We should pay ‘rent’ because ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough
The conversation about ‘paying the rent’ to Indigenous Australians has become polarising but the answer is very simple.
OPINION
I believe we should pay rent to our traditional Indigenous landowners. Why? Because the best apologies are followed by meaningful actions.
I am a privileged white woman who lives on Indigenous land and spends my time wandering around with $6.50 iced coffee, so I am not exactly achieving greatness.
Still, even I know there’s a tax all white Australians should be paying.
Today is Australia Day, aka Invasion Day, and this day has become a pretty confronting one. Instead of us celebrating Australia on the 26th, it is a heavy day where we end up discussing how Australia came to be and the brutal process of colonisation that deeply hurt and impacted our Indigenous community.
It is a shameful history, one that makes me uncomfortable. For me to swan around the inner city, my ancestors probably did some very ugly things to Indigenous people.
The guilt and shame make me want to pay the rent. I’ll be honest; I hadn’t even heard of the concept until this week, but, also, of course I hadn’t!
Although I try to say and do and read the rights things, I’m fairly removed from Indigenous issues on a day-to-day basis.
So, I learnt about the rent because everyone on the internet is in a fury over a campaign in Victoria that allows non-indigenous people to pay rent to Indigenous people for living on their land.
The website for Pay The Rent States: “Decisions about the distribution of money paid into this fund will be made exclusively by a Sovereign Body, composed of Aboriginal people from a range of clans and nations.
“That is, the money always and only belongs to Aboriginal people.”
It is a concept that has got some of Australia’s most famous faces up in arms.
Feminist Clementine Ford is firmly for it, as is Greens senator and activist Lidia Thorpe.
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson is staunchly against it, which is not exactly a surprise.
I understand the subject has already become polarising but I think it is pretty simple. It is an opportunity for non-Indigenous people to put their money where their mouth is.
Before you start yelling that we are in a cost-of-living crisis and you can’t afford it, please, take a breath. The rent system is designed so you can pay as little or as much as you want.
If $20 bucks a week is all your budget can afford, then that is okay. If you can’t afford it, I’m sure that is okay too.
We pay taxes for our schools, hospitals and roads, and we understand the value in that. Why is this any different? We live on Indigenous land, and the least we can do is acknowledge that in a way that will help indigenous people.
I understand that acknowledging that the land belongs to Indigenous people and not white people also surrenders some power, probably power that you didn’t even realise you were holding onto. Still, it is the right thing to do and long overdue – like thousands of years overdue.
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Most Australians are kind, warm people that want to help each other. So, think of it like this — paying a land tax isn’t just about paying retributions.
It’s about paying for a better and brighter future for Indigenous Australians, and ultimately, that will make a better Australia.
I personally feel slightly relieved that there’s something tangible I can do that will hopefully make my sorry hold more meaning.
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