I work for Culture Is Life, a not-for-profit combating suicide and self-harm among young First Australians – nine times the rate in the general population. As a nation we need urgently to ask ourselves, how can we counter the crippling despair overcoming so many of our young people? We believe some answers lie in strengthening their connections to culture, community and history. But there’s another ingredient we can’t supply – empathy and respect from our fellow Australians.

The US group Black Lives Matter formed in response to police killings of African Americans. Conservative elements reacted by twisting the obvious meaning of the phrase. Their rhetorical tactic, boiled down, is to assert “they’re saying white lives don’t matter”. But no, they’re not. They’re saying “our lives have value too”. If some police routinely approach black citizens predisposed to deadly force, something is terribly wrong.

In Australia we’ve seen a similar reaction to changing the date of Australia Day. It’s been labelled unpatriotic, divisive and an attempt to denigrate modern Australia. This would be ludicrous were it not coming from sources as significant as our Prime Minister. In his recent video address, Mr Turnbull professed to be “disappointed by those who want to change the date …” whom he said are “seeking to take a day that unites … Australians and turn it into one that would divide us”.

This is flat out wrong and it’s another shabby bit of rhetorical “twister”. No one I know is calling for Australia Day to be abolished or seeking to create division. On the contrary, we’ve been consistently saying we want a national holiday, we should celebrate our achievements, we should come together. We’re also saying “please choose another day”. This particular date, far from unifying Australia, marks an anniversary that is for us tragic, painful and distressing. It began two centuries of land theft, massacres, epidemics, family destruction and discrimination with legacies of entrenched disadvantage that remain vividly present.

If that were part of your family history, how would you feel to see your neighbours celebrate? Aboriginal Australians have formally mourned on this date since 1938. The public holiday on the 26th was created 24 years ago. Mr Turnbull’s former colleague, Ian MacFarlane, last year joined the call for a different day. He reminded everyone that previously the holiday “moved around like a hockey puck” to secure a long weekend. No one cared.

A 2016 poll found only 43 per cent of Australians knew what the holiday commemorates. The notion this date is somehow sacred to Australians is very recent myth-making. A party on this date tramples on feelings of immense grief among many Australians. It fails to respect and care for our young people. It damages them. How is that “unifying”? And how is a request that Australia respectfully consider an alternative date when we might all join in a celebration something that “would divide us”.

Aboriginal communities witness parties on this date as celebrating the crushing of their people and culture. That’s how it looks. That’s how it feels. That’s just a fact. If some Australians – even the Prime Minister – can’t show us the respect to acknowledge that, then they’re saying we don’t matter. If that’s the case, perhaps we’ve got problems as deep as those in the United States.

Belinda Duarte, a Wotjobaluk woman, is CEO of Culture is Life.

2018 This article was originally published in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald 


Sign up for our newsletter

Be the first to know about new projects and the latest from us.
We care about your data in our privacy policy.
⚠️ CW: Suicide and Mental Health

📣 Have you read the Yarn Up Listen Up Report? It looks into #Aboriginal and #TorresStraitIslander young people’s perspectives on #suicideprevention.

🤝🏽 This research project was undertaken with the Centre of Best Practice of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention (@centre_of_best_practice) and the First Nations Young People Health & Wellbeing Committee.

Read the full report ☝🏾 #linkinbio

#FirstNations #MentalHealth #Indigenous
👋🏾 Meet Hakon Dyrting, a proud #Aboriginal (Garrawa,NT and Djugun/ Yawuru, WA) man who was born, raised and studied in Darwin.

🌐 Hakon is part of the 2023 #FullashipProgram and is an #Indigenous Enterprise Consultant for the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network. He also sits on the U.S. Consulate General Melbournes Youth Council Melbourne and has been recently appointed as a Director on Danila Dilba Health Services Board. 

✊🏽 Hakon is passionate about #entrepreneurship for mob. He believes through economic independence, we can create intergenerational wealth which will lead to a surge of positive change and empowerment. 

#Fullaship2023 #BuyBlak #IndigenousBusiness
Can't believe it's December. Feels like yesterday, it was just November 🤣
Happy Australian Music Tshirt Day🎵

Today we want to amplify the voices of Blak artists and encourage people to follow them, catch a show and buy their merch! 🎟️

Also, a big mob shoutout to the Archie Roach Foundation in particular! Their Singing Our Futures program mentors young First Nations musicians to continue Uncle Archie's work of truthtelling and healing through music. Please donate to them directly, so they can continue their important work @archieroachmusic 🖤🦅 #Linkinbio

Tee available via @gamminthreads #buyblak 

#ausmusictshirtday #archieroach #aboriginal #torresstraitislander #australianmusic
Meet Guyala Bayles, one of our fellows from the 2023 #FullashipProgram 👋🏾 

✊🏽 Guyala is a staunch Birri Gubba / Wonnarua woman hailing originally from the Murri Community in Queensland, but grew-up in Redfern and Kempsey before eventually returning to Queensland.
 
🤩 You might recognise her face from her extensive modelling career, but she is also an actress, poet, musician, activist, facilitator, inspirational speaker and tour guide who uses her platform to advocate for her people!
 
Find out more about the Fullaship Program ☝🏽 #Linkinbio
 
#Aboriginal #YoungPeople #Mentorship
Walking Our Songlines with Language is a project created by Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation for Coota Girls Survivors and their Descendants, in partnership with Culture is Life. Artwork by @balgarra_designs_ and Production by @33creativeaus 🫶🏽

Find out more about the Walking Our Songlines with Language project👆🏽#Linkinbio

#StolenGenerations #AboriginalAustralia #IndigenousLanguages #LanguagesAliveCultureThrives
“Songs from the Kitchen Table" is the ultimate illustrated commemoration of Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter in songs, stories, photographs and tributes. It has lyrics to over 100 of their songs and a QR code to a playlist. To coincide with its publication we have released "I’m Gonna Fly" a very special and brand new, unheard song from Archie Roach and Ellie Lovegrove, co-written back in 2014 - out now on all streaming services. A big shoutout to @simonandschuster and @mushroompublish. To purchase the songbook, hear the new song and enjoy the playlist visit the link in bio via @archieroachmusic 🖤

• Repost from @archieroachmusic 

#AboriginalAustralia #ArchieRoach #Music #Aboriginal #TorresStraitIslander #Indigenous #Australia
Croc lover Donny Imberlong (Jaru) from the Fullaship Program 2022, is featured in the upcoming short film 'Skin Deep' and appearing on a panel at the premiere screening 🐊🤩

• Repost via @defendthewild 

PREMIERE ANNOUNCEMENT: We are premiering our short film ‘Skin Deep’ alongside @worldanimalprotectionaustralia on February 2nd 2024 at Cinema Nova in Naarm (Melbourne).

The premiere screening will feature alongside a panel discussion with Donny Imberlong (@donnydrysdale), Alix Livingstone (@defendthewild), Emma Hakansson (@collectivefashionjustice) and Ben Pearson (@worldanimalprotectionaustralia).

Limited tickets available via Humanitix 👉🏽 head to @defendthewild for more info 🎟️

#Crocodile #Croc #CrocFarming #Australia #CrocWise #CrocCountry #Event #Wildlife #CrocodileFarm #Animals #WildAnimals #Melbourne #Cinema #Premiere #PanelDiscussion