Statementwhatsworking.dalang.com.au is a website set up by Women for Wik. We are a small informal group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women including academics, writers, Indigenous elders, filmmakers, artists and teachers. Our email list has about 2000 active supporters.
We believe that racism, negativism and disinformation still cloud public debate on Indigenous policies. To help counter this, the website will document the many successful initiatives taken by Indigenous communities throughout Australia as well as listing projects that were working well before they ran out of money or were defunded.
This website will show the wider community what Indigenous communities are already achieving and we believe the examples will be a resource for students, policy makers and all those people who want to do something practical to change the inequities and injustices which still prevail for far too many Indigenous people in Australia.
Larissa Behrendt, Millie Ingram, Darlene Johnson, Marion Scrymgour and Eileen Cummings launched the website at a very successful event on 29 June.
We are already receiving a great deal of support from the Indigenous community, the projects are flooding in and we welcome more examples of Indigenous run and controlled services that are working, as well as those that were working but have been defunded.
Eva Cox, Christine Olsen, Rosie Scott and Pamela Hewitt.
We are happy to offer our support in any way we can
Personally I think it is important to focus on what is working, and where possible
replicate it, for this reason I believe this website plays a very important role.
By highlighting what is working and drawing focus to the positive measures being
taken, you increase significantly the awareness of such measures, once other
community’s, bureaucrats, and politicians become aware of what is working then
the chances of them being replicated increase significantly, more to the point
once they are aware, then the imperative to replicate is on their shoulders.
Eva your report on the launch of your website appeared in OWN Matters. With your permission I will circulate it amongst my friends and publicise this marvellous tool for changing perceptions.
If only governments would listen more to the people involved. They know their problems far better than any white person who sets him or herself up as an expert.
It’s not clear how projects can be nominated. I work with Indigenous communities around Oz, mainly in the arts, and would like to nominate a stack of them.
Felicity,
Contact the mailing list at womenforwik@whatsworking.dalang.com.au with stories.
Now there’s the suggestion to make Bagot a normal suburb of Darwin!
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/07/08/64895_ntnews.html
If over 55’s can have their own exclusive subdivision/enclave, why can’t any other group of people??