Pandemic activists have saved more lives than Government
Independent Australia
03 Jul 2021, 08:52 GMT+10
Community groups and activists have done far more to help those in need during the pandemic than our own government, writes Tom Tanuki.
IT TURNS OUT there are redeeming qualities to be found in a global disaster. I m grateful to have been witness to the way people struggle together, organise and build opportunities for community care over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
This gratitude feels more profound to me than even the temporary welfare measures that kept me fed (before they ended) or the vaccine breakthrough that s already saving millions. Because mutual aid feels more immediate, closer to home. I d rather celebrate this history of grassroots struggle than view the pandemic through an endless chain of government announcements and restrictions.
In the Penal Colony nplusonemag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nplusonemag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody are often given as statistics. But behind those numbers are real people and an indescribable impact on the families and communities who loved them. They are the strongest advocates for those who have died in custody, and in reform of the system.
The 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report whose 30th anniversary was observed on April 15 makes recommendations that address the necessity of self-determination for Aboriginal families and communities.
However, acts of self-determination, such as calls for community-led changes to the justice system, have been ignored.
Indigenous-led solutions
Only a handful of the 339 recommendations of the royal commission relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities grieving a death in custody.
INVASION DAY RALLY MELBOURNE 2021 - AAP
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A Victorian senator has told thousands of Melbourne Invasion Day demonstrators that Australia s Indigenous people need a treaty, not more symbolic gestures.
About 5000 masked protesters marched in Melbourne s CBD on Australia Day, moving in staggered COVID-safe units from Parliament House toward Flinders Street.
They chanted Always was, always will be Aboriginal land and No pride in genocide while holding placards and Aboriginal flags.
Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman elected in September, said Australia needed a treaty to resolve the war that was declared on our people almost 250 years ago .
Protesters were told to use hand sanitiser frequently and wear face masks and most appeared to be doing so but social distancing proved difficult. The Aboriginal leader said there was a “deliberate ignorance” in Australia about the history of the land. “The British tried everything to eradicate us after their invasion but it didn’t work. “We want you to listen to our voice, and that is why I believe we are here today with so much support, wanting our voice to be heard and listened to and respected.” Following a minute of silence at 11.26am, two women with white ochre on their foreheads sang a mourning song while the crowd beat their chests in time with the clapping sticks.