G’day travellers and welcome back to First Nation’s Friday here at Allwood House in the heart of Hurstbridge. We spoke last week on the seemingly large number of First Nations people with Irish ancestry. One accidental omission on my part, was that of our very own federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri Barbara Anne McCarthy.
The minister was speaking this month after the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs launched an inquiry into the nature, prevalence, and impact of racism, hate and violence towards First Nations people. “I regularly hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that they are facing increasing hate and racism, especially online. We must stand up against racism in all its forms,” she said. This inquiry is currently accepting submissions until May 1st and should report by September 15th this year.
Unfortunately, we are living in a time of rising global tensions where Middle Eastern, African and European wars are filling our social media, and the subsequent increase in Islamophobia and antisemitism is particularly evident. With so much discord in our world, it’s not difficult to see that the continuing plight and disadvantage of our first peoples doesn’t make the evening news cycle too often.
Of course, racism and violence towards the Aboriginal and Torres Strait community is nothing new, it’s been a constant factor in the colonisation of our nation since 1788. There is evidence however that a new and more sinister rise in hate crime associated with ideologically motivated extremism directed toward the First Nations community. The January 26th Invasion Day march in Perth was halted after an explosive device was thrown into the crowd which thankfully failed to explode. The attack has since been identified as an act of home terrorism. The attack by a ‘mob’ of neo-Nazis on Camp Sovereignty in Naarm/Melbourne last August, which we reported at the time, saw a number of Aboriginal people injured in the immediate aftermath of an anti-immigration rally.
Tensions are indeed high in the world at the moment and Australians are rightly anxious. We must not let the purveyors of division and hate get a foothold in a world searching for direction and leadership. Our problems will not be solved by marginalising minority groups here at home or abroad and we must call out racism and xenophobia in all its nasty forms.
Easter is a time of rebirth and a time for re-examining and reflecting on our prejudices and that which is important to us. If a mob nailing a man to a tree has taught us anything, it’s that it didn’t stop his message of peace and unity.
Next Friday being Good Friday, we will not be publishing a blog on this site. Let me take this opportunity to thank you for you continued support and wish you all a very peaceful Easter and holiday break.
David and Keira @ Allwood FNF
References:
Senator Malarndirri
https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=122087
Inquiry into Racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 2026
The Koori Mail – The Voice of indigenous Australia (a copy of The Koori Mail edition is currently in the “Little Library” at Allwood House)