Gerry Georgatos

Gerry Georgatos is an Australian human rights campaigner, who has campaigned for prison reform,[1] as well as championing the rights of Indigenous Australians and the homeless.[2] He runs the charity Wheelchairs for Kids Foundation, and co-edits the news publication The Stringer.[3][4] He has worked as an investigative journalist for a number of publications.

Journalism

Georgatos has won awards for his investigative journalism.[5] He has published investigative reports with several publications, including New Matilda, the National Indigenous Times and The Stringer. In 2013, the Government of New South Wales named Georgatos the Journalist of the Year at its annual Multicultural Media Awards.[6] He attracted attention for advocating the innocence of Schapelle Corby, who was convicted of drug smuggling in Indonesia.[7][8]

Human rights advocacy

In 2014, he was presented with an award for Courage and Commitment to Social Justice and Human Rights at the National Indigenous Human Rights Awards.[9]

He founded Students Without Borders at Monash University and a computer recycling operation that redistributed computers to people in need. It became one of the largest computer recycling operations in Australia.[10]

He has done extensive research into Aboriginal incarceration, suicide and deaths in custody, and worked on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project.[10]

Wheelchairs for Kids Foundation

Georgatos heads the charity, Wheelchairs for Kids, based in Perth, Australia.[11] The charity operates a factory with around 100 volunteer workers on a typical day. It manufactures wheelchairs and sends them to children in impoverished countries. According to an ABC Television news report in 2013, Wheelchairs for Kids donated around 25,000 wheelchairs to children in over 60 countries, including Iraq and Pakistan.[12]

WikiLeaks Party

Georgatos was initially endorsed as the Greens candidate for an anticipated 2009 by-election for the seat of Willagee in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, but given that former Premier Alan Carpenter waited longer than expected to resign, the preselection was later re-opened and Georgatos was defeated by Hsien Harper. He then ran as an independent, winning 9% of the vote, and declared his intention of forming a rival Greens party.[13]

At the 2010 federal election he headed a Senate ticket for the unregistered Ecology, Social Justice, Aboriginal Party, which received 0.04% of the vote.[14]

In 2013 Georgatos was endorsed as the lead Wikileaks Party candidate for Western Australia in the Senate. He was embroiled in controversy for using Australia’s preferential voting system to direct votes towards the centre-right National Party ahead of Scott Ludlam of the progressive Australian Greens. The preference deal was said to alienate Wikileaks Party supporters. Georgatos said the decision was made because of his admiration for the Nationals' Indigenous candidate David Wirrpanda, rather than for the National Party.[15] He was initially endorsed for the 2014 special election following the voiding of the Western Australian Senate result after the Australian Electoral Commission ruled Julian Assange ineligible to contest.[8] He withdrew from the contest shortly after citing personal reasons.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Al Ubudy, Widyan (30 October 2013). "Unpaid fines leading to Indigenous over-representation". SBS News (Sydney, NSW).
  2. ↑ "Homeless family living in tent near Perth prompts call for better state housing priority". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Thomsen, Simon (10 February 2014). "Many Of Those Who Still Believe Schapelle Corby Is Innocent Form An Organised Network Of Conspiracy Theorists". Business Insider.
  4. ↑ "About Us", The Stringer. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Meade, Amanda (15 January 2015). "National Indigenous Times to keep publishing while in administration". The Guardian (London, UK).
  6. ↑ Moselmane, The Hon Shaoquett (17 September 2013). "Multicultural Media Awards". Parliament of NSW. NSW Government.
  7. ↑ Georgatos, Gerry (11 January 2014). "Schapelle Corby is innocent". The Wikileaks Party.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Aston, Heath (12 March 2014). "Schapelle Corby conspiracy theorist to stand for Wikileaks Party in WA Senate byelection". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  9. ↑ Conimos, Anna (9 July 2014). "Future Ancients". Neos Kosmos.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Porter, Claire (25 July 2013). "WikiLeaks: 'Keeping the bastards honest'". News Corporation.
  11. ↑ Kastelloriou, Stergos (1 December 2013). "Wheelchairs for Kids helping thousands". Special Broadcasting Service.
  12. ↑ Dalzell, Stephanie (15 March 2013). "Perth retirees make wheelchairs for kids in need". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  13. ↑ Bowe, William (2009). "Willagee by-election: November 28". The Poll Bludger. Crikey.
  14. ↑ Croy, Liam (18 May 2010). "New political party aims to be voice of indigenous people". In My Community.
  15. ↑ Lampathakis, Paul (22 August 2013). "WikiLeaks candidate Gerry Georgatos defends preferencing Nationals over Greens". Perth Now.
  16. ↑ Weber, David; Trigger, Rebecca (14 July 2014). "WA Wikileaks candidate pulls out of Senate race". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

External links