indigenous affairs
indigenous affairs
indigenous affairs November 16, 2019
The killing of Kumanjayi Walker
Marly Wells Naparngardi, Warlpiri woman: When I first heard what had happened, I immediately felt outraged, and betrayed, but most of all, I felt sad. We came on Sunday morning to stand together in our grief and were presented with smirking police...
indigenous affairs August 17, 2019
Adam Goodes and writing a new Australia
There are those people who can get away with saying things others dare only to think. That’s Gilbert McAdam. The former AFL player has a cheeky glint in his eye; he always looks as if he’s going to put a comforting arm around your shoulder and draw...
indigenous affairs August 17, 2019
Protecting the Djab Wurrung trees
The impact of the colonial invasion on Aboriginal peoples was never swifter nor more brutal than in western Victoria. The deep volcanic soils and gentle rolling hills of the region, combined with active land management by thousands of generations of...
indigenous affairs June 1, 2019
Morrison and Albanese set out their plans
Already, the race is on for the next election. Both a jubilant Scott Morrison and a perky Anthony Albanese are off and running. Morrison has set himself the task of winning a fourth term for the Coalition, while Albanese is determined to learn from...
indigenous affairs May 18, 2019
The Uluru Statement is a source of hope
The man who loomed up beside me was like the north Queenslander from central casting. He had big canecutter’s hands, and a neck burnt red from the sun, which may also have reflected his politics. “You can have all the government-paid steak dinners...
indigenous affairs March 16, 2019
In December last year, Aunty Tanya Day’s death in custody came to public attention with the beginning of a coronial inquest into her death. A year earlier, the Yorta Yorta grandmother was kicked off a train from Echuca to Melbourne by a V/Line staff...
indigenous affairs January 26, 2019
When I wrote my debut novel, Terra Nullius , back in 2015, I couldn’t have imagined it would lead to January becoming a month during which I cannot breathe. It is January when I am busiest. While kids are on school holidays, and their parents take...
indigenous affairs December 22, 2018
Australia Day: Past, present and future
Noel Pearson says there are three narratives that make Australia – the story of the longest continuous living culture on Earth; the tale of the British colonial project and the institutions that have helped shaped our society; and the narrative of...
indigenous affairs December 8, 2018
In the past year, the impact Me Too has had on the lives of Indigenous women has been subject to sparse debate – beyond Meanjin ’s controversial decision to strike out its Turrbal language masthead in favour of “#MeToo” for a special edition,...
indigenous affairs November 17, 2018
Kids on country, not in custody
When I first saw footage on Facebook of Darwin’s Don Dale detention centre in flames after a rebellion I was heartbroken and very scared for the kids inside. The video showed riot police entering the prison with shotguns and tear gas. This was...
indigenous affairs October 20, 2018
During the 18th century, a European travel writer visiting the colonies in what is now South America was astounded to stumble upon a town where a biracial governor was casually going about his business. More astounding still was how completely...
