 for the next month. All sales proceeds go to the Lingiari Foundation. If you haven't seen this moving and important film, please take the chance to get yourself a copy.

New faces

We've had some new people join us in the National Office. Andrew Bartlett is filling in for Kate Aubrey-Poiner in the National Campaigns Manager role while Kate is doing project work at the NSW Aboriginal Lands Council. We are also lucky to have a couple of interns - Corinne Roberts, who will be focusing on media and communications, and Sunita Bose, who will review some governance issues for ANTaR. We also welcome Can Yasmut who has recently started as the new NSW ANTaR Campaigns Manager and is based in the National Office in Sydney.