ATSIC Media Release ATSIC Women Leaders Welcome Premier's New Women's Council ATSIC's three women Regional Council Chairpersons today called for the Queensland government's new women's council, announced by the Premier, Peter Beattie, this week to press for action and solutions on the concerns of women - including native title and family violence. Jenny Pyor, Nerelle Nicoll, and Pat Thompson, who head ATSIC's Regional Councils in Townsville, Cairns and South East Queensland , say that while the Women's Council is a step in the right direction it must be focused on solutions and action. "There's not much point in this group just raking over old ground and coming up with what is already well known," they said . Family violence and native title are just two of the major issues for indigenous women which should be taken up as a priority by the Women's Council. "Land is fundamental to the survival of indigenous women . We would want to see this Council try to ensure that women's rights in land and all other areas are not diminished or overlooked in the things this women's council will do. A focus on native title, family violence and other indigenous issues would mirror and build on what is happening in the community across Queensland. Such as indigenous and non-indigenous women working together through groups like ANTaR or through the work of former governor Leneen Forde and the Queensland government's task force on family violence. The ATSIC Regional Council chiefs also say that while the new Women's Council's 12 members are impressive individuals, there needed to be more indigenous women on the council. "We see some merit in this initiative particularly the calibre of the women selected, and endorse the inclusion of Elaine McKeon and Patimah Malone . "But, as the Premier himself has said, this new group has been formed to ensure women have a voice in policy making at the highest levels of government. "We think there is a strong case for a few more indigenous women on the same grounds. "There are no indigenous women in the Queensland parliament, there is only one indigenous woman heading up a Queensland government department. "Equally, the problems and disadvantage faced by indigenous women are invariably more severe and entrenched, leaving a potentially massive and unfair workload and level responsibility on the two current indigenous members", they said. The ATSIC leadership trio said that while the fact that the Council was the Premier's Council, was important, it remains to be seen whether the Council will achieve more than similar moves in the past. "These sorts of initiatives do tend move up and down in terms of government priorities, on and off the agenda, as the urgency comes and goes and tend to fizzle way". ATSIC is, nevertheless, committed to working with the new Council and its members. "We invite the Premier's Council for Women to work with our ATSIC Regional Councils, to come and meet our Councils. The Women's Council should also liaise closely with Queensland's representative on ATSIC's national Women's Advisory Committee and link into the Regional Women's Conferences ATSIC is holding around Queensland. ATSIC would help the Women's Council with any visits to indigenous communities and to meet with indigenous women in their regions, they said. Media Contact: Jenny Pryor, Chairperson ,Townsville ATSIC Regional Council : mobile 049702 533 Nerelle Nicol, Chairperson, Cairns and District ATSIC Regional Council: Tel: 07 40428261 Pat Thompson, Chairperson, SE Queensland ATSIC Regional Council: mobile 0419679485 Media contact in the Office of Public Affairs: Brian Johnstone 0419 010 687 Martin Freckmann 018 631 045 Craig Sproule Office of Public Affairs Ph: 02 6289 3450 Fax: 02 6282 2854 ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
