Novo summarizes the news stories that have effected young Australia in the past month
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Macromedia Conference Our good
friends at Macromedia and Scholastic are offering some fantastic free
conferences for those interested in web publishing, graphic design or
multimedia. The conferences, to be held in Canberra, Adelaide and Perth,
will show budding young web masters how to create dynamic webpages with
the full Macromedia product range. The "Built for Speed' seminars
will also focus on the new features of the Macromedia's award winning, Flash
5 Live. Plus those attending will also have the chance to win prizes
and be part of special promotions. More information can be obtained from
the build
for speed website. The conference will be in Canberra on the 21st
November, in Adelaide on the 23rd and in Perth on the 28th. |
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Youth Parliament The International Youth Parliament will begin in
Sydney on the 19th October. The parliament, organised by Community Aid Abroad and Oxfam
Australia, will run until the 27th October. Two representatives
will attend from each of the 200 countries participating, plus four from
each state and territory of Australia.
The delegates, aged 15 to 28, will discuss ‘Breaking the Cycle of
Poverty’, ‘Youth in Conflict’ and ‘Cultural Activism’.
The organisers have placed particular importance on equal gender
representation and indigenous participation. Three hundred young people
are expected to attend. More information can be found at http://www.caa.org.au/parliament/index.html. |
| Detention
Issues The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the 11th September that the New South Wales Law Society was concerned about the effect of the Young Offenders Act and the high number of indigenous youths in custody. The Law Society’s concerns were raised following two incidents in Dubbo in June and August. An 11-year-old boy spent the night in jail for stealing a pair of shoes, while a second 11-year-old indigenous boy was handcuffed while being moved from one courtroom to another. The Young Offenders Act was introduced in 1998 to keep young people out of the criminal justice system, however a recent review raised concerns relating to the Act’s effect on indigenous people. |
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Youth
Detention Centre Coronial A coronial into the death of an Aboriginal youth in custody was told on the 15th September that staff at Darwin’s Don Dale correction centre failed to pass on crucial medical information the night he died. The claim came from a nurse, called from a nearby adult jail, who attended the scene fifteen minutes after he was found. When she arrived, she found no one was attempting to revive the youth. She testified that earlier on the phone, she had struggled to get information from the correctional centre staff and that the front gate was locked when she arrived. |
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Entertainers Target Young A United States Federal Trade Commission study has found the entertainment industry is deliberately marketing violent material at young people. The report found that 80 per cent of the R rated (American Classification) films studied were aimed at under-18s, while 70 per cent of computer games rated for mature audiences were market at under-17s. The report was commissioned by United States President, Bill Clinton, following the Columbine High shooting in 1999 |
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Economic
Protests Melbourne’s World Economic Forum was severely disrupted in early September by anti-globalisation protesters. The protests, organised by the S-11 alliance, prevented many delegates entering the forum at the Crown Casino, including Western Australian Premier, Richard Court. While police were frequently able to break through the wall of protesters, human rights campaigns have questioned their methods. About thirty protesters were injured with police using baton charges and riot gear.. |
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The Smashing Pumpkins have defied their record company, by releasing their latest album free via the internet. The album, ‘Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music’, will be released only in MP3 format, rather than on CD. While the bands motives are unclear, the move may be in response to recent legal victories record companies have had over online music sites. See http://www.spifc.org/ for more information.
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Classic Triple Play The
ABC’s youth network, Triple J, will merge its management with the
Corporation’s Classical music station. The management re-structure will
see the head positions of the ABC's four radio networks amalgamated into
two 'super-managers'. One manager will run NewsRadio and Radio National,
and the other Classic FM and Triple J. Already, staff have suggested it
would be near impossible to find someone with the expertise to manage both
a classical music station, along with a youth network.
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