indigenous affairs

indigenous affairs   November 18, 2023

Life in the time of polycrisis

Why does so much feel like it’s going wrong, all at the same time? Why do so many of us feel this sense of impending doom? According to experts, we are living through a “polycrisis”, a tangled mess of multiple crises, all happening at once. In the...

indigenous affairs   October 28, 2023

The plot to bury reconciliation

It is time we stop pretending the overwhelming “No” vote at the referendum wasn’t fanned by racism, underlying all the lies and misrepresentation. This is not to say all those who voted “No” were racists. Rather, it is increasingly clear racism was...

indigenous affairs   October 28, 2023

Echoes of the Voice

Anthony Albanese has moved on from his thwarted attempt to have an Indigenous Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution. It is frustrating the opposition and disappointing some key leaders in the Aboriginal community. Greatly assisting the...

indigenous affairs   October 28, 2023

Truth and the threats to liberal democracy

“Let her and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter?” – John Milton, Areopagitica (1644) The Voice referendum was the first constitutional referendum to be held since 1999. No Australian under the age...

indigenous affairs   October 21, 2023

Beyond the referendum

Writing this, in the sorrowful days after the referendum, I am concerned the things that make me feel regretful about our politics and public policy are not so much in the past but in the future. As disappointed as I am about the outcome, and as...

indigenous affairs   October 21, 2023

Treaty and the damage done

In the immediate aftermath of the stone-cold rejection of the Voice to Parliament and the constitutional recognition it entailed, there have been calls from all sides of the debate to initiate a treaty process now the Voice has fallen. Much as I...

indigenous affairs   October 21, 2023

Australia’s refusal to listen

I cried myself to sleep, eventually, in an uncomfortable bed in an Airbnb about 4am on Saturday morning. It was not fear or anxiety; it was not concern or panic about the referendum to come, fear of an uncomfortable result; it was not a reaction to...

indigenous affairs   October 14, 2023

The unavoidable consequences of the referendum

Today we will know. We will know what sort of country we want to be, whether the narrow path to victory for the “Yes” campaign has petered out into a track to nowhere or whether, beyond the telling of every opinion poll, today will result in a rare...

indigenous affairs   October 14, 2023

An open-hearted ‘Yes’

There are few forces more fundamental to human flourishing than belonging. The feeling of acceptance that comes from deep bonds of connection can be psychologically protective – an anchor steadying the ship. First Nations peoples are the oldest...

indigenous affairs   October 7, 2023

The enduring stain of the White Australia policy

The White Australia policy stands out as probably the most significant blemish on this country’s national character and unity, as well as its global reputation, with continuing consequences today. It has been said that latent racism, carrying echoes...

indigenous affairs   October 7, 2023

The ‘Yes’ vote comeback we have to have

Upset results and come-from-behind victories are as common in politics as they are on the sporting field. Opinion polls have famously got election results wrong over the years, although not as often as many underdogs would wish. The referendum for...