Since the British invasion of Gadigal land at Sydney Cove in 1788, race relations in Australia have been underscored by what Wiradjuri writer Jack Gibson describes as the “supremeness of whiteness”.
Narratives of Indigenous inferiority and deficiency, combined with paternalistic policies, have produced a cultural climate where non-Indigenous voices have often dominated debate on matters of concern and importance to Indigenous communities.
However, in recent years, Indigenous journalists and storytellers have sought to change this.
The Uluru Statement From the Heart calls for a process of truth-telling. And as the Black Lives Matter movement has grown, some media organisations are recognising the need to deal with their histories of racist representations. In 2020, for example, the Stuff Group in New Zealand apologised for its racist and exclusionary depictions of Māori over decades.
Foreign policy is an expression of a state’s fundamental values. It’s the outward face of every government, representing its aspirations in the international system. A state’s foreign policy can often convey strength, but also reveal weakness.
While Australia has enjoyed a strong international standing in recent decades, there has been no real recognition within our foreign policy of the diverse First Nations that have long inhabited this land.
First Nations people are excluded from this external dialogue, and it is well past time this changed.
A history of exclusion
As a proud Wiradjuri man, I know all too well this feeling of exclusion for First Nations people, both here and overseas. Our views on foreign policy are routinely considered irrelevant, our contributions not valued, and our issues ignored.
Indigenous people have not created the space in which the community we love is reduced to stereotypes of deficit, disadvantage and dysfunction. That space has been created for us over 230 years.It must change.
First Nations voices must lead on the path to equity smh.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smh.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Implement all actions from the [email protected] report
Implement the Uluru Statement From the Heart
Create sufficient stock of quality social housing so that housing becomes a right, not a wait list
Acknowledge women’s lifetime earning deficit with a corresponding discount on all tertiary education and bonus on superannuation
Implement minimum 40% management/board quotas for all public bodies, political parties and publicly owned companies
Pay childcare workers and aged care workers like they’re doing the most important damn job in the country, because they are, and take these sectors away from for profit
Compulsory annual consent training for each year of schooling from grade 6 to 12 and for all public bodies (including parliament) and public companies.