Keywords: Torres Strait Islanders
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AUSTRALIA
- Andrew Hamilton
- 30 May 2024
This Reconciliation Week and Sorry Day, we consider the defeat of the Referendum and the substantial failure to close the gap between the living conditions of Indigenous Australians and other Australians. It means that for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, this week will be less about days of celebration than of grief and of grim resolve to continue to seek justice.
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AUSTRALIA
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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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FAITH DOING JUSTICE
- Andrew Hamilton
- 21 August 2023
10 Comments
The Catholic Bishops Justice Statement, timed with an impending Referendum on the Voice to Parliament, scrutinizes the ties between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. Crafted alongside the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, it underscores the urgency of deepened engagement through listening, learning, and love, advocating for Indigenous justice and healing.
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EDUCATION
- Anthony Dillon
- 10 August 2023
1 Comment
We need to change the language from improving 'attendance' to improving 'engagement' — to reflect that schools need to be places of learning for Indigenous children, not just minding centres, and that learning comes with engagement. (From 2019)
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AUSTRALIA
- 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
- Michael McVeigh
- 05 May 2023
1 Comment
Recent books Statements from the Soul and An Indigenous Voice to Parliament explore different perspectives on the Uluru Statement, including the relationship between the land and Indigenous people and the legal impact of the proposed constitutional change, while demonstrating the need to appeal to hearts and minds in rallying support for an Indigenous Voice.
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AUSTRALIA
- Kevin Keeffe
- 16 March 2023
10 Comments
Despite the lack of formal consultation with Indigenous peoples at the time, Paul Keating invested significant political capital in designing the Native Title Act and establishing a comprehensive social justice package. As the debate on the Voice intensifies, Indigenous Australians should be afforded the right to offer their Voice and be heard on issues as fundamental as native title.
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AUSTRALIA
- Frank Brennan
- 05 January 2023
We have a lot of work to do if there is to be any prospect of a successful referendum on the Voice to Parliament, which Indigenous people have put to us as the mode by which they want to be recognised in the Constitution. They have said they want a Voice. Now, we can debate whether it be a Voice to Parliament or a Voice to Parliament and government, or a Voice just about particular laws.
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AUSTRALIA
- Glenn Loughrey
- 14 December 2022
1 Comment
In reflecting upon the Statement from the Heart, we need to explore what it is, what it is not, and how it works. The creative dynamic of the Statement is that it is a tool of justice and heart-healing. It is restorative justice writ large, involving the elements that make up the process leading to a resolution of the past and a creative response to the future by enacting justice in the present.
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