My mates and I, growing up in our happy, homogenous and very white suburbia in the 1960s and 70s, would probably not have met an indigenous Australian but for playing footy. Without our great game, we might, at least as kids and teenagers, have remained stuck in the fearful ignorance that was pretty common at the time. (more…)
Category: Indigenous affairs
-
The referendum: So little asked, so graciously, but seemingly too much
Why do so many of my fellow non-Indigenous Australians seemingly have such a deep aversion towards the Aboriginal peoples of this land? Sadly, I am compelled to ask that question as we approach a referendum asking for constitutional recognition of Australia’s First Nations and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to parliament. (more…)
-
If you are proud of the Constitution, vote ‘Yes’
In 1996 I was fortunate enough to be involved in the Centenary of the 1895 Bathurst Peoples Constitutional Convention. (more…)
-
The Constitution, sovereignty and The Voice
One question relating to the upcoming referendum on ‘The Voice’ that has recently come to prominence concerns the question of sovereignty. Who or what is ‘sovereign’ as the term is applied to the governance of Australia? Is there any such thing as Indigenous sovereignty? Might it be said that in Australia sovereignty is or could be shared? Might First Nations people be sacrificing some part of their sovereignty if a Voice to parliament is endorsed at the referendum? None of these questions affords an easy answer. (more…)
-
Karla Grant explores Norway’s 34-year Indigenous Voice to Parliament
As Australia nears its referendum, Karla Grant takes a closer look at Norway’s Voice To Parliament. (more…)
-
Leadership from Paul Keating on recognition of Aboriginal dispossession -1992
“Nowhere in the world, I would venture, is the message more stark than it is in Australia. We simply cannot sweep injustice aside. … the starting point might be to recognise that the problem starts with us non-Aboriginal Australians. It begins, I think, with that act of recognition. … Down the years, there has been no shortage of guilt, but it has not produced the responses we need. Guilt is not a very constructive emotion. I think what we need to do is open our hearts a bit. All of us.”
-
In the chorus of Yes, why aren’t the bishops joining in?
The official position of the church on the Voice referendum is curious, because, despite overwhelming support for a YES vote from an extraordinary range of Catholic agencies, religious orders and congregations, and voluntary Catholic organisations, the highest national church authority, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has not followed suit. This is surprising because the whole trajectory of debate within the church seemed to be leading in that direction. Most importantly, the ACBC has not followed the advice of its own Indigenous advisory body despite claiming to listen to it. (more…)
-
The Great Australian Silence
Voice proponents flood the streets of major cities as Australian media battles its ‘cult of forgetfulness.’ (more…)
-
Remember Brexit? Australians will regret voting No on the Indigenous Voice
Australians have been able to witness the voter remorse that can arise when a nation votes on a specific question of policy in a referendum that has the potential to set their country on a new course. Referendum questions with that level of significance don’t come along very often for democratic nations but when they do the cost of getting them wrong can be far bigger than we might expect. (more…)
-
Assimilation re-emerges
In her recent address to the National Press Club, Jacinta Price resuscitated the seventy years old policy of assimilation constructed by Minister for Territories Paul Hasluck. (more…)
-
Why The Voice will lead to better government decision-making
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to parliament will result in systemic and sustainable change in government decision-making and policy formulation affecting First Nations peoples. Here are four reasons why. (more…)
-
Avoid the damage of NO: A plea to all women
This is a PLEA to all sensible women (and men) to vote Yes in the referendum because the damages of a No win will move us backward, not forward. We will still need ways of remedying the serious mess of inequities initiated in 1788. The failure of Yes will show the lack of sufficient trust of voters of those whose country this was before colonisation. As a feminist, I hope that women’s experiences as the second sex will help us better understand more of the difficulties of first nations descendants! (more…)
-
Smothered indigenous voices
This is a story of what a voice can achieve and how easily it is undone by external forces. (more…)
-
“Yes” will say “No” to Trumpism and US-like social disintegration
I’m voting “Yes” as a proud Australian of Aboriginal, European and Middle-eastern ancestry. Australia’s Constitution needs to catch up with the nation we are today. We’re a multicultural superpower and Asia-Pacific democracy, founded on 65,000 years of heritage and culture. Our Constitution needs to reflect that. (more…)
-
Crossing the William Barak Bridge
The woman with the Yes pamphlets outside the MCG on Saturday was unwavering. (more…)
-
Where are the better angels of our soul?
The Age/SMH Resolve Strategic poll on the Voice referendum was a dramatic reminder that progressives should always be ready for a profound kick in the guts. (more…)
-
Embedding indigenous advice in government policy key to real change
In discussions of the upcoming referendum on establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, a question often raised is how will it make a difference? This has been difficult for advocates to address because instances of governments’ empowering our First Nations peoples are few and far between. (more…)
-
How I decided to vote in the upcoming Voice referendum
With the date of the Voice referendum now having been set for 14 October, all households will have received a pamphlet outlining the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ case. Australians should understand that these pamphlets have not been officially fact checked. An attempt at fact checking the two cases by The Guardian is worth reading but I found that insufficient. (more…)
-
Queensland Government slammed for abusing human rights of children
More than 180 human rights and legal experts, social justice organisations and First Nations community groups have signed the open letter below condemning the Queensland Government for overriding the state’s Human Rights Act to lock children in the state’s police watch houses indefinitely. (more…)
-
Religion and social policy network welcomes the Statement from the Heart
The Statement from the Heart’s affirmation of the spiritual sovereignty of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their ancestral ties with the land is welcomed with gratitude by the Religion and Social Policy Network of the University of Divinity. RASP is humbled by the audacious generosity extended to the non-Indigenous Australian people through the forgiveness and renewed co-existence offered to us through the Statement. In the face of disproportionate levels of incarceration, the devastating alienation of children from their families, and the theft of country never ceded, we do not merit this forgiveness. (more…)
-
The Rights of Indigenous People
The 13th of September 2007 was an important day in the history of Australian diplomacy although few people have heard of it. That was the occasion when veteran Aboriginal activist Les Malezer addressed the U.N’s General Assembly as the Chair of the Global Indigenous Caucus and introduced the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People. (more…)
-
Self-determination is a choice: The Voice Referendum and what follows
The truth is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people successfully governed themselves for over 60,000 years and Australia need only get out of the way so they can continue. (more…)
-
“Yes” on the Voice is a vote for a better future
Despite their occupation of our continent for over 60,000 years, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are not recognised in the Constitution, the document on which our nation is founded. (more…)
-
The Voice: walking with the Australian people for a better future
“For me, indigenous recognition won’t be changing our constitution so much as completing it.” – Tony Abbot, 2015. (more…)
-
Pay the (colonial) rent?
Internationally-acclaimed Indigenous artist Richard Bell’s latest ‘Pay the rent!’ installation at the Tate Modern in London goes to the heart of some of the intractable problems of Australian white settlement. (more…)
-
A Voice for On Country and one for the city
There is barely an Indigenous murmur in The Centre about the Voice from the Heart. (more…)
-
A ‘Statement From The Heart’ should always be cherished
How is it that the Uluru Statement from the Heart is even slightly controversial? (more…)
-
What the Voice means for Australia’s reputation
The outcome of the Voice referendum will affect Australia’s reputation – a fact voters should consider, writes John McCarthy. (more…)
