Tag: Indigenous affairs

US Interior Secretary Commends Australia’s Efforts to Reconcile ‘Tragic History’ of Indigenous Abuse

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has met with Australia’s Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney discussing the road to reconciliation for Australia’s Aboriginal communities. Haaland, an Indigenous woman from the southwest United States, visited Canberra at the end of a weeklong trip to Australia. At a joint press conference with Haaland at Parliament House, Burney said,…


South Australia Goes It Alone to Embed Indigenous ‘Voice’ Into Its Parliament

South Australia (SA) will forge ahead with its own Indigenous Voice to Parliament, legislated through the SA Parliament, in a move that will likely add a major layer of red tape to government decision-making. The announcement by the SA Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas comes as his federal counterparts look set to push forward a national…


ABC Apologises for Biased Report That Town Meeting on Alice Springs Crime Wave Was ‘Show of White Supremacy’

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has apologised for its “incomplete” coverage of an Alice Springs town meeting, in which locals worried about escalating crime rates in the community were accused of being “racist.” The partial apology came after the shadow minister for communications revealed she had lodged a formal complaint about the “shockingly biased reporting”…


Public Drunkenness Decriminalised After Indigenous Death, Police Warn Results ‘Won’t Be Pretty’

Ambulance and health workers will shoulder the burden of dealing with rowdy drunks as the Victorian Labor government looks set to sideline police officers from handling intoxicated individuals. The move from the Andrews government comes in response to the death of Indigenous woman Tanya Day in the state of Victoria in Australia. The Yorta Yorta…


Feds to Rewrite Policy for ‘Historically Colonial’ Museum Sector: Report

A federal department will hire a number of Canadian indigenous advisors to help rewrite Canada’s 1990 museum policy for the purpose of promoting “equity, diversity and inclusion,” according to a report. “Recognizing the unique challenges and perspectives of Indigenous peoples in relation to their heritage and the historically colonial museum sector, this contract seeks to…


‘Our Rights Didn’t Go With the Boat’: Aboriginal Land Council Claims Ownership Over Stranded Yacht

A shipwrecked yacht on a remote Australian island has become the centre of a dispute between the vessel’s owner and the local Aboriginal Land Council, which claimed the yacht belongs to them. The 40-foot “Huntress” suffered a mishap during its Sydney to Hobart race on Dec. 28, 2022, when it hit an unidentified object which…


Head of CBS-Owned Australian TV Network Tells Staff Not to Celebrate National Day

The head of the Australian television network, Channel 10, has discouraged staff from celebrating Jan. 26 as Australia Day, arguing the date marks the beginning of a “turbulent history” for Indigenous people, according to an internal note. Channel 10 is one of five national free-to-air networks and is part of Paramount Australia and New Zealand…


Victorian Taxpayers To Provide $15 Million To Netball Australia After ‘Virtue Signalling’ Saga

Victorian taxpayers can add another $15 million to the state’s burgeoning debt problems after Premier Daniel Andrews announced its tourism body will step in to sponsor cash-strapped Netball Australia. The sporting league lost its major sponsor Hancock Prospecting just over a week ago after some team members expressed concerns over being associated with the mining…


Australian Foreign Minister and Indigenous Voice Envoy Head To UN Assembly

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is leading a delegation to the United Nations (U.N.) 77th General Assembly as the Albanese government continues to push forward its strong focus on diplomacy in the international community. Wong, who is scheduled to deliver Australia’s national statement on Friday, is expected to outline the country’s commitment to strengthening the…


Indigenous-Speaking Federal Employees Will Not Receive a Bonus, Treasury Board Says

Federal employees fluent in one or more indigenous dialects will not receive a language bonus, said Treasury Board President Mona Fortier. Currently, federal employees who are fluent in both English and French—Canada’s official languages—receive a “bilingualism bonus” worth $800 annually. When reporters asked Fortier if the Treasury Board would approve an indigenous-speaking bonus for federal…