SA government to tackle racism against Aborigines

As Australia celebrates National Reconciliation Week this week the SA government has decided to address the issue of racism towards Aboriginal people.

Recognising that Aboriginal communities still encounter racism and prejudice regularly, SA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Grace Portolesi has asked the SA Aboriginal Advisory Council to develop strategies to deal with this ongoing problem.

Jess Wingard spoke to the South Australian Commissioner for Aboriginal Engagement, Klynton Wanganeen about tackling this complex and long-term issue and why racism is still a problem.

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Family First calls for GST Rebate

Family First MLC Robert Brokenshire has written to Treasurer Jack Snelling calling upon his first Budget to include a 12 month 30% GST rebate scheme.

 This would effectively reduce GST to 7% on new home purchases.

Jess Wingard spoke to Family First MLC, Robert Brokenshire about this new proposal.

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In Focus – Murray Darling Basin Plan

This week on In-Focus, we are looking at the Murray Darling Basin plan and how various interest groups are preparing for the plans release.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is working on the draft to the Basin Plan which is expected to be released to the public at the end of June.

There will then be a sixteen week public consultation period, following which the Murray Darling Basin Authority will present the Plan to Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke.

Jess Wingard spoke to Ngarrindjeri  Elder, Matt Rigney about what he hopes to be in the Murray Darling Basin plan.

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For additional information on the issue you can head to the Australian Conservation Foundation website: www.acfonline.org.au/murrayaction or the Murray Darling Basin Authority website : www.mdba.gov.au/basin_plan

Cutting the cord on SA Parent Helpline

Parents across South Australia are outraged following the state government’s decision to make cutbacks to the SA Parent Helpline.

Parents opposing these changes have decided to take action by a joining Facebook group ‘We Need Parent Helpline’. 

 A rally to support the helpline will be held outside SA Health Minister John Hill’s office in Hindmarsh Square on Wednesday from 11am.

 Creator of the ‘We Need Parent Helpline’ Facebook group and organiser of the rally, Tom Meschede spoke to Jess Wingard this morning.

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Proposed Country Speed Limit Review

The Road Safety Advisory Council has just released a draft plan to improve country roads, as well as reviewing roads with a 110 km speed limit. 

The proposal to drop speed limits on country roads has angered some country drivers.

 Jess Wingard spoke to Mayor of the Kingston District Council, Evan Flint to discuss the Advisory Council’s plan.

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Kerri Pottharst: Being An Athlete

Kerri Pottharst is without a doubt one of Australia’s most popular female sporting heroes – a decorated volleyball player, having represented Australia for a staggering twenty-four years. Kerri’s vision is to inspire and motivate, and through her new book “The Business of Being an Athlete”, she does just that. Jess Wingard spoke to Kerri and asked her what winning the Gold Medal was like.

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Agent Orange: Interview With Eva To

In April 1975 the war in Vietnam officially ended when the last U.S. troops left Saigon. However, the United States’ saturation chemical bombing during that war is still wreaking havoc on the lives of at least 3 million people in Vietnam – including the newly born, making them third generation victims. For years the Vietnamese have been pursuing the US government through diplomatic channels to get them to accept responsibility for the health and environmental consequences left by its application of Agent Orange in their country, with little success. Now a newly formed organization, “Agent Orange Justice – Australia Vietnam Solidarity Network” has been established as the Australian section of the international campaign in another attempt to hold the United States government responsible for the disaster it created as a result of 10 years spraying Agent Orange between 1961 and 1971. To tell us more Jess Wingard spoke to Agent Orange Spokesperson, Eva To.

Agent Orange Justice

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In Focus: The Murray-Darling Basin – Anne Harnett

This week on In-Focus, we will be looking at the Murray Darling Basin plan and explore how various interest groups are getting ready for the plan. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is currently developing the draft of the Basin Plan, expected to be released for public comment in the last week of June, followed by a sixteen week public consultation period, after which the Murray Darling Basin Authority will finalise and deliver the Plan to Environment Minister Tony Burke. Anne Harnett, a beef cattle grower from Point Sturt, joins us this morning and Jess Wingard asked her what she hoped the plan would achieve.

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For additional information on the issue you can head to the Australian Conservation Foundation website: www.acfonline.org.au/murrayaction or the Murray Darling Basin Authority website : www.mdba.gov.au/basin_plan

Reconciliation Week: Leah Armstrong CEO Reconciliation Australia

This week marks National Reconciliation Week – framed by two significant dates, May 27, the anniversary of the 1967 referendum which saw aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people recognized in the census for the first time, and June 3, the date the Australian High Court delivered the native title Mabo decision in 1992.  The week signifies the importance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have had on our past and the influence they will have on the direction Australia takes in the future. Australia’s constitution defines us as a nation, but a lot has changed since it was first drafted in the late 1890s.  While aboriginal people were recognized in the document until the late 1960s as not being worthy of being counted in the federal census, but eligible to fight for our country in times of war, there remains currently no formal recognition of the country’s indigenous people in our founding document.  To talk to us about the proposal for constitutional reform and to have aboriginal people recognized in the document, Jess Wingard spoke to the CEO of Reconciliation Australia, Leah Armstrong.

Reconciliation Australia

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Fair Go Fairfax: Interview With Jonathan Este

The management of Fairfax newspapers – publishers of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age – are facing increasing criticism for their decision to cut costs  by slashing the number of journalists and outsourcing the Sub-Editing on their newspapers. Journalists, faithful readers, and a number of high profile supporters have joined a chorus of protest.  They say the quality of the newspapers and the journalism is under threat, and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance have set up the “Fair Go Fairfax” campaign. Jonathan Este is a former journalist with The Australian and current Director of Communication with the Media Alliance, and Jess Wingard asked him why newspapers were so important.

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