Will it only be a matter of weeks before the Liberal/National Coalition sends in the bulldozers to a Victorian school?
The Department of Education has approved the construction of a new school directly on the land of Ballerrt Mooroop College in Glenroy. To make way for this new school, the Aboriginal community is losing its gymnasium and its ceremonial grounds.
Why must this new school be built on Aboriginal land – the only Aboriginal school in Melbourne?
Aboriginal people deserve the right to educate their children in their own culture, with full access to the best resources. There was no proper consultation with the school community when this decision was made. Melbourne Anti-Intervention Collective has been campaigning in support of Aboriginal self-determination and against the attacks on bi-lingual education as part of our fight against the Northern Territory Intervention.
The undermining of Aboriginal education can be seen as part of the renewed framework of racist assimilation policies which the NT Intervention has spearheaded. The ideology that was behind John Howard’s racist Intervention, that has been continued with vigour by Labor, has now found its way to Melbourne. An attack on an Aboriginal school is an act of cultural genocide and we ask people to join this protest to take a stand for Aboriginal rights.
We also welcome people to join us on the picket line
at the Ballert Mooroop College on 17 December 2010.
This is the date when the bulldozers are scheduled to roll in.
at the Ballert Mooroop College on 17 December 2010.
This is the date when the bulldozers are scheduled to roll in.
melbourneaic@gmail.com
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A recent letter from the school seeking support:
INVITATION TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL
“FRIEND OF BALLERRT MOOROOP COLLEGE”
We would love you to become an official friend of our College!
Our College is a small and important government pathways school for Koorie young people, especially those facing very big challenges in life.
We renamed our school in Woiwurrung language, the language of the Wurundjeri people here in Melbourne. ‘Ballerrt Mooroop’ means ‘Strong Spirit’.
We have great successes already but as our students say “We want to show how smart we are”. To do this, we will have to work very hard. We will also need lots of support and encouragement.
We want to contribute to our Community and our Country. We are judged the second most disadvantaged school community in Victoria, but we intend to be warriors and overcome this.
We would love you to become an official friend and supporter of our College.
What would being our friend mean?
- Just know we are here!
- Receive a regular letter and photo about what we are doing
- Pass on good ideas to us.
It won’t cost you anything, it just might benefit you. Just being our ‘friend’ will make us feel special, valued, encouraged and supported.
So please think about this, just a little, then send us an email and tell us you’d love to be our friend!
Kind regards,
Students, School Council and Staff of
Ballerrt Mooroop College.
Further reading:
This move must surely have been planned before the recent Election? It seems one cannot tell who are one's friends or enemies just at present.
ReplyDeleteI note they have your totem Bunjil as the school logo.
Give 'em heaps.
Denis
where is a fair go, apologies mean nothing, they are only empty rhetoric if not followed by action. What are government doing continuing to disrespect and devalue Aboriginal people and be dismissive of their ancestry and their lands. They are not asking for much, give them their gym and let them keep their special place. Why do they have to continually fight for their rights this takes a toll on their lives and their childrens' lives. Continual struggle means continual hardship and so the vicious cycle continues. What are we doing to these fellow human beings. What's the point of saying sorry if we don' t try to right the wrongs of the past with equality and dignity.
ReplyDeleteAAV are the regulators of cultural heritage issues regarding development, as public servents they are the most un trustworthy government department in Australia ( Idont know of anybody trusting AAV), I have a good understanding of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 and would bet all I own that they have broken commonwealth law but hide behind the states, Its well known within Aboriginal heritage managment circles that developers understand destroying a site is cheaper then managing it in a professional way, the weakness of the government and AAV (Aboriginal Affairs Victoria) is an issue but no as bad as willful negligence shown by AAV, Hundreds and hundreds of site have been damaged either by negligence or willful damage and AAV have only ever charged one, and he would have gotten away with it if he hadnt bite the hand that feeds him, he was to prejudice to realise they were going to side with him, (as all ways) As an Aboriginal victorian I dont know of any Aboriginal people that trust AAV, They have stalled the process of establishing RAP's ( registered Aboriginal partys) because when All victorian traditional owner groups get RAP status 90% of AAV jobs will become redundant (all growth corridors dont have appointed RAP's, Very handy for them) , The real Aboriginal industry keeps thousands of non Aboriginals employed, if the federal government wanted to abandon all Aboriginal programs it would result in mass unemployment for the ones riding the Aboriginal disadvantage gravy train just like AAV, Aboriginals would loss little to nothing, sick of hearing un-educated bigot sook about Aboriginal funding when its only achiement is to employ non Aboriginals riding the disadvantage gravy train. Cant really blame the anybody but the Aboriginal heritage regulators and thats AAV
ReplyDelete