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neous © News™ Black Jail Day OF Day OF Black Jail MOourRNING Alarm January 26th saw the largest Aborigi- Aboriginals are 23 times more likely to nal rally since the beginning of white ; be jailed than non-Aboriginals accord- Australian history. An estimated | ing to the first national survey of Abo- 15,000 Aboriginals travelled from all | riginal imprisonment. Torres [si Anv$ over the country to attend the Sydney Other findings of the Institute of marches, culminatingin arally at Hyde | Criminology study show that; Park. *Aborigines account for 15% of prison The demonstrations were peaceful | intakes while making up only 1.3% of and well-directed. While the majority of | the population. Australians see the Bicentenary as a | * Four-fifths of Aboriginals jailed reason for self congratulation or an | committed minor offences and less than TORRES ST T excuse for a party, Aboriginals see this | 1% were guilty of drug offences. year asacrucial oneintheirstrugglefor | * Male Aboriginals in their twenties justice. have a 5% chance of being jailed; in IsLANDS TO *On Australia Day Burnam Burnam | Western Australia the figure is over 8%. kept his date with fate under the white | * Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania SECEDE? cliffs of dover, planting the Aboriginal | have failed to set up State offices for the Land Rights flag and claiming the Isle | investigating Royal Commission Four hundred members of the Coordi- | of Britain for the Aboriginal Crown.The | Queensland has refused outright. nating Council of the Torres Strait Is- | onlysournoteinhis trip was sounded by The Royal Commission into the lands voted unanimously tosecedefrom | editorial comments in the London Sun, | deaths of over 90 Aboriginals in custody the Commonwealth of Australia in | a Murdoch publication in which | began in late January. Aboriginals esti- January. The Federal Minister for | Aboriginals were described as “treach- | mate that more than 1,000,000 Aborigi- Aboriginal Affairs, Mr Gerry Hand, | erous and brutal” people adding: “Left | nal deaths have occurred as a direct flew to the Islands to discuss the deci- | alone, the Abos would have wiped them- | result of the European invasion. sion and Prime Minister Bob Hawke | selves out.” promised to address the grievances of the Islanders. The secession moves are not supported by the Prime Minister Paias Wingti of Papua New Guinea and have been described as a desperate call for help by Queensland NP Senator Ron Boswell. COMMUNITIES THREAT FROM MALAYSIA Alarm MOURNING TORRES STRAIT ARRESTS Multiple Occupancies - known to some | According to Mr Phillip Ruthven of IBIS as communities, kibbutzes or com- | Corporate Services, many family farms GREENIES munes - have been legalised across | can’t compete in an “increasingly com- | Malaysian authorities have extended shire boundaries throughout NSW, | petitive international and corporate | their arrests of politicians and social ac- opening private property to hamlet | world.” His prediction is that 34,000- | tivists to include environmentalists op- development. 42,000 farmers will lose or quit their | posed to logging. Nine environmental- Development applications will have | land over the next five years leading to | ists were arrested without charges, to be submitted to the State Govern- | “amassiveandlongoverduesurrender- | including three in Sarawak on Borneo ment and local building regulations will | ing of land ownership” to the corporate | island where Penan tribesmen are hold- still apply. Copies of the legislation are | sector. ing offloggers with blowdarts, bows and unavailable as we goto press; next issue Perhaps “surrendering” is a euphe- | arrows and blockades. NEXUS willmakeanin-depthreporton | mism for driving farmers off their own Paramilitary police also arrested 40 this and othernew developmentsaffect- | land; Australian farmers are still | Penan tribesmen, including the leader ing all those on the land. among the most efficient in the world. |! of the Penan (see last issue). SS ull ISLANDS TO SECEDE? COMMUNITIES DECRIMINALISED MONOCULTURE GREENIES 8 NEXUS New Times Four - Autumn 1988