Another so-called Aborigine


Aborigines are black.  Is this young woman black?  Hardly.  I'll happily call her an opportunist, though.  Why can't she simply be called "part-Aborigine"?


Some real Aborigines, including a gorgeous little boy

An Aboriginal girl who grew up in the Australian foothills says she wants to expose the 'mindblowing' racism in her home country, having become the first indigenous Australian to graduate from the University of Cambridge.  [Mindblowing racism sent her to Cambridge?]

Lilly Brown won a scholarship to the highly competitive Trinity College, where she completed an MPhil in Education.

The 27-year-old, from the Gumbaynggirr tribe of the mid-north coast of eastern Australia, was also offered a place at the University of Oxford - something she says she never expected.

She has now returned to teach at the University of Melbourne.
She says she hopes to increase awareness and change common perceptions of her ancestors.

Her success makes her the first in her extended family to complete an undergraduate degree.

Miss Brown said today: 'I would hope that my success would inspire young Indigenous Australians to chase their dreams, and all young Australians in general. 'I feel absolutely blessed by this opportunity as I did not expect that one day I may undertake study at one of the most prestigious learning environments in the world.

'It’s about telling my story, and the struggle I went through in getting to where I am and then making it that little bit easier for other to follow in my path.

Miss Brown, who grew up in Western Australia, said she was proud to have English and Scottish ancestry mixed with her Gumbaynggirr background.

As a child, she said, she learned about the history of her ancestors from her grandmother - and the discrimination they faced.  'My Nan was taken away from her mother, and like many Aboriginal people during this time, raised as a ward of the state,' she said.  'Government policies aimed at the assimilation and absorption of Aboriginal people into the mainstream Australian community sanctioned my Nan’s removal.  'They have since come to be known as the Stolen Generations.'

She was horrified to discover that, in Western Australia, just 15 Aboriginal students graduate high school each year who are eligible for university.

She has now researched her ancestors to help her build her indigenous studies course at Melbourne.

'One of the primary motivations behind my aspirations to attend Cambridge was so my perspective would be respected and my voice would be more readily listened to.

“I also felt that it would be useful to learn more about the theory and philosophy that underpin the education system within much of the Western world, and that perhaps this would also contribute to furthering my understanding of why the exclusion of Aboriginal people continues to occur within this space.”

Lilly was awarded the Charlie Perkins scholarship, named after Australia’s first Aboriginal university graduate who finished his degree in 1966.

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Labor flags post-election ban on cosmetics testing on animals

Labor is pledging to conduct a national consultation to phase out the importation, manufacture, sale and advertising of cosmetics or cosmetic ingredients that are tested on animals.

The European Union has already issued a complete ban on the sale of cosmetics developed through animal testing.

That ban took effect earlier this year and applies to all new cosmetics and their ingredients sold in the EU, regardless of which country in the world the animal testing was carried out.

Although animal testing on cosmetics in Australia stopped some years ago, it is not illegal.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek says most Australians would be surprised to learn that some companies test their cosmetics or their ingredients on animals overseas before selling them here.

"Some companies manufacture cosmetics in Australia using ingredients tested on animals overseas, even though the finished cosmetic products are not tested on animals domestically," Ms Plibersek said.

"Animals shouldn't suffer in the quest for better mascara or lipstick."

Ms Plibersek says the national consultation will go ahead if Labor is a re-elected.

"Continuing to import cosmetics or cosmetic ingredients tested on animals is out of step with current community expectations," she said.

"Over 10 years, the European Union phased out the importation and marketing of cosmetic products and their ingredients tested on animals.

"I believe Australia needs to play its part in the international movement against animal testing."

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Australia on top of World Giving Index

DONATIONS to charities have risen 11 per cent since January 2010, despite the cost of living being the greatest cause of consumer anxiety.

Australia was ranked at the top of the 2012 World Giving Index ahead of Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

Robert De Iure, senior economist with the National Australia Bank, is not surprised.  "Our studies of wellbeing show it is not all about money," he said.

According to NAB's Charitable Giving Index, published in April, Australians each donate $291 to charities each year.

And IBISWorld reports that along with corporate and government support, charities and not-for-profits are now a $112.2 billion industry.

IbisWorld predicts this will increase to $140.8 billion in 2017-18.

Social analyst David Chalke believes our charity has been growing over that past 20 to 30 years.  "It's at the absolute heart of being Australian," he said."It's all part of fair go, mateship and giving a helping hand."

According to the Charities Aid Foundation, more than two-thirds of us donate to a charity or help a stranger each month.

But Mr Chalke added that "we don't give willy-nilly." "Australians give to a cause with a purpose. Charities need to be showing they are doing something good."

Charity groups agree.  "We survey our donors every year to find out their reasons for supporting cancer research," said David Brettell, CEO of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.

"The priority for them is understanding where money is going and what the outcomes are."

With 45,000 charities and not-for-profit organisatioss operating in Australia, smaller charities are finding innovative ways of developing their profile.

Australia's army of 6.4 million volunteers is also critical in making charities successful.  "We couldn't do our work without volunteers," said Karen Hayes, CEO of Guide Dogs Victoria.  "It costs $30,000 to breed and train a guide dog and all of our services are free."  "Our volunteering spirit comes from our heritage of helping our mates," she said.  "It's part of our DNA."

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West Australian builder of big cats triples profit


The second Austal-built Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), USNS Choctaw County (JHSV 2), was officially delivered to the United States Navy on June 6

SHIP building and maintenance company Austal has more than tripled its annual profit due partly to its growing work with the United States Navy.

Austal made a net profit of $35.9 million in the 2012/13 financial year, more than triple the previous year's $11 million.

It achieved record revenue in the year of $903 million due to growth in its construction of vessels for the US Navy.

Austal is targeting revenue of $1 billion in the 2013/14 financial year, chief executive Andrew Bellamy said.

Its shares rose by four cents to 84 cents.

The company is also building patrol boats for Australian Customs, and owns a shipyard in the Philippines.

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