Australian Governments have a horrible history of systemic racism. But they didn’t try to hide it! They wrote it all down. Thanks to historian and activist, Ros Kidd, the shameful treatment of Indigenous Australians is not gathering dust in the archives. A second edition of her powerful exposé, Black Lives, Government Lies, was published earlier… Read more »
indigenous struggles
High Court legitimises dispossession: Racist judgement denies existence of Yorta Yorta Nation
In 1992, Indigenous Nations celebrated the Mabo Judgement, which finally recognised, partially, their traditional ownership of their country. Since then, both major parties have stacked the High Court with judges hostile to civil rights in general and Indigenous rights in particular. On December 12, a five-to-two majority effectively annulled Mabo — part of a ruling… Read more »
Ngarrindjeri women vindicated! Make the developers pay compensation now!
On September 20, 2002 the Ngarrindjeri Nation of South Australia finally got some justice. National media reported the discovery of the 200-year-old bones of a woman and her baby daughter at Goolwa, outside Adelaide. Eighteen months earlier, the Hindmarsh Island Bridge had been opened with much fanfare, linking Goolwa to Kumarangk (traditional name for Hindmarsh… Read more »
From high school rebel to Socialist Alliance leader: Talking with Sam Watson
Sam Watson headed the Socialist Alliance Senate ticket in Queensland at the last Federal election. The ticket attracted a very credible 8,965 votes. After the elections, Alison Thorne, who headed the Victorian Senate ticket for Socialist Alliance, caught up with Sam Watson in Brisbane to discuss his 35-year history of political struggle, Watson’s hopes for… Read more »
Salt water people versus corporate fishing giants: Unite to back their sea rights fight.
In March this year, a summit of Torres Strait Islanders resolved to ban commercial fishing in their “sea country” and this ban could soon extend across northern Australia. While not legally enforceable, it is an assertion by the traditional owners of their rights over the waters they’ve fished and looked after for thousands of years…. Read more »
Finish the fight to stop Jabiluka!
The fight to stop the Jabiluka uranium mine is close to victory. Rio Tinto, the new owner which took over North Limited, has announced that the mine will not be developed without the consent of the Aboriginal owners. The Mirrar people, led by feisty senior custodian Yvonne Margarula and activist Jacquie Katona, are rock solid… Read more »
In Denial: The Stolen Generations and the Right
Robert Manne has for many years been associated with anti-communism and a trenchant opposition to the Left in Australia. This has led to a tendency among leftists to dismiss him as just another apologist for rampant capitalism. The truth, as always, is more complex. In fact Manne has been a consistent liberal, believing in the… Read more »
Self-determination for West Papua!
History is repeating itself in West Papua. After finally being forced to reverse course on East Timor, both the Howard Government and the Labor opposition have been gripped by another bout of bipartisan opportunism. Their prime concern is to maintain “good relations” with the Indonesian bourgeoisie. The result? The legitimate aspirations of the West Papuan… Read more »
Charles Perkins: a life of commitment
Doctor Charles Nelson Perrurle Perkins died in a Sydney hospital on 18 October 2000 from complications arising from a kidney transplant which he received in 1972. He was 64 years old. Charlie was born in 1936 to Hetti, an eastern Arrernte woman. His father Martin was of Kalkadoon and Irish descent. His early years were… Read more »
Beyond Reconciliation: Fight for real justice for Aborigines
On Sunday, December 3, 2000, six hundred thousand people came out for Melbourne’s Walk for Reconciliation. Perth also had its biggest-ever rally that day, ending a year of similarly spectacular actions. On May 28, Sydney’s Harbour Bridge was crowded with 500,000 marchers. Cities and towns across the country also set their own records — 50,000… Read more »
