Aboriginal communities and nations to decide who is and who is not a member of their sovereign country
Tony Birch discusses the complexity of identity and the pain of lost connection with credence to the power of connection and the importance of respect.
The Yoo-rrook Justice Commission: seeking truth and justice
In June 2020 the legislative journey that resulted in the establishment of the Yoo-rrook Justice Commission began life in the lower house of the Victorian…
The nation does not care about people who become incarcerated
Tony Birch says that to state that a loss of Aboriginal life results in yet another ‘death in custody’ is to use language that refuses the reality of murder in custody that we know will be failed by the system.
A change of date will do nothing to shake Australia from its colonial-settler triumphalism
Least anyone become overly concerned, the date chosen to mark Australia Day has historically been a movable feast. For instance, July 15 was once the favoured date. While many believe that the current date – January 26 – commemorates the landing of the so-called “First Fleet” (which itself is historically inaccurate), I would expect that the date was moved from the gloom of a southern winter to mid-summer for the sake of devotees of the barbeque and patriotic lamb advertisements.
White Australia stole Indigenous children. And then stole their victimhood too
As we commemorate Sorry Day on 26 May, it is vital to also recognise that 20 years has passed since the release of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s Bringing Them Home report.
