The Australian Bite

Celebrations for some, disappointment for others

9 July 2009

Listen and download: MP3

It’s NAIDOC week in Australia, a time to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of indigenous Australians. And this week on the bite we drop in on the NAIDOC flag raising ceremony at Nambour on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. We also look at how this week’s decision by the Fair Wage Commission to not to increase the minimum wage, will impact upon Australia’s lowest paid workers. And Australian writer and conservationist Sally Henderson, talks about her new memoir, “Ivory Moon” set in a remote desert camp on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.

Wage freeze tough for Australia’s lowest paid workers.

Earlier this week the Australian Fair Pay Commission decided not to increase the minimum wage for Australian workers. So what does that mean for the Australia’s 1.3 million minimum wage earners? The Australian Council of Social Service, or ACOSS, is an advocacy group that represents the interests of organisations and individuals in the social welfare sector. It had called for a modest increase in the minimum wage to at least maintain its real value, and it expressed disappointment in the commission’s decision. I spoke to Clare Martin, the Chief Executive Officer of ACOSS, about the Commission’s decision.

NAIDOC week honours indigenous elders

The annual NAIDOC week celebrations are underway all around Australia, with indigenous and non-indigenous people getting together to celebrate the history, culture, contribution and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The theme of this year’s week is “Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth”, and indigenous people young and old were represented at the NAIDOC week flag raising ceremony at the forecourt of the Nambour Public Library on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The ABC’s Jo Joyce was there, and her report begins with Lyndon Davis, who is a direct descendant of the local Gubbi Gubbi people.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’, and its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal activist groups in the 1920′s. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week, but its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.  You can take a look at the NAIDOC website here

You can read Jo Joyce‘s report on the flag raising ceremony, and check out more great pictures of the event at the ABC’s Sunshine Coast homepage.  There’s also a great item there on the Queensland Music Festival which is launched this month on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait.

An Ivory Moon in the desert of Namibia

Australian writer and conservationist Sally Henderson has spent many years of her life devoted to the conservation of the African Elephant. Her 2007 memoir, Silent Footsteps told the story of her work with an elephant research project in the wilds of Zimbabwe. Now she has a new book out called Ivory Moon – getting lost and found among the desert elephants of Namibia. It tells the story of her and her husband’s experience managing an isolated safari camp in the Namib Desert, where existence depends on the life-giving fog from the Skeleton Coast. Sally Henderson spoke to me about the book, and her love of Africa and its wildlife.  It’s published by Macmillan Australia.

Sally Henderson’s website

Music (not in podcast)

Little Birdy is a four piece band from Perth in Western Australia, who formed in 2002 and have released three albums, the latest of which, Confetti, was released in May this year.  Hairdo is the forthcoming new single from the album.

Artist: Little Birdie

Track: Hairdo

Album: Confetti (2009)

Little Birdy website