The Media dispatched 6 March 2018

Buenos dias amigos,

The Northern Territory has a moratorium on ‘fracking’ in place. The ‘growth and development apparatchiks’ will not take no for an answer, thus a ‘fracking inquiry’ is being held.

Part of this inquiry is a ‘ticking the box’ exercise of ‘engaging with the natives’. The Inquiry has been to Yuendumu twice. I did not attend, so I have no idea how many beads and mirrors are on offer.

http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/2018/02/09/fracking-forum-with-surprising-rules/ “What she also made clear, right at the start of this ‘community forum’, that no-one – including media – was permitted to film or audio record the meeting.” (Erwin Chlanda, Alice Springs News)

Wind back almost a decade ago- Yuendumu October 2008:

A group of mostly Warlpiri residents of Yuendumu had gathered several afternoons in the school yard to prepare a petition to present to Jenny Macklin.

Jenny Macklin was to open the Yuendumu Swimming Pool. The petition is here reproduced in full. The English translation is attached below

Kumanjayi Macklin, Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Marion Scrymgour, Deputy Chief Minister for the N.T.
Kumanjayi Rudd, Prime Minister

Yapa-patu nganimpa, Yurnturnu wardingki karndu nyarra wangkami ny arnpu statemcnt purdanyajaku manu yungurnkurlu pina kanyi Federal manu N.T. Government kirra.

Ngula pda Kumanjayi Howard manu Ma1 Brough-jrli waja-waja manu nyinanja kurlangu, ngulaju-malu wardinyi-jarrija. Jalangu jalangurlu ngulaju yangka piy a-jala kanparlu nganpa kanyi, karlapirli Kumanjayi rnanu Brough kurIangu policiy iji, inanu karlipa miyalu ngawu jarrimi rdungku-rdunku jarrimi manu junta nganayi – mani kangalpa nyiya.

Nganirnpaju ngarnpurrpa wangu interventioni-kiji kurdu kurdu kal u ngurrju nyinami n yarnpu kurlu legislationkirli.

Wangkaja-rnalu jana Review Boardu-ku, jalangu-jalangurlu Governmenti-rli purdaiiyanja wanguriu jalangurlu Governmenti-rli purdany anja wangurlu kalu report nyanyi manu kalu taarnagangku interventioniji ngaly a kari maninja wanguriu mardarni. Ngawu mani ka ngalpa ngalpaju.

Nyampuju ngalipa nyangu nguru walalja. Governn~entirlyi ungurlu ngalpa pina y inyi. NgaliparIu yungulipa jana Government warlapajirni. Wangka karlipa yuwarliki kurlanalu pipa parntirni lawa ngkaju ngum ngurluju, jungangku yungulipa mardanarni nguru , yuwarli manu nyiya kanti-kanti ngalipa nyangu.

Lawa karlipa wangkami yangka tala ngularlu ngalpa ngalya karimanu. Kaji karlipa murIpalu mardarni tala warlaljaju.

Wangka karljpa yungu Racial Discrimination Act !975 karrimi jalangu nati ngslka kirntmgi paturta.

Government Business Manager ngulaju pungku, wiri jarlu manu kalipa nyina ngampurrpa-wangu ngulakuju.

Ngarnpurrpa kanallI jana nyina yangka karnjurlu-patuku kampu-warnuku. Ngarnpurrpa karnarlu ny ina yungurlu yapangku mardarni nyampu nguru nati shire-yarlu jalangu warnurlu lawa. Lawa karnarlu wangka yurrkunyu panuku, lawa karnarlu wangka kardiya ngulaka!u yanirni raangka wangu, lawa karnarlu wangka kardiyi wiri-wiri-ki panukuju.

Panuku nyiya kanti-kanti yanirni wurnturru-ngurlu, kangkariu-ngurlu kaminjarra-karri. Kardiywa wiri-wiri-rli kalu ngalpa ngawu mani nyampu-kurlulu intervention-kirtili. Jinta jarrimi yungu-rlipa jaruku rnanu yungurlipa wariaija-rlu mardarni marnpungku . Yapangku yungur!ipa jar!pingki mardarni. Supporti-ki karlipa wangkami,

tala mmu nyiya kanti-kanii yungungurlu ngalpa yinyi nyampurla ngurungka.

Nyarnpurla Yurnturnu-rla panu karlipa mudarni nyiya-ningki-jarra ngula karliparta yul karni. Madarni karlipa jana MtTheo program, kurdu kurdu kurlangu, Warlpiri-rli ngala karlipa j ana tij i-mani, PAW, Mampurnaninja-Kuriangu jarlu patu ku, WarlukurIangu arts centre, manu yangka ngula kalu jana ~nardarnwi iri-wiri-rli kurdukurdue.

Ngulalparlipa mangu pungkalayi, Yungurlu ngalpa nyanyi nguru kxi wardinski-rli pirrdiji ngula karlipa mardarni.

Mardarni yungurtipa taarngangku ngdipa nyangu jam Warlpiri waja-waja maninja-wangurla yangka pina-pina maninjaku EngIishi-ki, mathsi-ki manu nyiya kanti-kan ti pina parrinjaku kuurlu-rla.

Nganimpa karnalu nyara wangkarnj purdanyangka-rlu-nganpa, Waikarlupu ta wangkzya nganjmpa nyangu warlalja kuriu.

Kardiya wiri-wiri-rli purdanyangkarlu nganpa wangkayarlu nganjmpa kurlu, ngurrju-matarlu nganimpa kurlulu jam jintangka-manu junganidi ngurrjumaninjarla puraya.

Nyurru ngurla juku!

This was Yuendumu’s ‘Statement from the Heart’. Despite some serious “sorry business” (rituals related to a death) at the time, the family of the deceased agreed this was important enough to allow the petition to circulate in the “sorry camp”.

Over 200 signatures were obtained. A significant proportion of the adult population of Yuendumu.

A meeting with “community leaders” was held. It was at this meeting that the petition was presented. Warlpiri Media had set up a video camera to record the meeting. As soon as Jenny Macklin spotted the camera she declared there was to be no filming. For the first time we were informed that this was a “private meeting” and Warlpiri Media was asked to leave.

So effective has been the Colonial disempowerment of Aboriginal Australia, that the cameraman, who is actually a proud, prominent highly regarded Warlpiri man, picked up his tripod and meekly left the room. “Yes boss, no boss” “Yes massa, no massa” “Yes memsahib, no memsahib”

Machiavellian Macklin subsequently had a Media Coup- Russell Skelton wrote an article published in the Melbourne Age and the Sydney Morning Herald titled — ‘Intervention goes swimmingly in the Tanami’, 28th October, 2008.

Media Watch was alerted and did an ambiguous ‘number’ on the events. A decade later it makes intriguing reading. We quite clearly were outmanoeuvred, and our petition came to nought.

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2409170.htm

Jenny Macklin in my opinion is the politician in living memory who did the greatest damage to the social fabric (that should probably be plural) of Aboriginal Australia. Not surpassed until that ultimate betrayal which was Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s dismissal/rejection of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eqJAAi1kE8 Sylvia Péres Cruz (and her late father) … 20 Años

Es un pedazo del alma, que se arranca sin piedad….
(It’s a piece of the soul – torn out without pity) 

Chau,

Franklin