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Keywords: First Nations

  • AUSTRALIA

    Lessons from our failure to build a constitutional bridge in the 2023 Referendum

    • Frank Brennan
    • 27 May 2024

    Following the failure of the Voice referendum, many believed that the path to constitutional recognition is closed for Indigenous Australians. But they may be wrong. 

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Best of 2023: Bringing the country with us

    • Frank Brennan
    • 04 January 2024

    As Australia approaches a pivotal referendum, voters face a critical choice: endorse a new chapter in the Constitution providing a 'First Nations Voice' or leave it untouched. Whichever way the vote goes, we will be left with a Constitution not fit for purpose in the 21st century.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Best of 2023: Voices beyond Yes and No

    • Celeste Liddle
    • 04 January 2024

    Later this year, Australians will vote on a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but many Indigenous Australians remain undecided, reflecting the complexities of the issue. The debate over the Voice to Parliament extends beyond the referendum question to encompass broader concerns about the constitution, treaties, and achieving true equality.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Backwards to go forwards

    • Barry Gittins
    • 16 November 2023
    6 Comments

    How should our nation reckon with its colonial history and its lasting impact on contemporary society? From the stark realities of early settlement to the enduring legacies of injustice towards Indigenous peoples, this piece explores what it means for a country to grapple with its identity amidst a backdrop of change.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Some things change, some things stay the same

    • David Halliday
    • 13 October 2023

    This vote will be remembered as an opportunity for Australians to grapple with the injustices of history, and imagine a more just way forward. My hope is that each person voting will have done just that – and whether they vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’, that they are making their vote bearing in mind what they think will best reconcile our nation’s past and look forward to a more just future.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Will they gain a Voice? I sincerely hope so

    • Barry Gittins
    • 28 September 2023
    3 Comments

    The voices of Australia's First Nations communities are asking to be heard. With the upcoming referendum, the nation faces a decision both about equity and identity. How might genuine hope and understanding impact Australia's path forward and address longstanding disparities?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    A Voice divided

    • David Halliday
    • 26 September 2023

    In the lead up to the Voice referendum, there's a subtle yet seismic undercurrent at play: How do we sustain a meaningful democratic conversation when the foundational truths seem so fragmented? Our ability to connect, converse, and find consensus could be the real referendum of our times.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The Voice referendum: Bringing the country with us

    • Frank Brennan
    • 01 September 2023
    14 Comments

    As Australia approaches a pivotal referendum, voters face a critical choice: endorse a new chapter in the Constitution providing a 'First Nations Voice' or leave it untouched. Whichever way the vote goes, we will be left with a Constitution not fit for purpose in the 21st century.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    A songline of the universe

    • Constant Mews
    • 25 July 2023
    6 Comments

    Simultaneously scientific and evocative, 'Origins' an oratorio by Nicholas Buc, offers a modern songline with the story of creation, evolution, and extinction. As we stand at the precipice of a referendum to recognise the first peoples in our constitution, can this musical piece remind us of the value of the stories that shape our understanding of the universe and our place within it?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The refugee children of colonisation

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 20 June 2023
    5 Comments

    Observing World Refugee Week and the Referendum on the Voice to Parliament together is appropriate because the First Peoples and later refugees have suffered in similar ways. Jordana Silverstein's latest book draws striking parallels between Australia's colonial past and the modern treatment of refugee children.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Recognition of Aboriginal rights: A contemporary Australian perspective

    • Frank Brennan
    • 05 June 2023
    19 Comments

    The wording of the proposed change to the Australian Constitution to enshrine a First Nations Voice might not be perfect. But whatever the imperfections and the risk of future complications, it is high time that Australia’s First Peoples were recognised in the Constitution in a manner sought and approved by a broad cross-section of Indigenous leaders.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Voices beyond Yes and No

    • Celeste Liddle
    • 10 May 2023
    17 Comments

    Later this year, Australians will vote on a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but many Indigenous Australians remain undecided, reflecting the complexities of the issue. The debate over the Voice to Parliament extends beyond the referendum question to encompass broader concerns about the constitution, treaties, and achieving true equality.

    READ MORE