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Amnesty School Action Packs support your school action group to campaign effectively with current campaign actions and tips on how best to organise yourselves to make an impact.
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SCHOOL ACTION PACKOCTOBER 2012
No to offshore processing!
Pen power
No place like homelandsAmnesty International Australia | www.amnesty.org.au
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012
IMPORTANTPlease visit the w
ebsite
for the latest on our
campaigns as
circumstances can
change quickly!!
www.amnesty.org
.au
ContentsSECTION 01 01.1 What a year!
01.2 Meet your SNOTS!01.3 Amnesty after school
SECTION 02 CAMPAIGNS02.1 Offshore processing? Not in our name!02.2 Pen power!02.3 No place like homelands
Action
Ask for answers about Nauru; dispel the refugee myths
Take part in the letter writing marathon
Support equitable funding for homelands
Target
Your local MP; friends and family
various
Peter Garrett, National Minister for Youth
CAMPAIGN ACTIONS: AT A GLANCE
Cover: Activists outside the Shelloffices with a petition containing morethan 300,000 signatures from aroundthe world, The Hague, Netherlands, 4 July 2012. The petition called onShell to clean up the Niger Delta. © Jorn van Eck/AI
Amnesty International is part of the global movement defending human rights and dignity. We work with people in Australiaand our region to demand respect for human rights and protect people facing abuse. We campaign, conduct research andraise money for our work. Our active members, such as school action groups, play a vital role in achieving our aims throughwriting letters, sending online actions, organising creative awareness-raising activities and fundraising in their communities.
Amnesty International acknowledges the traditional owner of the land on which our offices are situated. We thank the elders past and present for their continued custodianship.This always has been and always will be Aboriginal land.
Campaign
Refugees
Individuals at risk
Homelands
UPDA
TES AN
D NE
WS
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 01.1
What a yearHELLOWelcome to the final school action pack for 2012! Can you believe it isnearly summer holidays already?
It has been a massive year and a huge thank you goes to everyone whomanaged to cram human rights campaigning into their busy lives – everyaction makes a difference.
Here’s a rundown on your human rights work this year:
REFUGEESYou held events for World RefugeeWeek in June, organised welcomeparties for refugees and sent self-portraits and messages toImmigration Minister Chris Bowen.
We also partnered again with SBS to produce a Go Back to Where YouCame From educational resource. If you are a teacher, please [email protected] for a copy. If you are a student, let your teacherknow about it.
CRISISYou took action to stop thebloodshed in Syria, added yourthumbprint to vote for Egyptianwomen’s rights and helped usrespond to crisis situations in theMiddle East and North Africa.
INDIVIDUALS AT RISKOn top of all that, you wrote lettersfor prisoners of conscience acrossthe globe, including those in NorthKorean prison camps and forAbdelrazig Daoud Abdessed andIbrahim Shareef Youssif, two childoffenders in Sudan.
ARMS TRADETREATYYou worked with our globalmovement to champion a strongArms Trade Treaty. Events,assemblies and banana action cardsfrom students contributed to over500,000 signatures globally. Thenegotiations are still continuing –we are just inches away from anArms Trade Treaty.
Flowers for Syria. © St Stephen’sSchool, Tapping WA
Bananas for an ATT. © Sunshine Coast Grammar Cheltenham Girls’ Concord Project.
© Cheltenham Girls School
Write for rights actions. © Sydney Distance Education
Voting for Egyptian women’s rights, Harvestmusic festivals, Brisbane and Melbourne. © AI
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 01.1
YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE FROM YOUThis year our action group at Scotch College Victoria has increasedin both size and passion. Some of the issues we have explored arethe rights of asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, theinternational arms trade, the pro-democracy movement in Burmaand the Syrian uprising.
This year’s program has been a springboard to understanding ourpotential role in resolving human rights issues.
Got something to say? Send us a line at [email protected]
Scotch College students
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 01.2
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Meet Sarah Swann, the Amnesty International schools convenerin South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Sarah studies Law and Arts at Adelaide University. Like you, shefirst got involved with Amnesty International by joining her schoolaction group. She became a schools convener in 2012.
As a schools convener Sarah coordinates schools in her area andsupports students and teachers to campaign for human rights.
“Amnesty International’s work in raising awareness about humanrights abuses in our world is so important. With energy andenthusiasm, young people can be the leaders of today.
“My favorite part about running schools workshops is seeingstudents’ enthusiasm when we discuss how they can defend therights of others. Each group of students comes up with a new idea.”
Her words of advice? “Make sure you learn from other activists –they will inspire you to continue your work.”
Would you like one of our amazing SNOTs to come to your school?Email [email protected].
Meet your SNOTS!
The Schools Network Outreach Team (SNOTs)
work with school action groups to help
you campaign.
Sarah Swann
SouthAustralia
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 01.3
If you are going on to university or higher education, many unicampuses have an Amnesty International action group to join. If your campus doesn’t, we can help you start your own! Email [email protected] for details.
Not going on to uni? Visit or call your local action centre, or [email protected] for a range of ways to campaign, volunteer, getcreative, meet like-minded young people and have fun for human rights.
ACT
Lower Ground Floor33–35 Ainslie PlaceCanberra City ACT 2600
(02) 6202 7500
NEW SOUTH WALES
Level 1, 79 Myrtle StreetChippendale NSW 2008
(02) 8396 7670
QUEENSLAND
Level 1, 354 Brunswick StreetFortitude Valley Qld 4006
(07) 3136 6400
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
14 Grote StreetAdelaide SA 5000
(08) 8110 8100
TASMANIA
Level 1, 130 MacquarieStreetHobart TAS 7004
(03) 6221 1000
VICTORIA
Suite 8, 134 Cambridge StreetCollingwood VIC 3066
(03) 9412 0700
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Suite 70, City West Centre,Plaistowe Mews West Perth 6005
(08) 9476 4800
Amnesty after school
Are you leaving school this year? Never fear – you can still be a human rights defender.
CAMPAIGNS : INFORMATION AND ACTION
On 15 August our politicians voted to remove the right to asylum in Australiafor those who arrive by boat. From now on, they will be sent to offshoreprocessing centres in places like Nauru, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition leader Tony Abbott claim thiswill “save lives”, but we know better. The former Howard Government’s‘Pacific Solution’ was condemned and dismantled for a reason. It destroyedthe mental health of some of the world’s most vulnerable people; leading toself-harm and suicide. It was estimated to cost taxpayers over $1 billion. It broke international law. And it even failed to “stop the boats”.
Refugee campaign coordinator Alex Pagliaro analyses the refugee andasylum seeker legislation passed rapidly through parliament just weeks ago.
Offshore processing? Not in our name!
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 02.1
There is no way to dress
it up – warehousing
desperate refugees
on tiny, impoverished
islands while their
sanity deteriorates
is unacceptable.
“
ACT NOW>>Write to your local MP and ask questions aboutNauru and what will occur.
You can find the details of your local MP by goingto http://apps.aec.gov.au/esearch/
Your MP is elected to represent you. By taking thetime to write a letter to them, they will know thatyou care about this issue and will take yourconcerns to parliamentary discussions.
Introduce yourself as a student from your MP’selectorate. Remember to be polite.
Here are a few questions you could ask:
• What will happen to children sent to Nauru –especially those with no one to look after them?
• How long will people languish on Nauru, giventhat we know long-term detention can causesevere psychological trauma?
• Will independent organisations be able to visitand monitor what is happening on the islands?
Send us a copy of your letter and any response youreceive so we can keep a record.
If you need help email [email protected].
Got more time?Talk to your family and friends about the refugeemyths and facts.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 02.1
THE BAD
Changing the Migration Act to allowoffshore processingThe government is removing thepart in the Migration Act that statesAustralia shouldn’t remove anasylum seeker to a place where theywill not be protected. Such a moveallows parliament to send Australia’sasylum seekers to any country theydecide is safe, which could besomewhere their human rights willnot necessarily be protected.
Nauru and Manus Island to bereopened as soon as possibleWe tried this already and it had awfulconsequences. It destroyed themental health of hundreds of alreadyvulnerable people. It cost millions –maybe even billions. It brokeinternational law. It was basically a complete internationalembarrassment.
The Malaysia DealTried and failed too.
Malaysia already has over 100,000refugees and asylum seekers of itsown. It does not need or want ours.The refugees in Malaysia have nolegal rights; they are often beaten,exploited, raped and detained inhorrific conditions.
Instead of sending Australia’s smallhandful of asylum seekers there,why don’t we help make life betterfor refugees in Malaysia so they donot get on boats in the first place?
‘No advantage principle’This basically means that if you geton a boat to Australia, you will notbe allowed access to any of the legalprotections Australia is obligated toguarantee under international law.Instead, you will be processed asthough you were seeking asylum, say,in Bangladesh. Processing times willbe on par with the rest of the region– which could mean decades!
THE UGLY
Removing Australia from Australia’sMigration ZoneThis means the government will passa law stating that anyone who arrivesanywhere in Australian territorywithout a visa no longer has anyability to claim protection fromAustralia. It is a legal loopholeallowing the government to sidestepthe Refugee Convention.
Turning back the boatsTurning back boats doesn’t justviolate human rights, it putseveryone’s life at risk – asylumseekers, crew and Navy personnel.
Seeking asylum is the only hope formore than 99 per cent of theworld’s refugees.
Introducing laws that disallowrefugees to claim protection inAustralia seriously violates thehuman right to asylum.
THE GOOD
Increasing our annual humanitarianprogram intake to 20,000It is about time Australia does this!What is even better is the suggestionthat our refugee intake increasesfurther to 27,000 by 2018. Nowthat is Australia pulling its weight.
Increasing resettlement amongtraditional and emerging countriesThis is a step closer to a genuineregional solution for refugees.While increasing Australia’sresettlement numbers is helpful,there are more than 10 millionrefugees in the world – and800,000 of them desperately need resettlement.
Having Australia use diplomaticchannels to encourage othernations to pull their resettlementweight is crucial for a faireroutcome for refugees.
De-linking the onshore and offshorehumanitarian programsAmnesty International has beenasking for this for a number ofyears. Linking the numbers ofrefugees who are resettled fromoutside humanitarian programs(like people waiting in refugeecamps in Africa and other countries)with the number of refugees whoseek asylum in Australia directly(boat and plane arrivals) isunnecessary and causes confusion.
FACTAsylum seekersarriving by boatmake up less than 2 per cent ofAustralia’s annualimmigration.
FACTIn 2011, only15,441 peoplesought asylum in Australia.
Australia 15,441
US 60,587
France 89,320
South Africa 160,904
FACTThe number ofrefugees who havearrived by boat, whohave been terrorists= 0.
FACTA refugee is someonewho has been forcedto flee their countrybecause ofpersecution, war or violence.
FACTAn asylum seeker issomeone seekingprotection whoseclaim for refugeestatus has not yetbeen assessed.
S.O.S.FACT
It is not illegal toseek asylum in
Australia, even ifarriving by boat.
1958 Migration Act
it isnot
illegal
FACTIn Australia there is1.1 refugee for every
1000 people.
FACTAustralian Centrelinkbenefits for a refugeeor non-refugee singlemother = $611.90.Australian Centrelink
benefits for anasylum seeker = $0
$611.90
$0
RETHINK REFUGEES
Find out more and take action at www.amnesty.org.au
Over 90 per cent of asylum seekers who arrive in Australiaby boat are assessed to be refugees fleeing persecution.
Asylum seekers arrive in Australia by boat or plane and askfor protection. The government then processes their claimsand if they are found to be refugees they are granted a visa.
Every year, the number of asylum seekers who arrive by boatis tiny compared to our overall migration. At the rate of currentboat arrivals it would take over a decade to fill the MCG.
The right to seek asylum is recognised under Australianand international law.
All asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat must pass securitychecks before being granted protection. If a person is found tohave committed a serious crime they are not given refugee status.
Asylum seekers do not get Centrelink payments. Some, who aredestitute, are given an allowance. If given refugee status they
become Australian residents and receive the same as everyone else.
Australia receives a very small number of asylum seekersby international standards.
Over the years, Australia has helped to protect thousands of refugees from all over the world. However, this group of people still make up a very small portion of the Australian population.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Asylum seekers who arriveby boat are queue jumpers
There is no queue for refugee resettlement. For people who need protection, seekingasylum in another country is their only choice. Resettlement through the UN (“thequeue”) is only available for a very small group, and the resettlement program exists to work with the asylum system, not to replace it.
If all they want is protection, theycould stay in Indonesia/Malaysia
Most asylum seekers do stay in countries like Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia, butthese places do not protect asylum seekers or refugees and some are forced to fleefurther afield. Even then, most asylum seekers head for Europe and America, but a fewthousand do make their way to Australia because we have promised to protect refugees.
Asylum seekers are just aftera better job
Nearly all asylum seekers who arrive by boat are found to be refugees fleeingpersecution, war and violence. The definition of a refugee is internationally agreedand a low economic status is not grounds for being recognised as a refugee.
Asylum seekers come herebecause the government hastaken a soft approach
Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers remains very tough by international standards.Nearly all the boat arrivals in recent years have been people from Sri Lanka,Afghanistan and Burma – countries which are active war zones. Asylum seeker arrivalnumbers follow regional and global trends – no policy of ours is going to change thefact that people are fleeing for their lives.
If asylum seekers can afford to gethere, they don’t need protection
On average, it costs $5,000–20,000 to seek asylum in Australia. Many asylum seekers are not wealthy, but borrow money from relatives and/or sell land andpossessions to make the journey to safety.
Supporting asylum seekers meanssupporting people smuggling
People smugglers may be breaking the law, but asylum seekers are not. It is inhumaneand against the law to punish asylum seekers escaping war and terror in order to senda message to people smugglers. To stop people smuggling, we need to stop thereasons that people flee their countries – violence, terror and persecution.
Asylum seekers should get helpfrom the UN in their country
It is often very difficult, and even impossible, for asylum seekers to get help from theUN. Often they don’t even know the UN exists, or it is too dangerous to go to the citywhere the UN office is. Even if they are able to contact the UN and get UN refugeestatus, there is often very little the UN can do to help them find safety.
Asylum seekers destroy theiridentity documents to getrefugee status
When escaping oppressive governments or sudden violence, it is often impossible tobring a passport, or these documents are lost or stolen during the long journey tosafety. But governments can and should assess asylum claims and protect refugees,even without identity documents.
Asylum seekers who arriveby boat are illegal
It is legal to seek asylum in Australia, even if you arrive on a boat without a visa.Seeking asylum is a legal right guaranteed under Australian and international law. It is illegal for governments to punish asylum seekers for arriving by boat.
Anything is better than adangerous boat journey
People who get on boats often know the risks but feel they have no choice because of the terrible danger they face where they are. If we really want to ‘stop the boats’, we would make refugees’ lives safer in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, insteadof further punishing people who arrive on our shores fleeing terror and violence.
Find out more and take action at www.amnesty.org.au
MYTH FACT
A prisoner of conscience
is someone imprisoned
or persecuted because
of their race, religion,
political views or the
non-violent expression
of their conscientiously
held beliefs.
i
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 02.2CAMPAIGNS : INFORMATION AND ACTION
Fifty-one years ago, lawyer Peter Benenson wrote an open letter in a Londonnewspaper after he read about two students in Portugal imprisoned fordrinking a toast to liberty.
That single open letter sparked a worldwide movement – today, AmnestyInternational is a movement of more than 3 million people working togetherto achieve human rights.
This term you can follow in Peter Benenson’s footsteps by participating inour global letter writing marathon.
Read below about two cases you can write for. Email [email protected] you would like more cases.
Pen power!
ACT NOW>>GET CREATIVE
Send a short video message supporting the rightsof youth activists in Sudan. Your video can be up to90 seconds long, and should end with you sayingthe word “Girifna”. Please don’t mention politics inyour video.
Write to the Minister of the Interior Call for an end to the harassment, intimidation,arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and other ill-treatment of Girifna members.
Address to: Mr Ibrahim Mohamed HamedMinister of the Interior
Start your letter: Your Excellency
Email your video to [email protected] or mail your video and your letters to:
Youth Coordinator, Daniel ScaysbrookLocked Bag 23 Broadway NSW 2007
ImportantIf you are getting creative please ask your parent or guardian to sign the media consent form on thenext page and return it with your photo.
Safia Ishaag, 26, an art studentand activist with Girifna. © Private.
CASE ONE :: ‘WE’RE FED UP’ YOUTH MOVEMENT
Girifna, which translates as “we’re fed up”, is a Sudanese youth groupcalling for non-violent protest against the government to keep themaccountable for the rising cost of living and job cuts in Sudan.
Girifna is composed mainly of university students and started inOctober 2009. Since then, authorities have targeted its membersincluding arbitrarily arresting, detaining, torturing and sexuallyassaulting them. They have also had laptops and other itemsconfiscated from their homes. Several members have been forced toflee Sudan.
Most recently, Girifna was one of the organisations targeted by theSudanese authorities following the peaceful demonstrations that beganin June 2012. Despite this attempt to silence them, Girifna continue to distribute information and organise peaceful activities.
Rudwan Dawod andSafia Ishaag, Girifnaactivists © AI
ACT NOW>>GET CREATIVE
Take a photo of yourself holding a sign saying‘Clean up the Bodo oil spills’ and email it [email protected]. We will use it to show thecommunity that they have your support.
Remember to fill out the attached consent form(from your parents so we know we are allowed touse your photo.)
Write to President Goodluck Jonathan Ask him to monitor the pollution in Bodo and itseffects on the local community and ensure that aclean-up operation takes place. Ask him to ensurethat the affected communities are fullycompensated for their losses and that operatingpractices of oil companies in the Niger Delta arereviewed and overhauled to prevent pollution.
Address to: President Goodluck JonathanPresident of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Start your letter: Your Excellency
GOT MORE TIME?
To receive some different cases or a curriculumresource to support this work [email protected].
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 02.2
CASE TWO :: THE BODO COMMUNITY
For several hundred years, the people of Bodo in the Niger Delta, Africa,have made a living from fishing and farming. This serene way of lifesuddenly changed on 28 August 2008, when a breach in a Shell oilpipeline caused thousands of barrels of oil to spill into the local creek.The land and water around Bodo was soon polluted with oil. The spillcontinued until 7 November.
In December 2008, a second spill began, lasting for 10 weeks.Equipment failure caused both spills. The oil destroyed people’slivelihoods and devastated the environment. No proper clean-up hastaken place; the land and water remain polluted and unproductive.The damage done to fisheries and farming has resulted in food shortagesand rising food prices in Bodo. Many people have been pushed deeperinto poverty. Meanwhile the contaminated environment is putting theirhealth at risk.
The Universal Declaration of Human RightsArticle 19Everyone has the right to freedom of expression and opinion
Article 20Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
Article 25Everyone has the right to a decent life including enough food, clothing,housing, medical care and social services.
Residents of the Bodo community. © AI
MEDIA CONSENT FORMWhen sending photographs and videos to
Amnesty International, please copy this form
and use it to gain permission from each person
who appears in the photograph or video.
Please use a separate form for each person
appearing and please send the form/s in with
your photographs and videos.
Media consent formAt events, we sometimes take photographs, videos and otherwisecollect information from participants. We use this information toassist our promotional activities in Australia and internationally.
If you/your child have attended an event, your/their image mayhave been captured by one of our photographers. We may want touse those images in our campaign materials, both online and inhard copy. Before we can use your/your child’s image, or any otherinformation we have collected, we are required to obtain your consent.
This consent form authorises us to use your/your child’s personalinformation (including images) for promotional purposes.
USE OF THE IMAGE AND PERSONAL INFORMATION
Amnesty International Australia (AIA),, and from time to timeother Amnesty International Sections, will use your/your child’spersonal information for promotional activities (eg newsletters,magazines, websites, television advertisements, videos, generaladvertising, internal documents etc).
There may also be occasions when we release your/your child’spersonal information to third parties, such as:
• media (eg newspapers, television networks);
• contractors engaged by AIA (eg consultants, advisers, IT and internet service providers).
LICENCE
You grant us a non-exclusive, revocable, non-transferable androyalty-free licence to use your/your child’s image, personalinformation or other material for the purposes of promotionalactivities.
You acknowledge that:
• We or other third parties to whom we disclose the personalinformation are not liable to pay a fee, or in the case of mediaactivity, seek further approval for additional publication. Weare not responsible for any loss or damage, or any claims thatmight arise out of the use of images or other information.
• Any personal information (including images) may be editedwithout notice to you.
You also consent to us contacting you in the future to seekyour/your child’s participation in any media or marketing activity.
LIMITATION OF CONSENT
If you would not like your/your child’s personal information orimage associated with a particular campaign, or on a particularforum, please briefly note the situations or circumstances in whichyou would not approve the use of your/your child’s information:
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
WITHDRAWAL OF CONSENT
Your consent for us to use your/your child’s image or personalinformation can be modified or revoked at anytime. However, anychanges will only apply from the date we receive the consentwithdrawal. Any existing material will not be withdrawn from useby us (if we are using the material), or if we have entered intocontractual obligations in relation to that material. In such casesthe withdrawal will be effective after our use of the material. Insuch cases the withdrawal will be effective after our use of thematerial is complete and after our contractual obligations havecome to an end.
PRIVACY
If you have queries about our treatment of your/your child’spersonal information please review our privacy policy located athttp://www.amnesty.org.au/about/comments/22335/ or forward anemail to [email protected]
AUTHORITY TO USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
By signing this form you acknowledge:
• You are over 18 years of age.
• If relevant, you are the parent/guardian of the child to whichthis consent form relates.
• That you have read the statements above and agree that wecan use your/your child’s personal information for promotionalpurposes.
Name:____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Signature: ________________________________________________
Date: ____________________________________________________
For persons under the age of 18:
Child’s name: ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Child’s age: ______________________________________________
� You can identify this child by his or her first name as set out above.
� Please identify this child by first name ONLY.
� Please do not identify this child by name.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 02.3CAMPAIGNS : INFORMATION AND ACTION
Last year Amnesty International released a report in partnership withAboriginal communities in the Utopia homelands, Northern Territory. The report explored the unique relationship between the people of theUtopia homelands and their country and the tangible benefits for Aboriginalpeoples who remain on their homelands.
Without more adequate funding, Aboriginal peoples are faced with animplicit choice – remain on their homeland, where in some cases there areno basic services like housing, schools or doctors; or leave their homelandsand go to growth towns far away.
Amnesty International and our partners from the homelands have had somewins – the government has committed to funding homelands for basicservices like water, sanitation and garbage collection.
Despite this win, there is still a lot of work to be done.
No place like homelands
In order to enable
Aboriginal Peoples
to remain on their
traditional land, the
government needs
to include homelands
in all national plans
for housing, health
and education.
i
21-year-old Naronda William Loy,with her one year old daughterKarlishia Raggatt, speaks withAmnesty International SecretaryGeneral Salil Shetty, MosquitoBore, Utopia, 8 October 2011.She lives with no running water,toilet, shower and electricity. © AI/Chloe Geraghty
ACT NOW>>Peter Garrett is the national Minister for Youth, and is therefore obliged to represent your views.
Write him a letter asking him to support Aboriginalhomelands.
Here are some key points for your letter.
• It has been proven that Aboriginal People canlive better lives on the homelands.
• We don’t want any more mistakes withAboriginal policy.
• Aboriginal Peoples should not have to choosebetween remaining on their traditional land andhaving access to basic services.
• Homelands should be included in nationalplans for housing, health and education.
Ask Peter Garrett to personally commit to equitablefunding for homelands and to raise your concernsin Cabinet.
Send your letter to us and we will send it to PeterGarrett on your behalf:
Youth CoordinatorDaniel ScaysbrookLocked Bag 23Broadway NSW 2007
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK OCTOBER 2012 | SECTION 02.3
Elders George Club and Cowboy Loywalk with Amnesty International SecretaryGeneral Salil Shetty at Utopia, 8 October 2011. © AI/Chloe Geraghty
Njarli Kunoth-Monks, hermother Rosalie and 18-year-olddaughter Amelia, from ThreeBores at Utopia, 8 October2011. © AI/Chloe Geraghty
