Hetti Perkins has curated an exhibition of bark paintings by John Mawurndjul and Gulumbu Yunupingu that is currently on display at Tarrawarra Museum of Art. Who are these artists – and how have their lives shaped their artworks?
Can we trace modern-day racism against Indigenous Australians to the country’s British invaders? Often when trying to extinguish a fire, it is more important to know what sustains it rather than what started it.
Up to 150 ‘communities’ in ‘remote’ Australia are threatened with closure. But do such terms put a gloss on what is, in reality, the closure of people’s homes?
In 1975, people wore Shame Fraser Shame badges and demonstrated in support of the sacked prime minister, Gough Whitlam. Today, those same protestors feel powerful emotions at the passing of Malcolm Fraser. Why?
Melbourne’s new landmark building celebrates the Indigenous leader William Barak. But what should we make of the overt association between its luxury apartments and Barak’s lifelong struggle over land?
Recently, Tony Abbott asserted the government couldn’t afford to fund the “lifestyle choices” of remotely-based Aboriginal people. But such communities could be key to meeting the demands of our future.
Culture is barely mentioned in the latest Intergenerational Report – as was the case with the three preceding it. But we need strong policies to support cultural heritage, and we need them urgently.
Opinion is rife as to what Aboriginal and Torres Islander humour is, even though Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been delivering it on a platter for centuries.
It’s a historic day for politics and women in Australia – and even more remarkable for one woman minister, who is also Queensland’s first ever Indigenous woman MP. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s cabinet…
In recent years, Tangentyere Council Research Hub has undertaken data collection in Alice Springs town camps as part of a longitudinal study of income management. The final report of around 300 pages was…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott made a bold move in September when he ran the country for four days from a tent at Gulkula in far northeast Arnhem Land in remote Australia. While there, he observed that although…
Deep funding cuts and uncertainty about government plans have created one of the largest-scale upheavals in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs. That is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander…
Important steps have been made in 2014 in the campaign to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia’s Constitution. Prime Minister Tony Abbott affirmed his commitment to hold…
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD), December 3, is important for commemorating the successes and efforts of the disability rights movement. The theme this year is Sustainable Development…
The United Nations Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently conducted an assessment of the wellbeing of people around the world. The results indicate that Canberra is a world…
Beliefs and ceremonies associated with death in Indigenous Australia are diverse. Death and the deceased are sacred to Indigenous Australians and ceremonies differ between communities. They may involve…
A bill before South Australian parliament would make it the second Australian state to compensate Stolen Generation survivors and their children. Tangible recognition of their suffering is overdue, but…
All too often the matter of Australian Aboriginal identity is decided superficially – by looking at a person’s face and general appearance. Colour is often the measure of Aboriginality, since the original…
The Creating Parity report on Indigenous employment and welfare, released last week by mining magnate Andrew Forrest, is in much the same vein as Tony Shepherd’s recent Commission of Audit. Forrest and…
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University