Jailed at 10, Sheltered at 16: The Double Standards of Growing Up in Australia
Children as young as 10 can be jailed, and this is a symptom of a systemic failure that criminalises Aboriginal children and makes them more vulnerable to an unfair justice system. But in this recent discourse on teenagers’ interactions with social media, children are seen as impressionable, in need of protection, and too young to understand the potential harm of their actions. Shawna Pope writes, why is there such a stark difference in how Australia views kids, based on their race?
Sovereignty is a coloniser concept. We need Law in Country
Uncle Jim Everett - puralia meenamatta Elder and philosopher has been defending native forests in Tasmania from logging. In the face of colonial law, Uncle Jim writes, First Nations people need to honour our commitment to Country, and fight for the future of our lands, before colony-imposed climate change becomes a death sentence for our world.
Keeping the Fire Burning: Collective Resistance, Sharing Culture, Creating Community and Speaking Truth to Power
From colonised Australia to the ethnic-cleansing of Eelam Tamils and the occupation of Palestine. University students across the world have expressed their solidarity in standing against the genocide in Gaza. Here in so-called Australia, university students have been doing the same, with the establishment of camps on campuses. Udaya Shanmugam and Jaala Ozies share the stories behind the solidarity.
The NT election is a lesson for Labor: Govern for the good of people and planet or make way for progressives who will
Historically, people elect Labor governments because they want better conditions for people and planet. Larrakia artist Laniyuk and Māori political organiser Te Raukura write, when Labor politicians prioritise policies that favour multinational corporations while neglecting vital public services, they lose trust and votes.
Beyond the Horizon: Imagining Utopian Indigenous Futures
There’s been a lot of talk about Indigenous futures lately, particularly faraway futures beyond the immediate time horizon. Indigenous futurism has been described as a form of activism that dismisses the idea of a still-colonised future, unsettling settlers by breaking free of colonial conditioning and refusing to be frozen in time. When asked to forecast the life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 2050, most of us are lost for words—this silence is telling, this silence is troubling, and this silence needs examining.
Reflections on Yoorrook and Palestine
Today (June 7th) marks the final day of the Yoorrook Justice Commission hearings investigating injustices in housing, health, education and economic life for First Nations peoples in Victoria. These hearings are providing space for First Nations peoples’ to give evidence in a larger act of Truth-telling, to acknowledge and hold account the institutions that contribute to genocidal and discriminatory practices. But, Sissy Austin writes, we can not be selective of which genocides we choose to be outraged over.
Yoorrook Justice Commission: Jarvis’ Story
The Yoorrook Justice Commission has been travelling across Victoria as part of its work to put the true history of the state since colonisation on the public record. The Commission has heard from thousands of First Peoples during the truth telling process – the first of its kind in Australia. Commissioner Maggie Walter shares one of the testimonies being presented today, from a First Nations man named Jarvis. Commissioner Walter has shared this with his permission.
Impact statement from Nathan Booth’s family
Nathan Booth was reported missing in July 2019, and after months of inaction from the police, his body was found in December that year, in the Murrumbidgee. After five years of waiting, the inquest into Nathan’s death is continuing this week. Yesterday Nathan’s family made a statement, which we have published with their permission.
He never had a chance – honouring the memory of Joshua Kerr
Meriki Onus honours the life and death of a proud Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Yorta Yorta man, Joshua Kerr who tragically died in custody in 2022. Meriki has been present at Josh's inquest and offers her insights and reflections into systemic oppression and historical injustices.
