In 1901, when Australia’s Constitution was originally determined, there was no direct mention of First Nations people. In fact, it was designed to deliberately exclude us.
For decades, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been campaigning for change to the current political system in Australia. Many incremental changes have led us to this moment in history...
For generations, First Nations people have consistently and persistently pointed to self-determination as being essential in making meaningful difference in the lives of our people.
♦ Budgeram means story in Bundjalung language.
Thirty-five years ago, ten Aboriginal artists gathered to create an Aboriginal Artists Co-operative in Sydney, the place of first point...
Belonging is a feeling of security and support we experience when we experience a sense of acceptance and inclusion in community. Belonging is a sense of being connected to something greater
My grandfather would often tell me a story. A story about a community. This community was self-sufficient, self-reliant, and self-determining of their own lives.
On election night 2022, in his victory speech, the first commitment Anthony Albanese made was to pledge a referendum to enshrine a voice for First Nations people in the Constitution.
Having spent a long time reflecting on the last 13 weeks since the floods devastated our region, many important issues have come to my attention – loss of homes, possessions, safety, schools suspended from flooding, chaos, death, loss of animals, extreme anxiety and desperation, and so much more.
As a First Nations woman I have a complex approach to voting. I acknowledge that the right to vote was hard fought and won for both my race and my gender so I feel an obligation to those who came before me to participate in the electoral system.
In our efforts to change and dominate our landscape we have altered the very fabric of how our ecosystems and geography manage in times of severe weather. Severe weather that is becoming more frequent, more devastating.
Dr Bronwyn Bancroft disdain the current crop of politicians and bureaucrats 'who build walls; impenetrable walls of misinformation, and disguise corruption as expedient to being elected to office'.
As the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy draws near, the attention of the nation is again being drawn to the lawns of Old Parliament House. However, this time the actions of the few do not encompass the views and needs of First Nations people.
♦ Budgeram means story in Bundjalung language.
I am a teacher. I teach at University Canberra, on Ngunnawal country, in ACT.
This university went into ‘Lockdown’ about four...
This 26 January 2022 will be the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra, Ngambri-Ngunnawal Country. This is an iconic moment in the history of the struggle for justice for Aboriginal people in the country because the Aboriginal Tent Embassy remains as relevant and necessary as ever.
In a recent conversation, with a dear friend, Gumilaroi educator Professor Bob Morgan, my spirit was lifted when he told me that after 50+ years of struggling for justice and equity for First Nations’ people in Australia and overseas that he remains ‘a prisoner of hope’ despite the glacial speed of progress and change.
The world needs gentle men. A gentle man is someone who puts more into the world than he takes out. For me this is an adequate description of First Nations men.
Motivated by the Eddie Mabo case for land rights and the fact that important sites for Aboriginal people were being eaten up by rapacious land development supported by local government, Bandjalang Elder Lawrence Wilson became the prime mover for the original Native Title claims at Evans Head.
Hope is a fragile thing in 2021. With the current pandemic and the uncertainty in so many aspects of life, our hope is being shadowed by fear. It is profoundly affecting our humanity.
As NAIDOC week arrives and we spend another year celebrating from home, it gives us a chance to sit and reflect upon the theme of this year’s celebrations.
Aboriginal knowledge, is tied up in stories, dance and art. I share my verbal knowledge with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It is about connecting people to our history of country and heritage and also helps them understand their connection to our environment.
♦ Budgeram means story in Bundjalung language.
Access to a good quality education can ensure that an individual will be successful in life. Unfortunately for Indigenous Australians,...
The 'Uluru Statement from the Heart' seeks constitutional reform to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have a say and be involved over matters that impact their lives.
January 26. A conflicting date for many Australians. For some, this date reflects over 200 years of destruction and denigration of our traditional customs, values, languages, and cultural landscapes.
Imagine if we passed laws that were about caring for the land and the people, returning the old ways, bringing back the lores from the first cultures of ‘Australia’.
What is the fear that immerses us to such a degree that we become immobilised? I felt that fear in the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the news actually started to make me feel ill, so I turned off the news and tuned in to my life.
Doing the right thing. Staying home. Saving lives. But what if you’re not home. What if you are living off country as it’s too expensive to go home, or there is no work at home. What if you have no home?
The toilet paper, and a measure of our societal maturity, were the first Australian casualties in today’s COVID-19 pandemic. The madness in the shopping centres were an early indicator that the leaders of the nation would need to step up. But as with the bushfire crisis, they did not.
At this particular point in time, I am troubled – troubled by this country, Australia, that is destroying our lifeline, an essential component of all of our existences – Mother Earth. Is it possible for all of us to rise and meet the challenges that are now being presented to us all?
As part of the Northern Rivers Watershed Initiative (NRWI), the owners of The Channon Tavern were recently awarded a grant to plant 2,500 trees on the banks of the creek below the venue.
Locals say that the approval of the latest modifications of the flood prone, zombie development application (DA) for a 37-lot industrial subdivision at 60...
The Northern Rivers has been active in settling refugees here and since August 2022 has seen 42 refugees from Syria and Venezuela settled across the region.
