Sorry Day events in Brisbane
Monday, 26 May 2014
11 am Rally Parliament House, George Street
12.30 pm March to DOCS at 111 George Street
2 pm Forum & Yarning, New Farm Neighbourhood Centre
967 Brunswick Street, New Farm
Brisbane Sovereign Grannies Group
The inaugural meeting of the Brisbane Sovereign Grannies group was held at Jagera Hall on 27 Mar 2014. Jagera Hall is at Musgrave Park, 121 Cordelia Street South Brisbane. We meet there every Thursday at 12 noon. All are welcome.
On that day we formulated our objectives.
These aims are based on the need for kids to be with aboriginal families to learn who they are, to grow and to understand their culture. Our aims are:
1. To link up with other organisations across the country e.g. Grand-mothers Against Removals, Gunnedah; Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning Research; Sovereign Tent Embassies across the country, Time for Grandparents Group and all mobs around the country who share our purpose to bring the children home.
2. To house and support aboriginal women trying to have their children returned to them e.g. women who have issues with the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (DOCS).
3. To organise with parents, aunties, uncles and grandparents who are interested in stepping up and helping out with child safety issues.
4. To provide shelter, food and support for aboriginal women and children.
5. The house is to be a community centre where both men and women can come to elders for advice about social, cultural and financial issues.
6. Provide advocacy to support families, mothers and fathers.
7. To assist people to acquire skills to deal with the legal system e.g. getting a blue card. We are preparing a Know Your Rights guide to help people who are under threat of DOCS.
8. To look after the privacy of adults and children.
9. To challenge DOCS when it is seeking long term orders against aboriginal carers.
To set up a place where our voice is going to be heard and where there is a warm and supportive social environment. To do this we need funds.
Our second public fundraiser is to be held at Black Star Cafe in Thomas Street West End. The poster has all the info – please help spread the word!
For more information ring Karen on 0455728617 or Ian on 0407687016
For more information on aboriginal child removal, see
‘The over-representation of indigenous children in the Australian child welfare system‘ by Clare Tilbury :
Similar to other wealthy countries with colonised indigenous populations, Australia’s indigenous children, those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are seriously over-represented in the child welfare system.
The specific dimensions of this problem warrant detailed examination. It is useful to consider factors such as rates of entry to care, length of stay and the nature of services provided in order to understand the problem more fully.
This article uses child protection, out-of-home care and juvenile justice administrative data to examine the levels of disproportionality at key decision points in the child welfare system.
The data show that child welfare interventions are persistently more intrusive for indigenous children, and that levels of disproportionality have not improved over time.
More comprehensive child and family welfare policies are needed to address indigenous disadvantage.
Despite calls by indigenous community agencies for more input to decision-making, their participation in the Australian child welfare system remains marginal.
See also http://stopstolengenerations.com.au/