#Indigenous Voice

[fandomestloser]

it says something to me that everyone’s blaming the no-voters and saying they hate this country instead of realising how flawed the actual campaign for the yes vote was.

#australia #indigenous voice #australian #referendum #like i agree it should’ve been a yes #but it was only a no because so many people didn’t get a real explanation of the vote #natasha wanganeen said on q&a the other day #they always say they’re going to listen to indigenous voices #but they’ll only listen to one mob #or one organisation #they never execute #so there’s that doubt again

[coolasakuhncumber]

WE'RE GOING TO A REFERENDUM BABY

#auspol #uluru statement #uluru statement from the heart #constitutional recognition #indigenous voice #election

[newsbites]

News from Australia, 25 June.

The yes campaign for the Indigenous voice referendum in Australia will offer grants of up to $15,000 for community events supporting the change, in addition to other big headline events and an advertising campaign.

The focus of the yes campaign will be on positive messaging and countering "fear and misinformation" circulating in the community.

Leaders of the yes campaign believe that a recent slip in public support for the voice will be reversed once the community campaign begins, which will include hosting large community gatherings, encouraging ongoing events in smaller centres, and offering grants to smaller communities and Indigenous organisations.

2. The cost of living for people on the lowest incomes is spiraling, leaving many struggling to afford essentials like housing, food, and transport.

A family of four with two full-time minimum wage workers is left with just $73 after expenses, while a single parent with one child on the minimum wage cannot afford essentials.

Anglicare Australia is calling for action to make the minimum wage a living wage, limit unfair rent increases, and invest in social and affordable housing, among other measures.

3. The Australian federal government is introducing policies to ease the cost of living for households, including a pay rise for aged care workers, cheaper childcare, and changes to paid parental leave.

4. The Black Dog Institute has warned that mental health professionals are witnessing a rise in psychological distress as the Voice to Parliament debate continues.

#indigenous voice #yes campaign #referendum #funding #ads #events #minimum wage #work #Anglicare #cost of living #parental leave #Black Dog #mental health #Australia

[viljaangelica]

Australia has a "long and proud" history of racism. Now it's time for change!

#australia #indigenous voice #indiginous rights #first nation #human rights #aussie politics #shame on you #university memes

[notreallyimportant]

A nonbinary, indigenous teen was beaten to death by their classmates. Their school didn’t even call for medical services when this child said they couldn’t walk. A child was injured by their classmates and the classmates( as far as I know) weren’t punished for it.

Their name was Nex Benedict. And it took 11 days for this to even come to light.

#nex benedict #indigenous voices #black and indigenous unity

[readytospock]

It's pretty sobering to see this blatant reminder of how racist Australia remains, and how resistant ppl remain to acknowledging the colonial horrors wrought historically and currently upon First Nations people. It's infuriating to know that even an at-worst ineffectual attempt to close the gap and make steps towards reconciliation, truthing and treaty has been so comprehensively stopped.

However frustrating they may have been, I know my months of trying to counter misinformation and persuade unsure relatives is nothing compared to the barrage of abuse that this referendum has unleashed upon any Aboriginal person who dares to have any sort of public or online presence. So much suffering because of this referendum, only to come to nothing.

We have so much fucking work to do.

#auspol #Indigenous voice to parliament #the voice referendum

[danny4xb]

#australia #indigenous voice #anthony albanese #alp #2022

[aceoffangirls]

Really disappointed in my country rn. Australia likes to act like its better than the rest of the world sometimes, compare ourselves to the shit politics in countries like the USA and UK but we are not. Australia is a very racist country, a lot of may not see but the truth came out during this referendum. My heart goes out to all First Nations Australians, you should not have to put up this.

There are some reminders for everyone:

Australia was only colonised in 1788 and we only became one nation in 1901. The First Nations people of Australia have been here for over 65,000 years. They have been here longer than some of the great wonders of the world like the pyramids.

The First Nations people of Australia where not included in the census and be counted in the constitution in 1967

The Stolen Generation only ended around 1969 with the continuing impacts being felt today.

The government only apologised for their actions in 2008

We continue to not listen to the First Nations people and destroy their sacred sites,

#auspol #australian politics #australia #referendum #the voice to parliament #the voice referendum #indigenous voice to parliament #indigenous australians

[fandomestloser]

i’m a white australian, so take this with a grain of salt, but im going to put my ten cents in.

the indigenous voice plan was severely flawed. the campaigning by the “Yes” supporters was just “vote yes! else you’re racist!” instead of explaining it properly, making people understand that the voice is something we need.

i have multiple friends who didn’t even know it was an advisory position; many people thought the voice would have had actual legislative power.

the “Yes” campaigns lack of preparation and detail was its own downfall. i know multiple people, who aren’t racist by any stretch, who voted no because there was that seed of doubt. they didn’t understand it, and nobody was explaining it, so they rejected it in favour of a safe system for them, the one we have.

i don’t blame the no-voters for the fact the voice didn’t go through. not all, but most, people had their heart in the right place with this referendum.

i blame everyone who decided that telling people how to vote would be campaign enough. the No vote went through because all it took was Jacinta Price and her goons planting seeds of doubt, because what they were going to put in the constitution was never specified in informal words. how can you expect people to want something they only have a vague idea of?? humans are averse to risk!

i personally can’t vote, but had i been able to, it would’ve been a yes. but i have a niche interest in social issues, i went out and did my own research. EVERYBODY 18+ voted, and not everyone has that knowledge.

they needed to plan it. it wasn’t going to work, and i don’t blame the majority of the population, i blame the people in power who just assumed the racism threat would be enough.

#indigenous voice #referendum #australia #aboriginal voice

[aardvaark]

i’m so disgusted and saddened by this country tonight, i don’t even have the words right now. i can’t imagine how much more painful this must be for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples, for my Indigenous friends, family members and acquaintances. for now, all i have is some resources.

the First Nations-specific crisis support (suicide) hotline: 13YARN (13 92 76)

the national crisis/suicide hotline: 13 11 14

donate here to pay the rent if you’re living on stolen land (ie all of "australia")

here’s a list of some other Indigenous organisations that accept donations

plus messages from some Indigenous creators to fellow Indigenous people:

and here’s a link to the full post from that last image, there’s a few more pages.

#auspol #referendum #yes23 #voice to parliament #indigenous voice to parliament #always was always will be

[newsbites]

News from Australia, 19 June.

The potential for refugees to help solve Australia's skills shortages will be discussed at the Techfugees round table on World Refugee Day.

Acknowledging the existing skills of refugees and harnessing the talents of the wider migrant community can benefit Australian society and the economy.

2. The Senate has passed legislation to hold a referendum on establishing an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which would be an independent advisory body on issues affecting First Nations Australians.

The referendum date is yet to be set but is expected to be announced for October, and it will be the first referendum in Australia since 1999.

3. Fish around the world are getting smaller.

The "oxygen mismatch" theory, which suggests that the cause of shrinking fish is due to a mismatch between how much oxygen a fish needs and how much it can get via its gills, doesn't hold up according to recent long-term experiments.

As fish continue to shrink due to climate warming, there is a minimum size that each species must reach in order to maintain a viable population, which is critical for the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture industries.

4. "Meanjin" (formerly "Meanjin Papers") is the name of an Australian literary magazine established in 1940. The name comes from the Turrbal word for the land around Brisbane. This connection was the focus recently at a meeting of the First Nations Australia Writers' Network.

#world refugee day #tech #skills #shortage #referendum #indigenous voice #date #senate #vote #Meanjin #papers #fish #Australia

[aliceonn]

My heart goes out to all Indigenous Australian’s who are hurting today.

#auspol #referendum #indigenous voice to parliament #yes23 #australia

[tallowandport]

#voice to parliament #yes23 #yes23au #indigenous voice to parliament #the voice to parliament #referendum #auspol #voice referendum #Youtube #vote yes

[bossymarmalade]

- september 30th, national day for truth and reconciliation -

Survivors experienced horrific atrocities while prisoners in these institutions. It is important that this image show the love and strength that colonialism tried to steal from us. Despite genocide, we are still here – still fighting for justice and restitution, as true Warriors. - Dorene Bernard, Mi’kmaq Survivor who attended Shubenacadie Residential School

#chromatic voice #national day for truth and reconciliation #first nations #inuit #metis #missing and murdered indigenous women #mmiwcanada #residential schools #indigenous #turtle island #unceded land #survivor testimony #orange shirt day

[kaspavanlortsyal]

Let It Be Enough - 1 Year Anniversary

"You will always be enough."

This beautiful art was commissioned from the incredibly talented Elle Noir (twitter/instagram/deviantart)! Thank you, Elle, for bringing this beautiful moment in their story to life.

This time last year, I posted the first chapter of Let It Be Enough on AO3. The butterfly effect of my simple desire to share my silly little story is unbelievable. In one year it garnered over 50k hits on AO3, and that isn't even the coolest part. I made lifelong friends, found a community of wonderful writers, and fell in love. I reflect upon 2023 and bear witness to the power of storytelling. I never thought that I'd still be writing fanfiction about Petra and Miles a year later in the form of my Fairytale AU, The Memory of Stars, and yet here I am.

The world of Avatar is magnificent. It gives me hope that the highest grossing movie of all time is an allegory about colonialism. It emphasizes the importance and beauty of our connection to the Earth (or in the case of the Na’vi, Pandora), and condemns corporate greed. I sincerely love Avatar, not just because of the nostalgia, but because of how bold it is in its storytelling.

Stories are the backbone of society. For all of human history, we have told each other stories. Stories shape our worldview and helps us convey emotions and ideas. Every person finds their own truth in the shape of words.

James Cameron is a fantastic storyteller. However, he is also a white man, and some stories are not his to tell. Many aspects of the Na’vi are drawn from real world indigenous cultures. I understand that he consulted various groups in his development of the Na’vi, but if you enjoy Avatar, I strongly encourage you to seek out own voices stories as well. Our world is troubled and complicated, but I truly believe that it gets better each time someone opens their mind to traditional indigenous knowledge. That gives me hope more than anything: the will to listen. 

One of my favourite books: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (If you're a fan of audiobooks, Robin reads the audiobook herself and it’s incredible. I highly highly recommend picking this up, especially if you like plants.)

Also, if you are playing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, please dedicate time to researching Residential Schools and their dark legacy in North America. You will better understand the real world inspiration of the Ambassador Program, but more importantly, you will be offering a listening ear to the important stories of survivors. Feel free to add more book suggestions to the comments as well!

Thank you for being here. 

#I recognize the irony in loving Quaritch as someone who tries to uplift indigenous voices and is an advocate for indigenous sovereignty #he's fictional and hot I'm sorry okay?? #LISTEN TO INDIGENOUS STORIES #YOU WILL GET SO MUCH OUT OF THEM! #art commission #anniversary #quaritch fanfic #quaritch #avatar 2 #ao3 #miles quaritch #colonel quaritch #avatar fanfic #fanfic #the way of water #petra hart #2023 #2024 #archive of our own #fanfiction #frontiers of pandora #avatar frontiers of pandora #butterfly effect #story art #let it be enough #kaspavanlortsyal #Miles Jr

[claraameliapond]

PSA : THE INDIGENOUS VOICE REFERENDUM 14th October 2023

The Yes Vote is literally just giving indigenous Australians A SEAT AT THE TABLE to give information and advice about issues and governmental decisions that affect them.

Indigenous information and advice for indigenous issues from indigenous Australians.

That's it . It's acknowledging their existence as the first peoples of Australia and recognising that they have valuable information to contribute about their cultures, the ways they live, what their most pressing needs are and the best ways in which to help, to enable governments to effectively help them.

The government already provides "help" each year, in an effort to close the gap on education access, healthcare access, and many other pressing needs - they are already using taxpayer money to do this but crucially, these efforts have not been successful because we are missing out on crucial information.

The Voice to Parliament gives the government access to invaluable information that enables it to create and better implement aid, education, healthcare , equal opportunity.

I have been very actively involved in many Reconciliaton efforts for the vast majority of my life -

At 16 I travelled to some of the indigenous rural communities in Australia, met elders and individuals no tourist has access to meet, learnt from them, and saw what was there.

I saw the attempts, the efforts to provide access to Western education, that the rest of the country has, to provide healthcare, housing etc.

They don't work

They are based on western ways of life, ideas of community and interaction.

It's not the same.

They don't work.

Fundamentally because even if well intentioned, your efforts to help can actually harm if you don't have access to crucial information about how indigenous communities live.

We need to accommodate our help, our efforts, our aid to the specific needs and ways of life, values and dynamics of the many indigenous communities, especially rural, that exist across Australia, so that they have access to the same human rights we all do.

The human right to healthcare and education that we all have- it's not accessible in the same ways for indigenous communities.

It's provided, but on western terms- with the western expectation that children will leave their families for 6 months at a time and travel extremely far away to attend school, for example.

This is so backwards and outdated even for western sensibilities, and an incredibly outdated mode of education that is unhealthy emotionally for any child, let alone vulnerable people who have to choose between a western run school and their culture, their families - literally being a part of their community, a present member.

There are better ways to provide access to education than this. Ways that don't disrupt their connection to community, land and culture.

And the best people to ask, to provide information that can properly inform us about these issues, and how best to navigate them, fix them, are the the indigenous Australians themselves- they are the experts.

So that our aid and help and efforts actually do - help. Actually work.

The funds are going there anyway. So we need to put it to use in effective ways.

What we have now doesn't work.

We can only make it better.

Please Vote YES for The Indigenous Voice to Parliament

It is the beginning of lasting, effective positive change for vulnerable communities, and for us all.

#VOICE TO PARLIAMENT #THE VOICE #AUSTRALIA #YES 23 #YES23 #AUSTRALIAN REFERENDUM #AUSTRALIAN REFERENDUM 2023 #INDIGENOUS VOICE TO PARLIAMENT #AUSTRALIAN POLITICS #INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS #AUSPOL #REFERENDUM #YES #VOTE YES #Important #Pertinent #Please share #love #Vote #Voting