Witnessing the Apology

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Witnessing the Apology PHOTOGRAPHIC Essay Witnessing the Apology Juno gemes Photographer, Hawkesbury River I drove to Canberra alight with anticipation. ry, the more uncomfortable they became — not The stony-hearted policies of the past 11 years with me and this work I was committed to — but had been hard: seeing Indigenous organisations with themselves. I had long argued that every whose births I had witnessed being knee-capped, nation, including Australia, has a conflict history. taken over, mainstreamed; the painful ‘histori- Knowing can be painful, though not as painful as cal denialism’ (Manne 2008:27). Those gains memory itself. lost at the behest of Howard’s basically assimila- En route to Canberra, I stopped in Berrima tionist agenda. Yet my exhibition Proof: Portraits — since my schooldays, a weathervane of the from the Movement 1978–2003 toured around colonial mind. Here apprehension was evident. the country from the National Portrait Gallery in The woman working in a fine shop said to me, Canberra in 2003 to 11 venues across four States ‘I don’t know about this Apology’. She recounted and two countries, finishing up at the Museum of how her husband’s grandfather had fallen in love Sydney in 2008, and proved to be a rallying point with an Aboriginal woman and been turfed out for those for whom the Reconciliation agenda of his family in disgrace. Pain shadowed so many would never go away. For those growing pockets hearts in how many families across the nation? of resistance that could not be extinguished. ‘You might discover something for you in this’, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s new Labor Gov- I replied. ‘You’re such a nice woman’, she replied ernment prioritised the delivery of the Apology as in the patronising language of artificial courtesy. its first act in office at the beginning of the new She meant no harm, really; it’s just that she had parliament. Rudd and Jenny Macklin (Minister thought this way for so long. Inflicted shame and for Families, Housing, Community Services personal regret create their own scars. and Indigenous Affairs) had began consulting Arriving in Canberra I went straight to Indigenous groups on the precise wording of the Parliament House to sort out the paperwork for Apology immediately they gained office. I thought my press pass. I had received letters of commis- that the nation was now approaching a turning sion to photograph for a swag of fine publications. point. The questions were ‘Would the Apology There were only ten photographers permitted to be adequately expressed?’ and ‘How would it be be present in the parliament when Kevin Rudd received?’ All the power of language and clear delivered the Apology; I was one of them. Later sight were now called into service. I went with my assistant, Robert, to check in with Some years ago I turned to Indigenous friends the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. A neat embank- and asked, ‘Do you think you will ever be able to ment of many tents was assembled, Benny Zabble’s get past the anger and the pain?’ It seemed at that Rainbow Chi Tent supplied free food — accept- time an outrageous question. Their eyes widened: ing donations, as he has done for so many years. ‘I don’t know.’ The more that non-Indigenous A media tent and a meeting tent had been friends discovered about this nation’s real histo- erected. As always, the Sacred Fire was alight and Australian Aboriginal Studies 2008/1 11 Witnessing the Apology Gemes smouldering, now in the late afternoon light. In of the Racial Discrimination Act be accepta- the meeting tent Isabel Coe spoke out in anger. ble to anyone? Speaker after speaker argued the She spoke the same rhetoric I had been hearing same concerns. Would these community work- since Kevin Gilbert committed the embassy to its ers, whose voices were raised here, be heard in central goal 30 years ago, calling for the recog- the parliament — would they be consulted on the nition of Aboriginal sovereignty. Would people way ahead? Buses from all over the country had here be open to what was about to take place? I brought members of the Stolen Generations to be greeted old friends, we swapped news. It became present for this historic event. As always, there immediately clear that I was not the only one were non-Indigenous supporters who had come present holding out hope towards the events of because they felt they had to be there, each with the coming days. Tolerance, as always, prevailed. their desire to support Indigenous peoples and to Everyone always has a right to speak their point be present for this seminal moment in our shared of view at the embassy. histories. For the following day, Rudd and Macklin had On the morning of 13 February we arrived at invited guests to the first Welcome to Country in the parliament early to collect our press passes. the history of the Parliament of Australia, now We carted our camera gear and equipment to the on the eve of its 42nd sitting. In the Great Hall media room. We ten photographers were given Indigenous guests sat with Members of Parliament our final instructions: during the delivery of the (MPs) and their families to hear Matilda House, Apology we could photograph through spaces in adorned in a regal possum-skin cloak, welcome all the back wall of the gallery. When people rose assembled onto Ngunnawal lands. It was a joyous to applaud, two by two we could race forward affair, with dancers from the Torres Straight to photograph from the steps of the front row of Islands and elsewhere, choreographed by Marilyn the galleries. We were under instruction from the Miller. Speeches in reply to Matilda House were Keepers of the Rod. One bad move and you’re delivered by the Prime Minister and the Leader out, we were told. Mervyn Bishop and I winked of the Opposition, Brendan Nelson. Bob Brown at each other from behind our cameras. and Theresa Rein sat with MPs in the front row To a hushed and attentive house, the Prime on one side. Indigenous Elders and guests sat on Minister rose to deliver the Apology. As he read, the other. ‘Why had this respectful and pleasant sadness and regret surrounded all of us. Some event never happened in the parliament before?’ people sobbed quietly in the gallery. Where ever was the unspoken question of that morning. I looked through my lens, familiar faces were At the Tent Embassy over 1000 people had sombre, sad. Eyes were focused inwards through- assembled to march to the parliament. A stage out the galleries and in the House. No one moved had been set up and chairs for the elderly provid- at all, so intense was the attention to every word ed on the grassy embankment. Even the police in now spoken by Kevin Rudd (2008) on behalf of the distance wore friendly faces. These consid- the government to each one of us, to the nation. erate and co-operative accommodations were The nation is demanding of its political lead- new, most welcome and, on reflection, slightly ership to take us forward. Decency, human amusing. How capricious human beings can be? decency, universal human decency, demands On the stage, Barbara Shaw from Alice Springs that the nation now step forward to right an announced that she and her family had raised historical wrong. That is what we are doing $40 000 to bring her countrymen and women in this place today… from the central lands to be present here, person- We, the parliaments of the nation, are ulti- ally to protest the Northern Territory intervention mately responsible, not those who gave effect laws now wrecking havoc in their communities. to our laws. And the problem lay with the Speaker after speaker affirmed that they felt humil- laws themselves. As has been said of settler iated at having their welfare payments indiscrimi- societies elsewhere, we are the bearers of nately quarantined. Back to ‘dog tags and rations’ many blessings from our ancestors; therefore days! They felt that their communities were being we must also be the bearer of their burdens as invaded, once again. How could the suspension well. 116 Australian Aboriginal Studies 2008/1 Gemes Witnessing the Apology Therefore, for our nation, the course of this opportunity to craft a new future for this action is clear…that is, to deal now with what great land: Australia. I commend the motion has become one of the darkest chapters in to the House. Australia’s history. In doing so, we are doing more than contending with the facts, the The House and its guests rose to their feet as evidence and the often rancorous public one. The applause was thunderous. We photogra- debate. In doing so, we are also wrestling phers raced into our positions. Both sides of the with our own soul. House now stood in support of the motion. In the This is not, as some would argue, a galleries arms now rose in applause, tear-stained black-armband view of history; it is just the faces everywhere gradually relaxed into some- truth: the cold, confronting, uncomfortable thing new, one by one, each in their own time. My truth — facing it, dealing with it, moving on eyes were on the gallery and on the people on the from it. Until we fully confront that truth, floor. How to frame the complex emotions of this there will always be a shadow hanging over moment without intrusion? Every second now us and our future as a fully united and fully was crucial.
Recommended publications
  • The Carbon Tax the Prime Minister Promised We Wouldn’T Have
    41 Chapter 3 The carbon tax the Prime Minister promised we wouldn’t have Introduction 3.1 This chapter outlines the key features of the carbon tax which were released on 10 July 2011 and subsequently updated with the introduction of the Clean Energy Legislative Package into the Parliament on 13 September 2011. The carbon tax is announced 3.2 On 10 July 2011, the Prime Minister, the Hon. Julia Gillard MP, announced her plan to introduce a carbon tax. The Prime Minister stated: ... we have now had the debate, 2011 is the year we decide that as a nation we want a clean energy future. Now is the time to move from words to deeds. That’s why I announced today how Australia’s carbon price will work. From 1 July next year, big polluters will pay $23 for every tonne of carbon they put into our atmosphere.1 Features of the carbon tax 3.3 This part of this chapter outlines the key features of the carbon tax. Start date and transitional period 3.4 Starting from 1 July 2012, the price of each tonne of carbon dioxide emissions will be fixed, operating as a carbon tax (the fixed-price period). The initial starting price '... will be $23 for each tonne of pollution beginning on 1 July 2012'.2 The carbon tax will be in operation for three years. Under the government's carbon tax, 'the 1 Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Julia Gillard MP, Address to the nation, http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/transcript-address-nation (accessed 11 July 2011).
    [Show full text]
  • Juila Gillard, 45, Says the Problem for Women in Politics Is That There Is Not a Set Image of What a Woman Leader Should Look Like
    Juila Gillard, 45, says the problem for women in politics is that there is not a set image of what a woman leader should look like. Men, she says, simply get better-quality suits, shirts and ties. ‘Women have so many more options it’s easier to criticise,’ she says. ‘You have to take it with a grain of salt and a fair bit of good humour.’ in profi le JULIA GILLARD From hostel to HISTORY She’s one of our most senior female politicians and one day she could have the top job. But what’s she really like? JULIE McCROSSIN meets Julia Gillard f you want to get to know Julia Gillard There is no sign of that clipped, robotic the White House, where people rarely sleep and understand what drives her political voice that often appears in her sound-bites or go home, has a lot in common with her Ipassions, you have to know the story of on the news. If she gets the chance to talk a life in parliament. her Welsh immigrant family, especially that of bit longer, as she does these days in the chatty There’s not much spare space in her offi ce, her father, John. world of breakfast television with her regular meeting room and en-suite bathroom. The It’s been a long journey from the appearances on Nine’s Today show debating window offers a glimpse of a courtyard Pennington Migrant Hostel in Adelaide, the Liberal Party’s heavyweight Tony Abbott, with trees. Aboriginal art by Maggie Long where Gillard arrived in 1966 at age four with you hear a more natural voice.
    [Show full text]
  • AUR 46-02.Indd
    AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES REVIEW Under No Circumstances Resolve the Main Problem Higher Education Policy Overview in Australia Tom Clark The perpetual restructuring of the higher education sector has become an industry in itself. Tom Clark argues that the only way forward is a new - and as yet unrealised - policy consensus. If you were to design a future for higher education in Australia, process that has not delivered adequate answers, and which say a 30-year plan to carry the sector through to the next gen- becomes less likely to deliver them with each successive itera- eration, what would it look like? The years since 1996 have tion. Continually activating that process without addressing seen versions of that problem assayed remarkably often at the the reasons for its failure becomes an exercise in bad faith. level of national politics. Comprehensive higher education That is to say, it becomes a wasteful and often a cynically moti- plans in this period have included the 1997–1998 West review vated process. My concern here is with the development of a (Learning for Life), minister David Kemp’s leaked submission self-sustaining policy overview process or cycle, arbitrary to federal cabinet in 1999 (Proposals for reform in higher in its relationship to the needs and aspirations of higher education) combined with his education in Australia. I note 1999 research policy state- the unsustainability of Austral- ment (Knowledge and Innova- Each year, institutions and non- ia’s higher education system tion), the 2001 federal senate government organisations dedicate as presently configured, and inquiry (Universities in Crisis), greater work time and infrastruc- I conclude with a discussion minister Brendan Nelson’s ture to the political process, know- of two interdependent phe- 2002–2003 Crossroads review nomena: a perpetual political of higher education (culminat- ing there is always a major review of cycle and a critically inade- ing in the Backing Australia’s higher education policy on hand to quate policy framework.
    [Show full text]
  • Traditional Wiradjuri Culture
    Traditional Wiradjuri Culture By Paul greenwood I would like to acknowledge the Wiradjuir Elders, past and present, and thank those who have assisted with the writing of this book. A basic resource for schools made possible by the assistance of many people. Though the book is intended to provide information on Wiradjuri culture much of the information is generic to Aboriginal culture. Some sections may contain information or pictures from outside the Wiradjuri Nation. Traditional Wiradjuri Culture Wiradjuri Country There were many thousands of people who spoke the Wiradjuri language, making it the largest nation in NSW. The Wiradjuri people occupied a large part of central NSW. The southern border was the Murray River from Albury upstream towards Tumbarumba area. From here the border went north along the edges of the mountains, past Tumut and Gundagai to Lithgow. The territory continued up to Dubbo, then west across the plains to the Willandra creek near Mossgiel. The Booligal swamps are near the western border and down to Hay. From Hay the territory extended across the Riverina plains passing the Jerilderie area to Albury. Wiradjuri lands were known as the land of three rivers; Murrumbidgee (Known by its traditional Wiradjuri name) Gulari (Lachlan) Womboy (Macquarie) Note: The Murrumbidgee is the only river to still be known as its Aboriginal name The exact border is not known and some of the territories overlapped with neighbouring groups. Places like Lake Urana were probably a shared resource as was the Murray River. The territory covers hills in the east, river floodplains, grasslands and mallee country in the west.
    [Show full text]
  • Alycia Ashcroft 1 Page Suggestions for New Electorate Name
    Suggestion 37 Alycia Ashcroft 1 page Suggestions for new electorate name: 1. Eleanor Harding 1934 – 1996 a. Equal rights and education campaigner Eleanor Harding was a respected community figure who poured her energy into achieving a better deal for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She was especially passionate about women's issues and education. Eleanor was a member of the Aborigines Advancement League and the Victorian branch of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) in the 1960s. During this time she worked on a national campaign to ensure equal rights for Indigenous Australians. She is also known for her work in pushing for improving Indigenous Australians rights through constitutional change. The 1967 Referendum on the Constitution ensued. As an executive member of the National Aboriginal and Islander Women's Council, Eleanor was part of women's rights advocacy group that protested against the Bicentennial celebrations in 1970 in Sydney and the women’s contingent that travelled to Canberra in support of the 1972 Aboriginal Tent Embassy protest. 2. Faith Bandler, AC 1918 -2015 a. Faith Bandler played an important role in establishing the civil rights movement in Australia and dedicated her life to equality and fairness for Indigenous Australians. Faith Bandler, AC, was a remarkable woman who was passionate in campaigning for the rights of Indigenous Australians and South Sea Islanders. 3. Pearl Gibbs 1901 – 1983 a. Pearl Gibbs was one of the most prominent female Indigenous female activists within the Aboriginal movement in the early 20th century. As a member of the Aborigines Progressive Association, she was involved with various protest events such as the 1938 Day of Mourning.
    [Show full text]
  • Australian Aboriginal Verse 179 Viii Black Words White Page
    Australia’s Fourth World Literature i BLACK WORDS WHITE PAGE ABORIGINAL LITERATURE 1929–1988 Australia’s Fourth World Literature iii BLACK WORDS WHITE PAGE ABORIGINAL LITERATURE 1929–1988 Adam Shoemaker THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY E PRESS iv Black Words White Page E PRESS Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] Web: http://epress.anu.edu.au Previously published by University of Queensland Press Box 42, St Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Black Words White Page Shoemaker, Adam, 1957- . Black words white page: Aboriginal literature 1929–1988. New ed. Bibliography. Includes index. ISBN 0 9751229 5 9 ISBN 0 9751229 6 7 (Online) 1. Australian literature – Aboriginal authors – History and criticism. 2. Australian literature – 20th century – History and criticism. I. Title. A820.989915 All rights reserved. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organization. All electronic versions prepared by UIN, Melbourne Cover design by Brendon McKinley with an illustration by William Sandy, Emu Dreaming at Kanpi, 1989, acrylic on canvas, 122 x 117 cm. The Australian National University Art Collection First edition © 1989 Adam Shoemaker Second edition © 1992 Adam Shoemaker This edition © 2004 Adam Shoemaker Australia’s Fourth World Literature v To Johanna Dykgraaf, for her time and care
    [Show full text]
  • A Reflection on the First 30 Days of the 1972 Aboriginal Embassy
    A REFLECTION ON THE FIRST THIRTY DAYS OF THE EMBASSY By Gary Foley From the book: Foley, G, Schaap, A & Howell, E 2013, The Aboriginal Tent Embassy. [electronic resource] : Sovereignty, Black Power, Land Rights and the State, Hoboken : Taylor and Francis, 2013 It was in the first four weeks of the 1972 Aboriginal Embassy protest that a small group of Aboriginal activists rapidly improvised and transformed an opportunistic accident into an effective protest that captured world attention and brought significant historical and political change in Australia.1 What had begun as a simple knee-jerk reaction to an Australia Day statement on Land Rights by the Australian Prime Minister, resulted in the accidental discovery that there was no law in Canberra that prevented the activists from staging a protest camp on the lawns of Parliament. The swift action of the activists to take advantage of this situation enabled them to gain political advantage over the McMahon Government in the propaganda war and political battle that would take place over the next six months. Exactly how these events unfolded has never been written about in detail. Even in Scott Robinson’s (ch.1 in this volume) or in Kathy Lothian’s (2007) accounts, the crucial early days are not fully examined. Yet if we are to gain a better understanding of why the Aboriginal Embassy was able to become such an effective protest action, it is important to gain an awareness of how it all began. So in this chapter I will examine some of the factors that enabled the already highly effective group of Aboriginal activists from the Redfern Black Power collective to create a highly effective challenge to the political power structure and force a major change in policy.
    [Show full text]
  • Commonwealth of Australia
    COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 Warning This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of The Charles Darwin University with permission from the author(s). Any further reproduction or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander THESAURUS First edition by Heather Moorcroft and Alana Garwood 1996 Acknowledgements ATSILIRN conference delegates for the 1st and 2nd conferences. Alex Byrne, Melissa Jackson, Helen Flanders, Ronald Briggs, Julie Day, Angela Sloan, Cathy Frankland, Andrew Wilson, Loris Williams, Alan Barnes, Jeremy Hodes, Nancy Sailor, Sandra Henderson, Lenore Kennedy, Vera Dunn, Julia Trainor, Rob Curry, Martin Flynn, Dave Thomas, Geraldine Triffitt, Bill Perrett, Michael Christie, Robyn Williams, Sue Stanton, Terry Kessaris, Fay Corbett, Felicity Williams, Michael Cooke, Ely White, Ken Stagg, Pat Torres, Gloria Munkford, Marcia Langton, Joanna Sassoon, Michael Loos, Meryl Cracknell, Maggie Travers, Jacklyn Miller, Andrea McKey, Lynn Shirley, Xalid Abd-ul-Wahid, Pat Brady, Sau Foster, Barbara Lewancamp, Geoff Shepardson, Colleen Pyne, Giles Martin, Herbert Compton Preface Over the past months I have received many queries like "When will the thesaurus be available", or "When can I use it". Well here it is. At last the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Thesaurus, is ready. However, although this edition is ready, I foresee that there will be a need for another and another, because language is fluid and will change over time. As one of the compilers of the thesaurus I am glad it is finally completed and available for use.
    [Show full text]
  • How Warumungu People Express New Concepts Jane Simpson Tennant
    How Warumungu people express new concepts Jane Simpson Tennant Creek 16/10/85 [This paper appeared in a lamentedly defunct journal: Simpson, Jane. 1985. How Warumungu people express new concepts. Language in Central Australia 4:12-25.] I. Introduction Warumungu is a language spoken around Tennant Creek (1). It is spoken at Rockhampton Downs and Alroy Downs in the east, as far north as Elliott, and as far south as Ali Curung. Neighbouring languages include Alyawarra, Kaytej, Jingili, Mudbura, Wakaya, Wampaya, Warlmanpa and Warlpiri. In the past, many of these groups met together for ceremonies and trade. There were also marriages between people of different language groups. People were promised to 'close family' from close countries. Many children would grow up with parents who could speak different languages. This still happens, and therefore many people are multi-lingual - they speak several languages. This often results in multi-lingual conversation. Sometimes one person will carry on their side of the conversation in Warumungu, while the other person talks only in Warlmanpa. Other times a person will use English, Warumungu, Alyawarra, Warlmanpa, and Warlpiri in a conversation, especially if different people take part in it. The close contact between speakers of different languages shows in shared words. For example, many words for family-terms are shared by different languages. As Valda Napururla Shannon points out, Eastern Warlpiri ("wakirti" Warlpiri (1)) shares words with its neighbours, Warumungu and Warlmanpa, while Western Warlpiri shares words with its neighbours. Pintupi, Gurindji, Anmatyerre etc. In Eastern Warlpiri, Warlmanpa and Warumungu the word "kangkuya" is used for 'father's father' (or 'father's father's brother' or 'father's father's sister').
    [Show full text]
  • Critical Australian Indigenous Histories
    Transgressions critical Australian Indigenous histories Transgressions critical Australian Indigenous histories Ingereth Macfarlane and Mark Hannah (editors) Published by ANU E Press and Aboriginal History Incorporated Aboriginal History Monograph 16 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Transgressions [electronic resource] : critical Australian Indigenous histories / editors, Ingereth Macfarlane ; Mark Hannah. Publisher: Acton, A.C.T. : ANU E Press, 2007. ISBN: 9781921313448 (pbk.) 9781921313431 (online) Series: Aboriginal history monograph Notes: Bibliography. Subjects: Indigenous peoples–Australia–History. Aboriginal Australians, Treatment of–History. Colonies in literature. Australia–Colonization–History. Australia–Historiography. Other Authors: Macfarlane, Ingereth. Hannah, Mark. Dewey Number: 994 Aboriginal History is administered by an Editorial Board which is responsible for all unsigned material. Views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily shared by Board members. The Committee of Management and the Editorial Board Peter Read (Chair), Rob Paton (Treasurer/Public Officer), Ingereth Macfarlane (Secretary/ Managing Editor), Richard Baker, Gordon Briscoe, Ann Curthoys, Brian Egloff, Geoff Gray, Niel Gunson, Christine Hansen, Luise Hercus, David Johnston, Steven Kinnane, Harold Koch, Isabel McBryde, Ann McGrath, Frances Peters- Little, Kaye Price, Deborah Bird Rose, Peter Radoll, Tiffany Shellam Editors Ingereth Macfarlane and Mark Hannah Copy Editors Geoff Hunt and Bernadette Hince Contacting Aboriginal History All correspondence should be addressed to Aboriginal History, Box 2837 GPO Canberra, 2601, Australia. Sales and orders for journals and monographs, and journal subscriptions: T Boekel, email: [email protected], tel or fax: +61 2 6230 7054 www.aboriginalhistory.org ANU E Press All correspondence should be addressed to: ANU E Press, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected], http://epress.anu.edu.au Aboriginal History Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal Ways of Being Into Teaching Practice in Australia
    The University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theses 2020 Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal ways of being into teaching practice in Australia Lisa Buxton The University of Notre Dame Australia Follow this and additional works at: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses Part of the Education Commons COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice. Publication Details Buxton, L. (2020). Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal ways of being into teaching practice in Australia (Doctor of Education). University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/248 This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal ways of being into teaching practice in Australia Lisa Maree Buxton MPhil, MA, GDip Secondary Ed, GDip Aboriginal Ed, BA. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Education School of Education Sydney Campus January, 2020 Acknowledgement of Country Protocols The protocol for introducing oneself to other Indigenous people is to provide information about one’s cultural location, so that connection can be made on political, cultural and social grounds and relations established. (Moreton-Robinson, 2000, pp. xv) I would like firstly to acknowledge with respect Country itself, as a knowledge holder, and the ancients and ancestors of the country in which this study was conducted, Gadigal, Bidjigal and Dharawal of Eora Country.
    [Show full text]
  • March 08 Newsletterb.Pmd
    Having a Say VALiD Conference Edition March 2008 News HaS 2008 Huge Success!! Auditor General's Conference report inside Damning Report The Auditor General has released a report on the state of SSA (Shared Support Accommodation) in Victoria. It paints a harsh picture and exposes the lack of capacity and competency across the sector. The report states: "...Due to the significant issues identified in this audit, there remains a disconnect between the new support model and the actual delivery of the model by service providers. ... Of particular concern to audit is that the three issues of capacity and expertise of service New Federal Parliamentary Secretary providers, block funding for SSA, and individual for Disabilities and Children's support plans were raised by us in 2000. ... Services, Mr Bill Shorten, MP, went DHS is poorly placed to plan for and manage the out of his way to speak at the opening full extent of its future resourcing requirements. of the 2008 Having a Say conference. This may perpetuate a service system that is reactive and crisis driven. ... Significant issues remain which, unless addressed, will continue to impede the transition from a medical to a social model of support. Capacity and expertise of service providers DHS has not yet conclusively assessed whether the disability sector has the capacity and expertise to adopt the changes (though DHS has identified the need for such an assessment). Nor has it established a strategy to address gaps in capacity or expertise. ... continued page 3 Correspondence to VALID,1 235 Napier St. Fitzroy 3065 Phone: (03) 9416 4003 Facsimile: (03) 9416 0850 Freecall: 1800 655 570 Questions concerning the powers, roles, responsibilities and limitations of these new bodies were thoroughly PRESIDENT'S REPORT explored.
    [Show full text]