Mullumbimby Community Action Network

Originally published 03Sep2010

mullum-zine

ABORIGINAL OCCUPATION IN MULLUMBIMBY

INDIGENOUS OCCUPATION IN MULLUMBIMBY

AND CONCERN OVER WOOLWORTHS

A leaked Byron Shire Council email states the following:

"A group of 6 or 7 or so people are peacefully settled in the park adjacent to the Council building. Their spokesperson is an indigenous man called Uncle Harry. He advises that he has concerns re the excavations being undertaken on the Woolworths site. These concerns include issues relating to original ownership and failure to consult with relevant owners. Further, that they intend to remain at the site for 72 hours with others who may wish to attend. They wished that the Mayor be advised of this situation."

This step by indigenous leaders is for me the most exciting thing to have happened in our campaign. Please support them in any way you can – they"d probably love some home cooking!


A QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY IN MULLUMBIMBY?

"Sovereignty is ours. It has not been changed by invasion and Sovereignty must never be changed by invasion" Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister and ‘Iron Lady" of Britain; BBC 19.5.1982 regarding the Falklands War debacle.

"Her statement [above] defines precisely the position of Aboriginals and our rights in land. We were invaded. Our Sovereignty has not changed, has never changed. It has not changed by invasion, despite the fact that the invaders drove us from our traditional and ancestral lands."
(Gilbert, K. Aboriginal Sovereignty, Justice, the Law and Land, 1993, Burrambinga Books).


GROG IN ALICE SPRINGS

Meanwhile, in another part of the country; deaths soar in Alice Springs from grog-related causes.
Lateline item from 18 August http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/08/18/2986968.htm interestingly don"t mention the Woolworths Liquor Shop, even though Coles are mentioned
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=woolworths+alice+springs&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-au:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=&redir_esc=&ei=BFRsTNG5J4PJcdq7wXA. Thanks to our Maleny correspondent for this info.




WOOLWORTHS & VISA CARD SCANDAL

http://www.foodweek.com.au/main-features-page.aspx?ID=6929
A friend gave me a flyer which she picked up in the St George Bank which states that the ‘credit" button on Visa Debit cards cannot be used at Woolworths. Instead, Woolworths is forcing you to use the EFTPOS network by pressing ‘cheque" or ‘savings" rather than the Visa network, because every time you use the EFTPOS network, Woolworths is paid a few cents on top of your shopping bill.

However, when you use the Visa network and press the ‘credit" button, Woolworths has to pay a few cents. Woolworths (the flyer says) cares more about those few cents than your right to choose how you pay at the checkout. This affects millions of Visa Debit and MasterCard Debit cardholders across Australia. Seemingly it is only the Woolworths group that has taken this action and this includes Big W, Safeway, Woolworths and Safeway Liquor, BWS, Dan Murphy"s, Dick Smith, Tandy, Wws & Safeway Petrol, Caltex Wws petrol outlets, Thomas Dux and ALH Bottleshops.

Furthermore the Reserve Bank has changed the rules to give big retailers like Woolworths more power over Visa and MasterCard and more power to decide how customers pay at the checkout, so they make a few cents each time a customer pays at the checkout.

See you in the park next to the Council Chambers!
Cheers
Deb