Get in contact with the CAAMA newsroom: news@caama.com.au CAAMA Radio produces two local news bulletins airing at 12pm and 6pm every weekday. A full bulletin can also be heard online.
In this bulletin: • Labor has claimed the Top End seat of Arafura after weeks of campaigning by both major political parties. • Many remote communities in the Northern Territory are struggling with low food supplies, with roads still cut after heavy rain from ex-cyclone Ellie late last year and follow-up floods. ` • The referendum working group for a voice to parliament say they are certain they will have a finalised wording of a question to put to the people soon.
Get in contact with the CAAMA newsroom: news@caama.com.au CAAMA Radio produces two local news bulletins airing at 12pm and 6pm every weekday. A full bulletin can also be heard online.
In this bulletin: • The Territory chief minister Natasha Fyles says a $250 million cash injection from the federal government to help with social issues in Central Australia is expected to become available from July 1. • The mayor of Darwin has acknowledged that homeless people could find it difficult to pay fines for sleeping rough. ` • Managers of the Lajamanu General Store in the Northern Territory’s West are warning there is only one week of food left before shelves are completely empty.
In Mparntwe Alice Springs, a gathering took place at the Olive Pink Botanical Gardens where concerned community members and experts gathered to talk about the impacts of buffel grass in the community.
One of the event co-ordinators, Alex Vaughan, who is the Policy Officer at Arid Lands Environment Centre, spoke on the issue, “It makes more intense wildfires and makes wildfires occur more frequently… it turns woodlands and big red river gum trees along riverways, it burns them down and sacred trees and it transforms those areas into grasslands.”
Buffel grass was introduced to the Northern Territory of Australia in the late 1800s as a way to provide grazing for cattle. The grass originated in Africa and was brought to Australia due to its ability to grow well in arid regions. Initially, buffel grass was seen as a solution to the problem of providing enough food for cattle in the Northern Territory, however, it quickly became clear that the introduction of buffel grass would have unintended consequences.
In recent years, there have been increasing calls for action to be taken to manage the spread of buffel grass in the Northern Territory. Efforts to control the spread of the grass have included herbicide treatment, controlled burns, and mechanical removal. However, these efforts have been limited by a lack of funding and political will. In the Northern Territory, the government does not classify buffel grass as a weed, therefore it does not receive funding for managing invasive species.
In 16 April 2012, the now deceased leader from the APY Lands in the north of south Australia, Kawaki Punch Thompson, had this to say on Buffel Grass, “”We used to have so many beautiful smelling plants and flowers. Today there are very few to be seen. Because of Buffel grass. This makes us feel sick inside, just the thought of it. We used to have so many different plants, and all the insects that went with them, such as butterflies and moths. Where are they all now?”
At the meeting, first Nations communities have also expressed their concerns about the negative impact of buffel grass on the environment and their cultural heritage. The introduction of the grass has transformed the landscape and threatens local ecosystems. In the words of Que Nakamarra Kenny, an Arrernte woman from Ntaria, it is crucial to consider the voices of First Nations communities and take action to manage this invasive species.
CAAMA Radio News, March 16, 2023 Get in contact with the CAAMA newsroom: news@caama.com.au CAAMA Radio produces two local news bulletins airing at 12pm and 6pm every weekday. A full bulletin can also be heard online. In this bulletin:
Additional training modules are being developed for Northern Territory police and health staff as Australian Bureau of statistic’s data confirmed women in the Northern territory experience Australia’s highest rates of physical and sexual violence.
An Aboriginal family of nearly twenty… including women and children who have been living on a cement slab without water and sanitation for nearly two years….. is the shameful face of the disparity which Australia as a nation is still trying to deal with.
Tributes are flowing for Jim Remedio, a pioneer of Australian media and community radio.
Get in contact with the CAAMA newsroom: news@caama.com.au CAAMA Radio produces two local news bulletins airing at 12pm and 6pm every weekday. A full bulletin can also be heard online.
In this bulletin: • The Country Liberal Party has announced its acting president will step into the presidential role permanently following the resignation of party president Lawson Broad earlier this week. • Alice Springs has been hit with a crime spree in the early part of the week, with a spate of break-ins and thefts throughout the town. ` • The flood emergency has continued in the north of Australia, with authorities shifting their attention to remote communities near the Queensland and NT border.
CAAMA Radio News, March 14, 2023 Get in contact with the CAAMA newsroom: news@caama.com.au CAAMA Radio produces two local news bulletins airing at 12pm and 6pm every weekday. A full bulletin can also be heard online. In this bulletin:
As the journey towards a referendum to enshrine a First Nations voice in the Australian constitution gathers momentum, many supporters agree that a great deal of education is still needed to convince those who are doubtful of its success.
Veteran Tasmanian Aboriginal rights campaigner Michael Mansell has described the push for a voice to parliament as “the weakest proposal for the advancement of Aboriginal people that anyone could come up with.”
Yiman-Bidjara woman Marcia Langton, has attacked the “relentless scare campaign” waged by opponents against the Voice.
The Glencore coal company is dismissing concerns of the state’s top heritage experts and says it intends to push ahead with a plan to “relocate” a historic Hunter Valley homestead associated with a frontier wars massacre to extend a coal mine.
The President of the Northern Territory Country Liberals has quit the party following its decision to oppose an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
Pertame is an ancient language that has been used for thousands of years, but due to colonisation and pastoral development, the language deteriorated with most speakers now using english at home and work and for educational purposes.
With the language now facing possible extinction, one group of women are standing in the way of the language disappearing forever.
Pertame belongs to the country south of Mparntwe and is an important part of the ancestry and wisdom there, but now less than 30 Elders who are fluent speakers that are still with us. To address this problem, a community-driven plan of action called the Master and Apprentice Project (MAP) has been initiated. This project works with Pertame Elders to convey their cultural wisdom and language to the next generation, creating new fluent speakers of Pertame. The MAP model is a globally prominent methodology that was established by the First Nations grassroots language communities in California, United States. This method develops new fluent speakers through oral immersion sessions with Elder speakers (Master) and adult learners (Apprentices) spending 10-20 hours each week in total language use.
One of the ‘masters’ of the project, Pertame ElderDoreen Abbott, is a fluent speaker who teaches Pertame to apprentices in the project. The apprentices learn Pertame by using language for everyday situations in and around the home and on country. The project aims to create intergenerational language transmission, similar to how it was used before English. Ms Abbott spoke on the importance of their work, “It’s good to keep it strong… to teach our children what our parents have taught us, so that we don’t forget what was said. It’s a very strong language.”
Since the project started, many participants have been able to learn and teach Pertame. One of the apprentices, Leeanne Swan, spoke on how the ‘Master and Apprentice’ technique has worked for them. “What I wanted to get across today was how we adopted the Master Apprentice program, how it’s worked for us, how we want to share that knowledge with the rest of Indigenous people of Australia, you know the people that are struggling to keep their language alive.”
Story filmed and edited by Chris Murrkarany Fitzpatrick
With monetary assistance difficult to come by, the only active Master-Apprentice project in Australia relies on philanthropist donations to keep it operational as it becomes a source of inspiration for the younger generation.
CAAMA Radio News, March 10, 2023 Get in contact with the CAAMA newsroom: news@caama.com.au CAAMA Radio produces two local news bulletins airing at 12pm and 6pm every weekday. A full bulletin can also be heard online. In this bulletin:
The Mpartnwe / Alice Springs based Yipirinya School Council has met for the first time in two years and is working towards handing back control of the school to Aboriginal leaders.
A working group on the Indigenous voice referendum is finalizing its advice to the government.and has confirmed legislation setting up the possible constitutional change would be introduced to parliament by the end of the month.
A warning the following story contains the name of an Aboriginal person who has died.
As the inquest into the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker continues… coroner Elisabeth Armitage has heard evidence about his childhood and the efforts of his family and child services to keep him on track.
Victorian Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe says a number of Greens senators bullied her and that she made formal complaints against a number of her former colleagues before quitting the party last month.
The Red Centre in the Northern Territory of Australia is in full swing with the annual fabALICE festival. The four-day celebration of drag, cabaret, music, and comedy runs from March 9th to March 12th, 2023 and promises to be a colourful extravaganza that will leave attendees with memories to last a lifetime.
In a recent interview with the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA), two participants at this year’s fabALICE festival, Tre Turner and Ben Graetz, spoke about their excitement for the event. Ms Turner, whose drag name is Stone Motherless Cold, talked about how important it is for the local LGBTQI community to have an event like fabALICE in the heart of Central Australia. Graetz, whose drag name is Miss Ellaneous, echoed this sentiment, saying that the festival brings people together in a way that is rare and special.
Filming and editing by Chris Murrkarany Fitzpatrick, interview by radio broadcaster Pam Riley
Now in its fifth year, fabALICE draws inspiration from the 1994 cult classic movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It has become an eagerly anticipated event in the Alice Springs calendar, offering locals and visitors a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the vibrant LGBTQI community of Central Australia.
One of the festival’s unique features is its family-friendly atmosphere, making it a rare and inclusive event that people of all ages can enjoy. Visitors can look forward to an exciting lineup of performances from local and international drag performers, musicians, and comedians, set against the backdrop of the stunning desert landscape of the MacDonnell Ranges.
Besides the opportunity to enjoy fabulous performances and soak up the vibrant atmosphere, fabALICE also offers a chance to explore the unique beauty and culture of Alice Springs. With its stunning red desert landscape and diverse community, the region is a must-visit destination for anyone looking for an unforgettable Australian adventure.
