JourneyOnline
What’s coming up
#Nakba70 – solidarity with Palestine
May 15 is when Palestinians and their supporters commemorate The Nakba (Arabic: The Catastrophe) where in 1948 up to 800,000 people were displaced and many were killed. This year marks 70 years of ongoing Nakba, with continued displacement in Jerusalem, imprisonment of Palestinians and the horrific blockade of Gaza forefront. There will be two events in Brisbane: 14 May, 6.30pm, Parliamentary Friends of Palestine, Commemoration of Al Nakba, QLD Parliament; and 15 May, 5.30pm, Nakba Commemoration, King George Square.
To join the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, click here. Sign up to receive events and news.
Understanding the asylum seeker experience in the current context
This QPASTT (Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma) workshop is for volunteers and people informally supporting asylum seekers. It will build understanding of the asylum seeker experience and the impact of torture, trauma, detention and ongoing uncertainty on individuals. The impact of current government policy will be discussed. Tips and strategies to deal with disclosures, how to support these people will be provided. There will also be discussion of identifying and addressing Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in yourself. Thursday 24 May. Details are here.
Churches and Reconciliation – a Webinar
Don’t miss this great opportunity! You’re invited to join a conversation on Wednesday evening May 30 hosted by TEAR Australia, between Adelaide West Uniting Church and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Congress Church. Together we will discuss how churches can begin – or continue – a journey towards reconciliation. Register here.
Week in review
‘Justice is served’: Palm Island
The Queensland Government has agreed to pay $30 million and deliver a formal apology to Palm Island residents to settle a landmark class action in the federal court.
Awarded to 447 claimants, the $30 million settlement includes interest, applicants’ legal costs, and administrative costs, and the delivery of an apology.
Lawyers say individual payments will range between $5,000 to $80,000, and will be administered over the next 6-12 months.
“Justice has served itself – not initially, but now it has, and we just need to accept and move forward,” Palm Island Aboriginal Council Mayor Alf Lacey told NITV News.
ABF ‘obstructed’ medical transfers from Nauru
The former commissioner of the Australian Border Force, Roman Quaedvlieg, has said on Twitter that medical transfers from Nauru were a “vexed” issue for the ABF, which has the ultimate authority to move people to care.
“A lot of [money] has been invested in upgrading medical services there but some cases are so acute they need specialists; but we also need to stop exploitation of this path.” He conceded that genuine medical transfers were “obstructed and thwarted” by the ABF.
Yemen’s children of war
In Yemen, a child dies every 10 minutes – six children an hour.
For three years Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, has been home to civil war, death and famine.
More than 10,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted between the country’s Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition. Both sides are accused of human rights atrocities and the indiscriminate killing of civilians.
Watch these three children – aged 8, 11 and 9 – as they report on the war zone they are living in.
Australian recyclers baulk at increasing capacity
Australia’s recycling system is on the brink of collapse. Around the country, recyclers are holding giant stockpiles of paper, cardboard and plastic collected from kerbsides, much of which is destined for landfill.
As RedFlag reports, the immediate cause of this was China’s decision to ban imports of 24 categories of solid waste and focus on improving its own recycling system.
Australia’s recyclers have baulked at increasing their own capacity. Instead of investing in infrastructure and jobs required to process and recycle material domestically, they’ve been happy to book the short-term profits from packaging the stuff and shipping it overseas.
Call to action
Use your freedom to support the freedom of others
The Federal Government is proposing to introduce Modern Slavery legislation this year. This will mean that the consumer power of Australia can be mobilised to help bring an end to modern slavery around the world. We need to make sure the new law is robust in setting new standards for companies to report on modern slavery in their supply chains.
STOP THE TRAFFIK is urging us all to please contact your Member and Senators to ask that this be strong legislation. Details of what to ask for are here: enter your postcode, then click on the envelope icon below the politician to find the options.
