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 […]
Henry Reynolds. From John Menadue’s blog, Pearls & Irritations, 10 July 2017. The release by Newcastle University’s Centre for 21st Century Humanities of a map of colonial frontier massacres has attracted a burst of media attention. It draws national interest back to those questions that were highlighted during the history wars of a decade and more […]
Peter Whiting. The new minimum wage rate has come into effect on 1 July. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) recently announced an increase of $18.29/hour, or approximately 3.3%. Inevitably, the decision failed to satisfy any of the vested parties within the Australian Industry Group representing employers seeking to limit the increase to $10.10/hour, citing weak […]
Diana Perche UNSW. Ten years ago this month, the then prime minister, John Howard, and his Indigenous affairs minister, Mal Brough, launched the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) into remote Indigenous communities. With no warning, and no consultation, the federal government moved swiftly to seize control of many aspects of the daily lives of residents […]
Bishop Vincent Long launches Bonded through Tragedy, United in Hope; the Catholic Church & East Timor’s Struggle for Independence. A Memoir, by Hilton Deakin with Therese & Jim D’Orsa More than 200 people at the Knox Centre in Melbourne on 1 June heard Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, now of Parramatta Diocese, launch this striking […]
Bonded through tragedy united in hope: The Catholic Church & East Timor’s struggle for independence, a memoir, by Hilton Deakin with Jim and Therese D’Orsa (Melbourne: Garratt Publishing 2017). Reviewed by Rowan Ireland. Australian Catholic bishop, Hilton Deakin, now aged 84, has given us a remarkable memoir. It was produced over several years, with the […]
A treaty would be an agreement rather like that of host and guest, with rights & responsibilities for each party. AAP/Joel Carrett Gaynor Macdonald, University of Sydney The Indigenous National Constitutional Convention concluded with the Uluru Statement. In contrast to the political expectation that it would simply support symbolic recognition of Indigenous people in the Australian […]
Sherry Balcombe Coordinator Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Thornbury Victoria Our National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, with the assistance of the Australian Bishops’ Conference, in a video message, requested a blessing from Pope Francis. Recorded in Alice Springs, the video features people present at Blatherskite Park in 1986. These people experienced first-hand the impact […]
