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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
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
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
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
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
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...
