philanthropyOz Blog

Indigenous Australians: Little Children are Sacred report

Released earlier this week, the Little Children are Sacred report reveals widespread abuse of indigenous women and children in the Northern Territory. On June 22, the Federal Government declared it a national emergency. A media release from the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Mal Brough, outlined the action plan, which some journalists have labelled “draconian”.

The media coverage of this issue has been extensive, with analysis from both supporters and protesters of the government’s plan.

Philanthropy Australia Members can view a summary of the analysis that has appeared in Australian newspapers through their PRESSing Matters subscription.

Download the report (PDF)

Read the media release from Mal Brough

World Wealth Report & Australian Census 2006

The initial reports from Australia’s 2006 Census have been released. According to the Australian Financial Review, these reports indicate that Australians are “older and richer, but further from owning a home or starting a family”. You can browse the reports yourself here.

Also released in the last couple of days was Merrill Lynch & Capgemini’s World Wealth Report, which had some interesting things to report on philanthropy: according to the AFR’s article on the report, “The wealth of the world’s super-rich soared last year at the fastest rate for seven years. But the rise in riches was accompanied by a surge in charitable giving AUD $340 billion – believed to be a record”. You can read the World Wealth Report here.

International Events, Community Foundations Forum 2007

• Community Foundation Network: Imagine - September, UK
• Philanthropic Foundations Canada: At the Heart of Philanthropy - October, Montreal, Canada
• Council on Foundations: Philanthropy’s Vision: A Leadership Summit - May 2008, USA

Find out more on our International Events Calendar.

In addition, the Australian Community Foundation Forum for 2007 has been announced, to be held in Albury (NSW) in August. You can find the full program and registration form here.

Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures 2007: Big ideas. Brilliant minds.

FREE PUBLIC LECTURES - Melbourne, 25 June to 29 July 2007

The Minister for Innovation John Brumby has announced a powerful line-up of international thinkers and practitioners heading to Melbourne for the 2007 Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures.

Noble Laureate Sir Paul Nurse (UK), philanthropist and civic activist Robert Klein (US), researcher and founder of GlobeImmune Dr Alex Franzusoff (US), science author Matt Ridley (UK) and John Wilbanks (US), Executive Director, Science Commons will take part in this year’s free public lectures.

They will be joined by some of Australia’s pre-eminent speakers to discuss a broad range of innovation topics.

Lecture topics include:

• Science, Politics, Philanthropy and Money:Building community consensus for controversial medical research and difficult decisions
• Cancer Treatments Innovations – how studying yeast can help
• Nature? Nurture? What makes us human?
• Science, business and the law: Locking up innovation or sharing and harvesting it - which way to go?
• Big Machines for Big Questions: the Australian Synchrotron and beyond

You can find out more about dates and locations for the above lectures on the Philanthropy Australia Events Calendar. All lectures are free, most do not require booking.

The 2007 Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures are presented by the Victorian Government’s Innovation Economy Advisory Board. Supported by Melbourne Conversations, the City of Melbourne’s free public talks program, the University of Melbourne, the State Library of Victoria and Future Leaders

The 2008 Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures will be held in Melbourne (BMW Edge, Federation Square, June 5 – 15 2008) and selected regional centres.

Kanyini

I was fortunate to recently attend a special screening of the documentary Kanyini that Social Ventures Australia held in Melbourne for some of their investors and other partners.

‘Uncle Bob’ Randle is an Indigenous elder living in the Mutitjulu community which is located at Uluru, 450 km south west of Alice Springs (Pitjantjara country). He acts as our guide through this poignant film. Uncle Bob is a child of the ‘Stolen Generation’ who has observed the decline in the health, wellbeing and vitality of his people – the “shrinking” of his people - as they have become detached from their “Kanyini”. He manages to move beyond the anger and the sadness that this has created in many to tell the story of his people – the story of Australia – in a remarkable manner that you can’t help but be drawn in by.

Kanyini is explained to the viewer as being the connectedness of the individual to four concepts: a belief system; spirituality; land; and family. Uncle Bob explains that, “a person is nothing without this connectedness.” He feels that many Indigenous people are now stuck between two cultures; between two worlds. They can’t go back to the old ways because the natural environment has been permanently changed, yet they can’t move into the mainstream system because many don’t understand it and they lack the education and literacy skills to succeed in it. He comments, “Our classrooms are empty and our jails are full”.

Uncle Bob suggests that the past approach of ‘governments taking care of Indigenous people’ hasn’t worked. Something has to change. “Welfare is not the answer.” We need a new way of teaching that incorporates the traditional with the Western so that the, “Indigenous mob”, can regain their pride – can “grow” - whilst also being able to succeed in the mainstream.

What sort of world could we live in if we all believed as Uncle Bob’s people do, that the, “Earth is our mother, we are all born from her”, and therefore, “we are all family” – you, me, the trees, the animals and everything else born from this Earth? What sort of world could we live in if we lived with the discipline of Uncle Bob’s ancestors who were taught that you, “don’t take more than you need”, nor do you, “destroy anything that’s there to the level it can’t produce again”?

Despite being just an hour long this film carries a powerful message. I believe that the film will be screened on SBS some time this year. Alternatively, you can purchase a DVD copy from the Kanyini website – www.kanyini.com. It’s well worth seeing.

New Report highlights links between poverty and child abuse

Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle (Little Children Are Sacred) is the report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse 2007. The report concludes that much of the violence and sexual abuse occurring in Northern Territory communities is a reflection of past, current and continuing social problems which have developed over many decades. It makes a range of recommendations focusing on education, building community trust, family support services and empowerment of Aboriginal communities. The report also suggests that improvements in coordination and communication between government departments are urgently needed to improve existing programs designed to break the cycle of poverty and violence.

To read the terms of reference, the report summary or to download the entire report in PDF format, click here.

Not-For-Profit Network awards - nominations now open!

The Not-For-Profit Network is currently running their Not-For-Profit Network awards program; this awards program will celebrate the achievements of all those hardworking individuals within the Australian and New Zealand Nonprofit sector that rarely receive recognition for their efforts.

The winners will be announced at a star-studded gala ceremony held on the Gold Coast on Fri 23rd November.

The organisations, projects and people who make up the not-for-profit sector are largely unrecognised for the incredible work they do to benefit their stakeholders and our society as a whole. Resources are tight, hours are long, and thanks are rare. The team at Not-For-Profit Network believes that it is time for the not-for-profit sector to stand up, take hold of the microphone, and share their message with a wider audience.

Nominations for this exciting venture are now open nation wide until July 31. Those wishing to nominate should visit www.nfpn.com.au or call Shane Greaves at the Not-For-Profit Network on 07 3210 2288.

Business Leader Survey shows a trend to philanthropy

David Deverall, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Perpetual Limited, last night unveiled the results of the 2007 Business Leader Survey, which contains some encouraging results for Australian philanthropy. Speaking at the Perpetual 2007 Business Leaders Forum, Mr Deverall outlined “a clear trend among Australia’s business elite towards giving more to charities, both personally and in business.”

The survey results show that 23% of the leaders surveyed made a larger personal donation to charity last year than the year before, and 17% plan to give even more next year. Most of those planning larger donations say they will do so because of increased earnings, leading to increased financial capacity.

The intention to establish charitable trusts and foundations was also surveyed, with 27% of senior executives saying that they would consider setting up a personal charitable trust or foundation, and 26% saying that they would consider establishing a business foundation.

The survey results and Mr Deverall’s speech are available on Perpetual’s website.