URGENT MEDIA RELEASE 4pm Thursday November 26, 1998 KLDF disappointed by Hindmarsh Island defamation decision The Kumarangk Legal Defence Fund today expressed its disappointment at the findings in the defamation case of involving Margaret Allan (Green Left Weekly) and Neale Draper and the Chapmans. The Chapmans were awarded $100,000 damages by Justice Lowrie after an interview with anthropologist Neale Draper was published in Green Left Weekly. Spokesperson for the Kumarangk Legal Defence Fund, Mr Tom Glynn said, Obviously we are disappointed by today�s verdict. However we note that this was a finding of a white court on issues (partly) of Aboriginal consultation and heritage but the court did not hear from any Ngarrindjeri people. There were no Ngarrindjeri witnesses at the trial. We hope that the Ngarrindjeri people will be heard in other cases, as this is only one of several cases which address similar themes. We don�t believe there is a precedent set here and are confident of a different outcome at later trials. There are also wider issues which this verdict brings into consideration. As we understand it, the publishers of Green Left Weekly did not mount a defence because they could not afford the time and resources to defend the action. Defamation cases are complex and expensive. Given the number of cases against individuals and small community groups over Hindmarsh Island there are serious issues of access to justice to be addressed. Tom Glynn Spokesperson for the KLDF == ----------------------------------------- The Kumarangk Legal Defence Fund Inc. http://www.denarius.demon.co.uk/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] PO Box 3168, Rundle Mall SA 5000, AUSTRALIA _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List As vilified, slandered and attacked by One Nation mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
