Category: Australian Indigenous

Struggle to Survive in Australia’s Torres Strait Island ‘Paradise’

The Torres Strait Islands are like a tropical paradise to outsiders but for many Aboriginal Australians, it has more in common with a failed state as they struggle to survive amid the soaring cost of living. Indigenous families are being forced to leave their archipelago homes in Queensland’s north because of a lack of affordable housing…


A ‘One Tribe’ Policy: Indigenous Groups Lock Horns Over Popular Tourist Site

Aboriginal groups have blamed an Indigenous advocacy organisation for promoting a “one tribe policy” after it managed to convince the New South Wales government to declare a popular tourist destination a “men’s site” and consider a ban on visitors. The New South Wales government has worked closely with a “Wollumbin Consultative Group” since 2000—according to…


A One Tribe Policy: Aboriginal Elder Locks Horns With Advocacy Group Over Tourist Site

Aboriginal groups have blamed an Indigenous advocacy organisation for promoting a “one tribe policy” after it managed to convince the New South Wales government to declare a popular tourist destination a “men’s site” and consider a ban on visitors. The New South Wales government has worked closely with a “Wollumbin Consultative Group” since 2000—according to…


Childcare Key to Fewer Kids in Protection

Fewer Aboriginal children would end up in the child protection system if early childhood services were better funded and resourced, industry leaders suggest. Victoria’s truth-telling inquiry is examining the child protection system, with early childhood leaders on Friday lamenting the fractured way centres are funded across the state. Aboriginal-controlled childcare organisations that unite communities and…


How We Can Make the ‘Voice’ Work

Commentary Plenty has been said about the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament; some of it has been thought provoking, and much of it unfortunately, has just been the regurgitation of past offerings by those wanting to score political points. We currently have one side saying it’s racist if the Voice doesn’t get up and the…


The ‘Voice’ No One Asked For

Commentary In November, I was a conference panellist on the topic of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. Chris Kenny, a host on Sky News Australia, was moderating a panel of Anthony Dillon, Hannah Hollis, Dean Parkin, and myself. The whole conference was a great event, and we also had a great…


University Reinstates Marks for Student Who Was Penalised for Not Acknowledging Indigenous Rights

One of Australia’s top universities has overturned a decision to dock marks from a student after failing to acknowledge the traditional land rights of Indigenous people.  The move came after the engineering student filed a formal complaint at Melbourne’s prestigious Monash University on Oct. 7. A Monash university spokesperson told the Herald Sun newspaper that the…


Affirmative Action Removes Individual Agency: Indigenous Senator

Framing Aboriginal Australians as victims removes responsibility from themselves as an individual rather than helping them flourish, says an Indigenous Australian senator.   Jacinta Price, new Country Liberal Party senator for Northern Territory, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 1 that such an approach creates the expectation that the “perceived oppressor,” who is white Australians…


‘Anti-Racism’ Narrative Almost Cult-Like: Australian Supreme Court Judge

An Australian judge has warned of a “new ‘anti-racism’ religion” and described the overusing of the term “racist” where it doesn’t apply is “unhelpful and dishonest” and detracting from the search for solutions.  Speaking at the 2022 Women Lawyers’ Drinks on Aug. 26, Northern Territory Supreme Court Justice Judith Kelly said while past Australian governments…


Anti-Racism Narrative Becoming ‘Cult-Like’: Australian Judge

An Australian judge has warned of a “new ‘anti-racism’ religion” and says overuse of the term “racist” is unhelpful and dishonest.  Speaking at the 2022 Women Lawyers’ Drinks on Aug. 26, Northern Territory Supreme Court Justice Judith Kelly said while past Australian governments had racist policies, “the fact that some contemporary problems have been caused…