Latest news with #ReconciliationWeek
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
From Spacey Jane to the spaceman: Our top WA photo picks from May
The members of Perth-based Wadumbah Indigenous dance group share stories of the Aboriginal Dreamtime, and taking park in a special performance this month for Reconciliation week. Here is founder James Webb's grandson striking a pose for the camera, taken with a wide lens to exaggerate the movement and draw the audience into the centre of frame. Volunteers for the STS Leeuwin II are captured here in their environment, a scene set by Fremantle's iconic cranes in the background, the morning sun hitting the container ships and the vessel's ropes. Reporter Lily Kristanto snapped this photo on the docks while volunteers were on the boat in a much lower position, so she had to position herself strategically by getting down low to achieve a balanced composition. The beloved sailing ship was on its way for major repairs after being damaged by a container ship last year. This is a close-up image of sand near the Chapman River mouth 420km north of Perth, captured using a shallow depth of field to hone in focus on a specific part of the image. The sand gets its colour from eroded rocks further inland that get carried towards the coast by the river. Crew member Stefan Ivanov is part of a four-man team rowing from Carnarvon, 900 kilometres north of Perth, to Kenya on a 9,000km journey they're hoping to complete in 75 days. The rowers, hailing from Bulgaria, Ukraine, China and the Netherlands will contribute to research at UWA, sending temperature, speed and GPS data. Mr Ivanov is pictured here ahead of the gargantuan trip, in a low-angle shot typically used to convey strength. At 74, retired psychologist Elizabeth Szczepanska has no regrets in her eventful life, which includes coming to Australia as a refugee from communist Poland. She's also had a successful sporting career in the Australian Masters Games, specialising in discus, shot-put and javelin. Her message: "Sh*t happens. Suffering is optional." US artist Brendan Murphy stands in front of his 7-metre-tall sculpture Boonji Spaceman, donated to the City of Perth. While many were excited for the astronaut's unveiling, the artwork faces opposition from supporters of the "kebab" sculpture that once stood in its place, but was taken down in 2021 after engineers deemed it unsafe. After a period of festival drought for the region, it was all smiles at triple j's One Night Stand event in Busselton — which sold out all 15,000 tickets in less than six hours, the fastest in the event's 20-year history. With band members hailing from Geraldton, Margaret River and Victoria's Wimmera region, Spacey Jane was keen to celebrate bringing live music to the regions and mark the start of their world tour. In a fast-paced and low-light environment, reporter Bridget McArthur had to use a high ISO speed of 3,200 and shutter speed of fast 1/500 to capture the lively band in motion. Perth woman Liesl Benecke holds a Guinness World Record for her 1,035-strong minion collection. The overall-clad yellow characters are from the animated film Despicable Me, and have attracted a cult following in their own right. The frame only captures a fraction of her minons memorabilia. After Labor's landslide election win on May 3, successful WA candidates hold a media conference fronted by cabinet minister Madeleine King. Among their ranks is Tom White, who snatched the northern suburbs seat of Moore from the Liberals and Josh Wilson, who kept his previously safe seat but faced a 16 per cent swing away from him towards Fremantle independent Kate Hulett. Newly elected upper house Greens MP Sophie McNeill looks off into the distance not long after finding out that the federal government has approved an extension of Woodside's North West Shelf gas project until 2070, feeling "devastated" and "speechless". The WA Greens were holding a media conference reacting to scientists' claims a report into the impact of industrial emissions on Aboriginal rock art was being misrepresented, and weren't expecting the news on the North West Shelf extension in that moment. WA's last WWII prisoner of war, Arthur Leggett, is laid to rest at a state funeral at St George's Cathedral after he died in April, aged 106. The veteran, a survivor of the infamous Lamsdorf Death March to Munich, was remembered as an Australian hero who radiated inner strength and stoicism. Roughly 1,000 people lined St Georges Terrace as a military procession made its way to the cathedral for the funeral service. Police Commissioner Col Blanch hugs the mother of deceased police officer Constable Anthony Woods after Reagan Chown was found guilty of manslaughter. The court heard Chown was high on meth when he ran over Constable Woods with a stolen car. Outside court, Commissioner Blanch described Constable Woods as a "hero". Chanti McHenry is a runner who's been selected to join the Indigenous Marathon Project squad and will be taking on the New York Marathon in six months. Ms McHenry chose Hearsons Cove in Murujuga, near Karratha in WA's north, for the shoot as it's a place she feels comfortable, and she met with reporter Mietta Adams at sunrise for the best lighting.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
A shameful death after a supermarket scuffle shines a light on Australia's unfinished business
In the middle of Reconciliation Week a young, disabled Warlpiri man died following a scuffle in a Coles supermarket in Alice Springs after he was 'placed' on the floor by two plain-clothed policemen. People are not 'placed' on the floor – that is what you do with bags, boxes and rubbish. But that was the word used by the Northern Territory police to describe the sequence of events to the media. Tragically, painfully, I think it says a lot. I try to imagine a similar scene at my local Coles, where many people who have not been winners in life's lottery also shop for little items to keep hunger at bay, but no image comes to mind. I think the situation would most likely have been quietly defused, no one would have been 'placed' on the floor and died, the shop would not have become a crime scene. On the same day in Western Australia, the state government decided to provide $85,000 to those remaining stolen people who had spent their lives wondering and suffering because of cruel policies that removed children from their families. A measly lump sum from a state treasury grown fat from mineral resources, many from native title lands. First Nations people have a life expectancy decades lower than others, so the numbers are much smaller than they were. Delay is the most effective way of maintaining the status quo – people die, responsibility is diminished, the mistake no longer has a human face. The WA announcement came, inexcusably, nearly three decades after the profoundly revealing and moving Bringing Them Home report. It landed in the national consciousness and triggered a heartfelt realisation of the long-term consequences of bad policy for those who paid attention; people marched across bridges, signed petitions and wept watching Rabbit-Proof Fence. It also provided a pretext for a cruel and cynical, politically led culture war that has put Australia in aspic for decades. Then prime minister John Howard's rejection of the recommendations of that report was crystallised as a refusal to say sorry. This was the headline and the source of his global humiliation when Midnight Oil, their jumpsuits stamped with the unmissable word 'sorry', sang and danced in front of him on the stage of the Sydney Olympics closing ceremony. Saying sorry then gave Howard's successor Kevin Rudd his greatest political triumph. But saying sorry is not enough – actions must follow to fix the foundational flaw. Behind the moral dilemma about where responsibility ended was a crass calculation. Among that report's many, and largely still not acted on, recommendations, was that compensation be given for the thousands of lives that had been deliberately upended with tragic and traumatic consequences for generations. It was this recommendation that galvanised Howard and his minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, John Herron. Compensation for individuals was out of the question and would be impossible to calculate anyway, they declared. That gave way when Ken Wyatt was the minister for Indigenous Australians in the Morrison government, and with little fanfare, compensation of $75,000 was allocated to stolen children survivors in the territories. Pat Turner, a long-term Indigenous public servant, told Dan Bourchier on The Elders that an appropriate amount in 1997 would have been a million dollars each, enough then to buy a house and provide families that had been deliberately destroyed with some ongoing intergenerational security. Queensland has yet to provide redress, and is now, as it has done for more than a century, locking up another generation of children. What bit of this don't they understand? Crime is not innate, it is mostly caused by circumstances – such as poverty, family dysfunction and trauma – that can be addressed. Locking people up hasn't worked in the past, and it won't now. There is unfinished business in this country, and there can be no excuses for not knowing or understanding. We need to change direction and remove the burden from the most vulnerable. Endless consultations have been conducted, reports have been written, deep studies of the intergenerational impact of trauma have become part of everyday language. The thing that has not been tried is to listen, and act, on the advice and wisdom of those closest to the problems. To really listen, deeply and seriously to the elders and those who have been working on the ground for years to restore hope. The evidence shows this works – top-down solutions don't. Almost a million more people voted yes in the referendum than voted for the Labor party in the recent election. The combined Liberal National party vote was about half the no vote. While the majority rejected the voice proposal because they didn't know, didn't care or thought it was unfair, this cannot be mapped on to the political snapshot that the election provided. The referendum was not a proxy election. The door to meaningful, symbolic and practical recognition can and must be opened again. I have written here before that this government has an historic opportunity at a time of crisis. It needs to work with the states to grasp it in relation to First Peoples so they can be relieved of trauma, live fulfilled and meaningful lives, so that children are not taken away and locked up, and the whole nation can achieve its potential. In a land of home improvers surely the principle of fixing the foundations first if you want to really close the gaps is obvious. Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 Julianne Schultz is the author of The Idea of Australia, the co-editor of First Things First (Griffith Review) and the librettist of the multi-award winning opera Black River
Morocco World
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
Australia Celebrates National Day in Rabat with Music, Art, and Friendship
Rabat – The Australian Embassy in Rabat hosted a celebration yesterday, Thursday, to mark Australia Day 2025. The event, held in the gardens of the Australian Chancery in Souissi, brought together Moroccan and Australian guests from the worlds of business, culture, diplomacy, and civil society to honor friendship, reconciliation, and a shared future. This year's celebration had a special meaning as it coincided with Australia's Reconciliation Week, a time dedicated to recognizing the rights, cultures, and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, said the embassy in a press release. Australia Day 2025 in Rabat The Embassy paid tribute to Australia's First Peoples and acknowledged their deep connection to land, water, and heritage. One of the highlights of the evening was a powerful artistic program celebrating the Indigenous cultures of both Australia and Morocco. The embassy hosted a unique collaboration between Aboriginal Australian and Amazigh Moroccan artists. Australia Day 2025 in Rabat Guests enjoyed a live musical performance by 'Sunrise to Sunset,' a group blending traditional songs, percussions, and the didgeridoo. A live painting session followed, where artists from both countries decorated two traditional instruments, the didgeridoo and the rebab, to symbolize the rich heritage of their communities. Australia Day 2025 in Rabat Attendees were also treated to classic Australian dishes like Vegemite, Tim Tams, and Pavlova. The event was a reminder of the strong and growing ties between Morocco and Australia, as the two countries prepare to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2026, the embassy said. It emphasized its commitment to building deeper connections, supporting cultural exchange, and working together for a more inclusive and sustainable future. Australia Day 2025 in Rabat Tags: AustraliaAustralia dayCultureMorocco
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Warren Mundine responds to Pat Dodson's call for reconciliation and WA scheme offering Stolen Generation survivors $85k
Indigenous affairs advocate Warren Mundine has argued First Peoples of Australia already have sovereignty after former Labor senator Pat Dodson's comments. Mr Dodson spoke at a Reconciliation Week event in Western Australia on Tuesday where he raised hopes of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Aussies, describing it as "unfinished business" that must not be neglected. 'If we are to have meaningful reconciliation in this country, the nation must come to grips with our inherent collective rights as First Peoples," he said in Fremantle. "An approach to reconciliation in which the focus is only on the practical business of Closing the Gap suggests that all (that) the First Peoples are entitled to is equality in the standards of life enjoyed by other citizens and little more. 'To reframe reconciliation as solely practical risks displacing from the national conscience the historical root causes of the structural inequality. 'It reinforces a form of psychological terra nullius that has been likened to a collective amnesia about the past which becomes manifest in an ideological inability to come to grips with and accommodate the inherent sovereign rights of Indigenous people in a modern nation state. The consequences of this have been devastating for First Peoples." Mr Mundine on Sky News argued "we get treated all the same, we're all citizens". He pointed to the 1967 referendum which asked Australia to vote on the recognising of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution. More than 90 per cent supported it which saw First Peoples included in the census and gave the government power to make laws for the the Indigenous community. "In regard to the sovereignty issue, we have sovereignty already. We're citizens of this country. We enjoy all the sovereignty rights of this county," Mr Mundine said. "In fact, we've gotten benefits from the sovereignty rights of this country. And that is in regard to Native title, the High Court decision in regard to the native title saying that we had rights. And that terra nullius is now doesn't exist anymore." The prominent anti-Voice campaigner referred to a recent High Court decision on property rights for Aboriginals, First Nations programs, heritage legislation and mining and energy industries giving royalties to Aboriginals as examples of sovereignty. Sky News host Danica Di Giorgio then asked about a Western Australian government redress scheme where Stolen Generation survivors will be each given $85,000. Those in the community who were forcibly removed from their families in the state before 1972 will be eligible to receive the taxpayer-funded payout. WA Attorney General Tony Buti estimated between 2,500 to 3,000 people in the state are eligible, meaning the cost of the scheme could reach $250 million. Mr Mundine stressed "there has to be burden of proof". Mr Dodson this week also urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to forge ahead with a national truth telling commission, also known as Makarrata, and a treaty process, which are the two other requests in the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart. "They can do that because it doesn't require constitutional referendum, it can be done by way of legislation," he said on ABC's 7.30 this week. If it went ahead it could be met with mixed feelings given the Voice, also one of the requests, was voted against in almost all jurisdictions in a 2023 referendum. Mr Dodson - also known as "the father of reconciliation" due to his advocacy work - retired from federal politics in 2024 due to treatment on cancer.
West Australian
4 days ago
- Climate
- West Australian
Reconciliation walk replaced with ceremony after unfavourable weather conditions
The City of Busselton's Reconciliation Walk will be replaced with a ceremony to commemorate National Reconciliation Week, due to wild weather conditions forecast for Friday. The Busselton Reconciliation Walk was expected to start at the Merenj Boodja Bush Garden at 10am on Friday, but will now consist of a ceremony for National Reconciliation Week, to be held at the Youth and Community Activities Building on Foreshore Parade. A light lunch will be provided by Pindari and Woolworths, with guests also being invited to participate in a Reconciliation Week activity, which recognises and supports the importance of reconciliation.
