An objective of the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund is the improved social wellbeing of Aboriginal people. The Fund provides support for social justice programmes which build the status and capacity of Aboriginal people. Some of the programmes that the Fund supports in the area of social justice are presented below.

 

 

KANYINI AND ORAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA'S STOLEN GENERATION
(2006 to 2007)

The film Kanyini, a joint effort between Melanie Hogan who directed it and Bob Randall a Yankuntjatjara elder from central Australia who features in it , won a number of Australian and overseas awards, when it was released in 2006. Born in 1934, to an Aboriginal mother and a Scots father, Bob Randall was forcibly taken from his family and raised in government institutions. Kanyini has been acclaimed as an important means of creating a growing understanding of Australia's history and as a way of reconciling Australians to their Aboriginal history. It gives white Australians some idea of the difficulties faced by Aboriginal Australians.

 

The RTAF provided some funding for Kanyini. The film's success has prompted Melanie and Bob, along with others, to embark on a new project to record the experiences of members of the Stolen Generation and to record these in valuable historical archives, accessible on line. The RTAF has provided support for the work to develop the project and for its prospectus.

VIBE 3 ON 3
(2001 to 2010)

The RTAF has supported Vibe Australia since 2001 to stage eight Aboriginal youth and community festivals in rural and remote areas throughout Australia. The festivals, called VIBE 3 on 3, incorporate basketball, music, hip-hop dancing, art and culture. The essential theme of the Vibe 3 on 3 is the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Throughout the weekend, key health messages relating to drugs and alcohol, nutrition, exercise and self esteem are reinforced. There is substantial community participation in managing and staging each Vibe 3 on 3 - an important element of community capacity building. There are a number of other sponsors including the Federal Department of Health.

 

READ MORE

KARPANDI FAMILY UNIT
(2003 TO 2007)

The Karpandi Family Unit, operated by Baptist Community Servies in inner city Adelaide, supports highly marginalised Indigenous women and children who suffer from homelessness, domestic and family violence, mental illness, parenting issues and drug and alcohol abuse. The unit provides a safe and appropriate environment to support these people and offers child development and family support programmes; opportunities to enhance socialisation capacity; advocacy; referral to appropriate services; counselling; and practical support. Initially the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund provided funding for a period of three years to support the set up, and assist with the running of the Karpandi Family Unit, with further funding committed in 2006. Following this, the unit has achieved more financial independence through government funding.

 

The Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund also provided funding for three years (2004 to 2006) to cover the costs of employing an Indigenous male support worker, in Baptist Community Service's West Care day centre, to support Indigenous men through problems of homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic and family violence, mental illness and parenting issues.

HEALING WEEKENDS FOR STOLEN GENERATION
(2007 to 2009)

Aboriginal children, taken from their families at an early age, commonly suffer from poor mental health as a result of separation from family, community and country. The RTAF is providing support for three years to Link-Up NSW to run two healing weekends a year for members of the Stolen Generation. Each weekend caters for about 80 people and features activities that reconnect people to their cultural traditions as well as providing counselling.

 

Link-Up Aboriginal Corporation assists both separated people of the Stolen Generation who have not yet made their way home, and families of people who have been separated. Link-Up NSW was established 25 years ago, and since then 1250 clients have been reunited with their family, community and country.

ABORIGINAL WOMEN'S CORROBOREE AGAINST VOILENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
(2006)

The Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre deals mainly with the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The RTAF provided funding so that Wirringa Baiya could hold an Aboriginal women's corroboree called Sexual assault, it's not our lore.

ABORIGINAL CULTURAL AND WELL BEING PROGRAMMES
(2005 to 2007)

The RTAF supported Father Chris Riley's Youth Off The Streets programme of Aboriginal and Wellbeing Camps for three years from 2005 to 2007.. The RTAF funds were used at seven NSW camps to share outdoor knowledge with Aboriginal young people and raise their awareness of other aspects of their traditional culture. The effects of such experiences include an improvement in behaviour, greater self confidence, new friendships, respect for community elders and, in general, a broadening of personal perspectives.

 

ABORIGINAL DISABILITY NETWORK
(2003)

The purpose of this project was to assist the Aboriginal Disability Network of NSW to become a viable, effective, and independent representative voice for Aboriginal people with a disability. Advocacy and representation of this kind is essential if the social marginalisation and disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal people with a disability in Australia is to be addressed. The funding provided by the Fund was used for network maintenance and development and organisational capacity building.

NATIONAL SORRY DAY
(1998)

National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, one year after the Government tabled in the federal parliament the report of the national inquiry into the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. The report recommended that a national Sorry Day be held, to give all Australians the opportunity to express their sorrow for what had happened, and to promote new beginnings. The Fund provided funding to assist with staging the event.

 

 

RECRUITMENT INTO THE WEST AUSTRALIAN POLICE ACADEMY
(2001)

The Unity of First People of Australia (UFPA) was established in 1997 as a non profit organisation with a focus to bring about the effective delivery of government programmes and services for Indigenous people. This project provided funding to establish a UFPA programme to assist Indigenous people with skill preparation and recruitment into the WA Police Academy.