On 28 May, half a million crossed Sydney Harbour Bridge in the Walk for Reconciliation. Actions followed in cities and towns across the country — 50,000 participated in Adelaide and 70,000 in Brisbane. But reconciliation is a vague, “feel good” concept, and does not address the fundamental injustices experienced by Indigenous Australians. Many marchers understood… Read more »
indigenous struggles
Jack Davis: Indigenous leader & playwright
Jack Davis, poet, playwright, actor and Aboriginal activist, died on 17 March at the age of 83. He leaves an extraordinary legacy. Born in 1917, Jack lived for a period at the Moore River Native Settlement and the Brookton Aboriginal Reserve. As a young man, Jack laboured as a stockman and an itinerant worker. His… Read more »
These Lands Were Never Empty: Indigenous revolt against the remnants of European colonialism
Aa kateaki auti aika a nangi ni bubura, aika a nangi n raoiroi, Iao ngai, au auti, e a tewenakoaki – E a kaakaki, ao e a tiku – ti – ti te atibu. Ao antai ae nang – bwa te aomata are e anaa tanon abau, ni kamwengaraoia iai Ngai naba, I tangira naba… Read more »
Fiji: pro-imperialist coup
The reasons behind the overthrow of the Fijian Labour Party Government are complex and sinister. The multiracial government of Mohendra Chaudry was popularly elected, and under the 1997 Constitution could not have won government without the backing of a large proportion of the Indigenous vote. The same Constitution guarantees Fijian ownership of traditional lands. The… Read more »
Racist Immigration Laws Resurrect White Australia Policy
Chasing votes. Enraging the remnants of One Nation, the Howard Government has pinched its immigration policy by enacting the Border Protection Act. This cruel law permits officials to board refugee boats and threaten the occupants. Refugees who are in danger of death will be limited to three-year temporary residency visas, if they’ve “arrived illegally.” The… Read more »
INTERFET Wins Beachhead For Australian Imperialism: East Timorese Independence Already Under Threat
After 24 years of brutal occupation by Indonesia, there was never any doubt that this year’s referendum on independence for the Maubere people of East Timor would succeed. Unfortunately, by the time the vote was held on August 30, 1999, there was no doubt that the Indonesian military had prepared a holocaust for the East… Read more »
Visiting Queer Historian to pay tribute to Native American Women Leaders
U.S gay activist and award winning author, Will Roscoe, is to visit Australia in early 2000. On February 19, he will speak at a special Melbourne event hosted by the Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women. The Way We Were, The Way We Can Be will feature the slide show, Woman Warrior/Woman Chief: The Two-Spirit… Read more »
Defend Indigenous Sovereignty without conditions! Global sisters debate Makah whale hunt
One morning in early June, as I was checking email messages, I found several postings on an international feminist list with the subject title, “Radical Women and Freedom Socialist Party support Makah Tribe whaling!!” The exclamation marks alerted me to the possibility of controversy. The first whale hunt in 70 years by the Makah of… Read more »
Jabiluka Must Not Proceed!
The international spotlight is on Australia. The Howard government is hell-bent on allowing construction of the Jabiluka uranium mine at the Kakadu National Park. The United Nations World Heritage Committee has threatened to place Kakadu on the “World Heritage in danger list.” It has given the Howard government until April 15 to prove scientifically that… Read more »
A Conversation with Ray Jackson from the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch Committee
“Nearly 80% of the Aboriginal people lost their lives to the soldiers’ and squatters’ guns and poison; to starvation and disease; and from the acute anguish arising from the loss of land and kin.” This is how a 1988 poster, Tall Ships, Tall Stories, dispelled the Aussie national hype in the bicentennial celebration of British… Read more »