Eddie Synot UNSW. Many will feel a sense of déjà vu when reading the minister for Indigenous Australians’ announcement of a co-design process for a ‘voice to government’. This is yet another process in the long journey of Indigenous people to set things right and for our voices to be heard. Ken Wyatt’s announcement states […]
Susan Connelly. A great deal is being written about the violence and deaths in Papua and West Papua, the two provinces of Indonesia which occupy the western half of the island of New Guinea. But what is being done about it? The confusion of names in this region exacerbates the problem. West Irian, Irian Jaya, […]
Dan Yore. I am sitting next to Nuŋki, a Gumatj elder, as he looks through a telescope for the first time. We are sitting by the beach near his homeland of Dhaniya in North-East Arnhem Land. He is in awe. The rings of Saturn are exquisite tonight. We have just finished presenting a ‘both-ways’ astronomy […]
Helen Praetz Daffey. Dr Jim Bowler is well known as the scientist who discovered Mungo Lady and Mungo Man, ancient remains buried on the dried-up shores of Lake Mungo in outback New South Wales, subsequently dated at 42,000 years old. Their discovery changed our understanding of how and when Australia was occupied. It also profoundly […]
Peter Whiting. Until recently, for the last 20 years or so, I have celebrated Australia Day at my home with a group of my friends. As part of the entertainment, I would compile a short quiz on a particular Australian theme: bushrangers, prime ministers, Australian poets, prominent Australians, place names, and so on. Intentionally, I […]
Michael Breen University of Melbourne After years of debate, the process for achieving constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has reached a crossroads. More than a year has gone by since the Uluru Statement from the Heart, when Indigenous peoples rejected symbolic constitutional reform and asked for more practical changes. Instead of looking at selected components of […]
Henry Reynolds University of Tasmania US slave owners wrote and spoke about liberty, equality and the pursuit of happiness. Similar hypocrisy, buried in the foundations of settler Australia, has escaped comparable scrutiny. The nature of the early settlements is so well known that it is frequently taken for granted. But for the first 50 years […]
Sherry Balcombe. As Aboriginal people, we are spiritual beings by nature. I suppose that was God’s purpose. Our spirituality is so entwined with our culture, customs and lore, they cannot be separated and exist together. We have a deep respect for everything in our world. The land we consider to be alive; she is our […]
Neale Cohen Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute Jonathan Carapetis Telethon Kids Institute Sue Kildea The University of Queensland While death rates from heart and kidney disease have dropped among Indigenous people, death rates from cancer are on the rise. The tenth Closing the Gap report to be tabled in Parliament today is expected to show progress in […]
Nicholas Biddle Australian National University At first glance, the most recent review of government expenditure on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Australians is quite staggering. It estimates that direct expenditure was A$33.4 billion, an increase of around 23.7% since the first report in 2008-09 (taking into account inflation). This equates to A$44,886 per Aboriginal and […]
