First Ever National Conference on Closing the Prison Gap
It is now Sunday night, and tomorrow morning it will be exactly 7 days until the first ever national conference on Closing the Prison Gap is held at the Mantra on Salt Beach, in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, on Gudjingburra country. In June this year the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in South Australia, The Honourable Chris Kourakis, held a one day conference in Adelaide on the over-representation of Indigenous people in South Australian prisons. He began a conversation that will continue next week.
The speakers and presenters at the Closing the Prison Gap Building Cultural Resilience conference are academics, university professors, educators, community workers, political activists, traditional owners, elders, parents, ex-prisoners ... many are people who have won awards for the work that they are doing. Mervyn Eades won the Eddie Mabo Social Justice Award 2016, Tauto Sansbury the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award, Ken Zulumovski the NSW Premier's Excellence Award, Lara Bennett and Deirdre Currie, the International Women's Day Award. Keelen Mailman is Mother of the Year. Others have been awarded Australia Day honours; Ross Homel (AO) , Keith Hamburger (AM) and Muriel Bamblett (AM), for their services to the community.
Here is the final program ...
Closing the Prison Gap: Building Cultural Resilience
The Mantra at Salt Beach northern New South Wales Monday 10/Tuesday 11 October 2016
MONDAY 10 OCTOBER
8.30 Registration: Tea and Coffee
9.00 Welcome to Country … Kyle Slabb Gudjingburra man Traditional Descendant & Dancers
9.15 Introduction … Beck Couch Bundjalung woman EMCEE
Theme 1 Prevention: Children and Families
9.30 Kaiyu Moura Bayles Wonnarua, Wirri and Wakka Wakka woman, Learning the Old Ways, Inspiring Positive Change.
9.55 Janette Saunders, Dharug First Nations woman, Aboriginal Family Group Conferencing, AbSec (Dhum Djirri) model, Keeping our children and young people safe and on country.
10.20 Professor Muriel Bamblett, Yorta Yorta woman CEO Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency
10.50 morning tea … Garry Kafoa, Minjungbal man on didgeridoo
11.15 Michelle Laurie, Gummbaingirr woman, & Rebecca Blore, Anaiwan woman, Brighter Futures, Supporting Families
11.40 Natasha Mace, Hymba Yumba Community Hub, Children at School and Indigenous Culture
12.05 Professor Ross Homel, Griffith Criminology Institute, Creating Pathways to Prevention
12.35 Panel Discussion with Dr Megan Williams, Wiradjuri woman, Western Sydney University
1.00 Lunch on the terrace with the Joongurra Jarjum dancers
Theme 2 Reintegration: People Already in the System
1.55 Therese Ellis-Smith, PhD candidate, interventions for Indigenous prisoners.
2.20 Professor Joe Graffam, Deakin University, employment after prison for Indigenous people
2.45 Mervyn Eades, Nyoongar man, Eddie Mabo Social Justice Award winner for his contribution to Indigenous reintegration at his prison to work program, Ngalla Maya.
3.15 Panel Discussion with Dr Megan Williams, Wiradjuri woman, Western Sydney University
3.40 afternoon tea … Garry Kafoa, Minjungbal man on didgeridoo
4.00 Dr Bruce Watt, researcher Bond University, Young First Nations people & Fitness to Stand Trial
4.25 Dr Janet Hammill, Gamilaraay woman, University of Queensland, Collaboration for Alcohol Related Developmental Disorders – FASD and the Criminal Justice System
4.50 – 5.00 Questions with Dr Megan Williams.
Monday 10 October Conference Dinner
6.30 Conference Dinner on the terrace
7.00 Dinner Songs and Poetry: Kaiyu Bayles
TUESDAY 11 OCTOBER
Theme 3 Culture: Healing and Resilience
9.30 Ken Zulumovski & Carolyn Minchin, Gamarada Indigenous Healing & Life Training
9.55 Catherine Jackson Gidgup, Gamarada, Yarn Australia, and Grandmothers against Removals
10.20 Lara Bennett, Wiradjuri woman, & Deirdre Currie, Minjungbal/Nunduwal woman, International Women’s Day Award Winners, Kids Caring for Country and Learning our Way Program
10.50 morning tea … Garry Kafoa, Minjungbal man on didgeridoo
11.15 Cleonie Quayle Snr, Maljangapa woman, and Keith Quayle, Culture and Social Enterprise
11.40 Gayle Munn, Gunggari woman, & Robert Lacey, Waka Waka man, Lateral Peace Project
12.05 Keelen Mailman. Bidjara woman, author “The Power of Bones”, Mother of the Year, with Keith Hamburger, ex Director QCSC, Mount Tabor Station Healing and Rehabilitation Centre
12.35 Panel Discussion with Dr Megan Williams, Wiradjuri woman, Western Sydney University
1.00 Lunch on the terrace with the Yulu Burri Bah dancers of Minjerribah
Theme 4 Social Justice and Self-determination
1.55 Chris Lee, University of Southern Queensland, technology, prison and tertiary education
2.20 Gerry Georgatos, Institute for Social Justice and Human Rights WA, Transformation: Encouraging and supporting prisoners to pursue education upon release.
2.45 Professor Harry Blagg, researcher, University of WA, Indefinite sentence, Colonial Dispossession: Postcolonial Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System
3.15 Panel Discussion with Dr Megan Williams, Wiradjuri woman, Western Sydney University
3.40 afternoon tea … Garry Kafoa Minjungbal man on didgeridoo
4.00 Dr Megan Williams Wiradjuri woman, Indigenous Research Leadership Essential
4.25 Tauto Sansbury, NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Treaty and Self-determination.
4.50 - 5.00 pm Close of Conference
