Brisbane’s path to Indigenous recognition since the Uluru Statement from the Heart
At the end of Black History Month, an Indigenous Brisbane academic explains the quiet moments you may have missed that are a big deal on the path to constitutional recognition.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AUSTRALIANS will have a chance to vote to recognise First Nations people in our constitution in the next three years and momentum for reform is building in Brisbane.
As Black History Month ends, Griffith University indigenous lecturer Eddie Synot explains the quiet history-making moments at a local, state and federal level over the past few months.
New Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt has plan for Elder statesmen
NAIDOC week shines a light on elements central to the Uluru Statement from the Heart
The Deagon resident hopes they will culminate in Australia’s biggest leap forward since the nation overwhelmingly voted to count Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders in the census and make laws for them in the 1967 Referendum.
He said the modern equivalent would be a vote for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to be recognised in the Australian Constitution in the upcoming Referendum.
“It’s nation making. It goes to the heart of who we are as a country and who we want to be in the future,” he said.
“I, unfortunately, wasn’t alive in 1967. I would have loved to be to see that reform, but this is something very similar and that we can build on together, today.”
Mr Synot said it went back to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017, essentially an open letter addressed to all Australians.
“When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country,” it stated.
“We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.”
Mr Synot said after an initial backlash from politicians, the Australian public and corporations came out in staunch support of the statement.
“One of the key things out of the Uluru Statement of the Heart was it was addressed to the Australian People, not to government or politicians, because we have a long history of making representations to the government and been ignored,” he said.
That support has led to a domino effect of changes this year.
It started on May 29, when Ken Wyatt was sworn in as Australia’s first Indigenous member of the Federal cabinet and the first Indigenous Australian to hold the Indigenous Australians portfolio.
Days afterwards Cr Jared Cassidy (Deagon) moved a motion that Brisbane City Council recognise the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which was unanimously supported after minor changes.
On July 10, Mr Wyatt committed to a referendum on whether to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and announced a new agency committed to closing the gaps between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians.
On July 14, the Queensland Government began a program called Tracks to Treaty to begin negotiating treaties with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders across the state.
Mr Synot helped Cr Cassidy draft the motion that went to the council on June 4 and was in the public gallery when it was unanimously voted through.
“It was quite emotional. It was amazing to be able to see,” he said.
“It came after the time when Ken Wyatt had been announced as Indigenous affairs minister, so it was a recognition of progress and the importance of the reform.”
He said a First Nations Voice enshrined in the constitution would not only be symbolic but would support treaty processes in the state and territories, as well as other policy decisions.
“There’s always been a ceiling or a limit on Indigenous recognition and what the Australian government and people have been willing to accept,” he said.
“It’s why the constitution is important and why treaty is important.”
He said none of these issues should be controversial and no-one should feel guilt or shame about having those conversations, especially in the lead up to the Referendum.
“It’s those conversations that we have with our families, our school groups, our work colleagues — all those ones that aren’t on national TV between the big decision-makers — they’re the conversations that are going to deliver these reforms,” he said.
He said it was those conversations that got the country to where it was today and it was the only way to continue that progress.
“When I look back at our history and how long Indigenous people have been advocating for these reforms and how that support has been built, we’re standing on the shoulders of giants that have come before us and walking in the steps of our ancestors and there’s something really significant that continues to build out of that history,” he said.
SEQ housing shake-up as new property giant rises
A property giant is emerging after its latest takeover was approved, paving the way for the conglomerate to become the largest housing developer in southeast Queensland.
Man sought psych help in hours before deadly hammer attack on own mum
A mentally ill man who killed his mother in a violent attack in her own home will be eligible for parole in 2.5 years, a court hearing he was preoccupied with ‘end of days perceptions’.