Done By Law

Local Law 8 Repealed or Not?

On November 24th last year Done by Law spoke to Fitzroy Indigenous elders about Local Law 8 - a Yarra city council provision intended to ban public drinking, listen to the show here.

Last week Yarra Council repealed the law at a special council meeting addressed by a number of prominent Indigenous leaders in the area.  The following day, the council reinstated the law on a technicality.

Meghan Fitzgerald from Fitzroy Legal Service joined us to talk about whats happening with the law, and what some of the provision’s effects have been.

Done By Law on Survival Day

- Done by Law on Survival Day -

Here at Done by Law as part of 3CRs special Survival day broadcast we’re
trying something a bit new – we’re going to broadcast a reading of Maria
Giannacopoulos’ 2006 essay - Terror Australis: White Sovereignty and the
Violence of Law as published in the Borderlands e-journal.

The central contention of this essay, is that Australian law is a regime
born of, and sustained through racial violence. The paper rejects the
notion that there is an absolute separation between the workings of
Australian law and the workings of white sovereignty. Maria uses the
federal anti-terrorism laws, and the Tampa ruling, to bring together two
distinct instances of Australian law in order to show the inextricability
of law and racial violence.

you can find the original Giannacopoulos essay at the borderlands e-journal:

DBL 24 Nov: Local indigenous leaders speak out against local law 8

Last month on Done By Law, we examined the recent decision by Yarra Council to place a ban on public drinking through the introduction of Local Law 8, which will give police the power to pour out opened drinks and issue on the spot fines of $100.

This week we speak to three Indigenous leaders from Collingwood about what impact they think the laws will have, and how they intend to fight these provisions (see our news section for the details).

We also speak to Fitzroy Legal Service advocate Meghan Fitzgerald about new laws being introduced to give police the power to move people on.

DBL: LOCAl law 8 and the ban on public drinking in yarra, 27 Oct 2009

This week on Done By Law we take a look at the recent decision by Yarra Council to place a ban on public drinking. Local Law 8, was passed at a heated Council meeting last week and will give police the power to pour out opened drinks and issue on the spot fines of $100. We’re joined by Councillor Steve Jolly, the only member of Council to oppose the ban, and Belinda Lo from Fitzroy Legal Service.

The Coroner’s Inquest into Paul Carter: 2 June 2009

This week we’re joined by three guests to discuss the Coroner’s findings in relation to Aboriginal man Paul Carter’s death in Mildura in August 2006. The 33 year old man died after being left by local Police about 12km out of town. We’re joined by Jane Dixon SC, who represented the family at the hearing, by Jill Prior from the Victoria Aboriginal Legal Service and by Denis Johnson, Paul’s brother, who gave evidence at the hearing.

Sorry Day 26 May 2009

Join us tonight on Done By Law for a special Sorry Day edition of the program where we examine, with Professor Larissa Behrendt, how well Australia has responded to the 54 recommendations of the Bringing Them Home Report.

Muriel Bamblett talks human rights

One year after the Human Rights Charter was introduced in Victoria Done By Law talks to Muriel Bamblett, CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency about the relationship between Indigenous people and the human rights agenda in Victoria.  We take a look at the extent to which a human rights framework is useful in pursuing aboriginal health and wellbeing, and what the limitations are.

musicians against police violence (MAPV)

MAPV are holding a benefit gig on 28 February in Melbourne at Ding Dong Lounge. Featuring bands such as Bellusira, Ezekiel Ox & the Fury, Fading Hour and Joelistics (TZU), all money raised will go directly to Lex Wotton’s family. Lex is an indigenous man currently serving 6 years jail for ‘rioting with destruction’ on Queensland’s Palm Island, after the death in custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee in 2004. A subsequent coronial inquest found that Snr Sgt Hurley was responsible for the death. It also uncovered numerous breaches of procedures by Queensland Police in the ensuing investigation. Snr Sgt Hurley has since received a promotion and a $100,000 compensation payout from the Queensland Government.

To find out more, check out MAPV’s website.

DBL: Native Title Law & The Barmah National Park 27 Jan 2009

Tonight on Done By Law we examine a proposal to overhaul native title in Victoria. The The State Government is currently considering a new framework that will lower the threshold for native title claims and allow traditional owners to apply directly to the State Government to jointly manage all Crown land.

We’re joined by barrister Hans Bokelund, a Darumbal man from Queensland with a keen interest in native title, to discuss the limitations of native title and whether the Framework will provide better outcomes for indigenous land owners.

We also hear from people celebrating the announcement of a new jointly managed National Park in the heart of Yorta Yorta country.

DBL: Lex Wotton & Deaths in Custody 11 November 2008

News in Brief: US electoral system, anti-gay proposition 8 in California, and Victorian bar ‘lockout’.

On 7 November 2008, Palm Island Aboriginal man Lex Wotton was sentenced to six years’ jail for “riot with destruction”— just four days after 22 police officers received bravery awards for their role in the 2004 Palm Island protests. Wotton, a 40-year-old plumber and community leader was convicted last month of rioting with destruction for his role in riots on Palm Island a week after Mulrunji Doomadgee died in 2004. Doomadgee died in police custody. A coronial inquest found that Doomadgee was killed as a result of punches by a police officer, Sergeant Hurley. After a nationwide public campaign in which the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions initially refused to lay charges, Hurley was eventually brought to trial over Mulrunji’s death. Hurley was acquitted of manslaughter in three hours by an all white Townsville jury.

Joining us tonight on Done By Law is Kim Bullimore to discuss some of the many issues and injustices raised by Lex Wotton’s case. Kim Bullimore has been a political activist for more than 10 years.  She is a Murri woman from North Queensland and is a long time Indigneous rights and anti-racism activist.  Kim is active in Free Lex Wotton campaign, as well as cross-border Indigenous solidarity campaigning.