Australia's Aborigines in Cycle of Poverty, Jail

(NEWSER) - Australia’s interventions in remote Aboriginal communities “overtly discriminate” against them, and prove that entrenched racism remains in Australia, a UN official said today. In 2007, Australia sent police and troops to aboriginal lands, and instituted special bans on alcohol and pornography. These measures "infringe their right of self-determination and stigmatize already stigmatized communities," a UN special envoy concluded after a 12-day visit. More»

Julia Gillard stumbles as she tries to pass through indigenous right supporters

(NEWSER) - It sounds perfectly routine: Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott appeared at a restaurant in Canberra today—which just so happens to be Australia Day—to preside over an awards ceremony. What it turned into was an ugly mess, as some 200 supporters of indigenous rights surrounded the restaurant and started banging on the windows. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the scene grew so unruly that Gillard's security decided she needed to be removed from the building. And as some 50 police pushed a path through the crowd to a waiting car, she stumbled and lost a shoe. More»

Gillard plans referendum on changing constitution

(NEWSER) - Australia is planning a referendum on whether to officially recognize indigenous people in the country's constitution for the first time. Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the move as a "once-in-50-year opportunity" to heal the government's relationship with Aborigines and improve their living conditions, the BBC reports. More»

'Smoldering' Samantha Harris wows Aussies

(NEWSER) - A striking Aboriginal model has nailed the cover of Australian Vogue after Aussie Fashion Week fans were blown away by her "smoldering beauty"—and may be on her way to being the first Aboriginal supermodel. Samantha Harris, 19, showed off creations by 18 different designers at Australian Fashion Week to rave reviews and will soon head to New York; though she's the second such model to be a Vogue covergirl, she's been pegged as the first with international appeal, notes the Independent . More»

(NEWSER) - Australian officials are debating how to cull more than 1 million camels currently munching across the outback and irritating Aboriginals, the Independent reports. Some experts support an aerial shoot to save the desert ecosystem, but say it must be thorough; killing 80,000 would only match their birth rate. Estimated to cost $16 million, the cull could also net $1 billion in profits—especially if the world can develop a taste for camel burgers, The Australian reports. More»