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Premier and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steven Marshall was warned by his department not to allow a mineral exploration company to drill at a “pivotal” Aboriginal heritage site as it would damage the area and cause “hurt, sorrow and sickness” to Traditional Owners – but he allowed the work to proceed. Marshall in January signed off on a proposal put forward by mineral exploration company Kelaray to drill up to 1230 holes at Lake Torrens in search of iron-oxide-copper-gold. The lake [...]

‘It was our economy, now we are dirt poor’: First Nations people dispossessed of water First Nations people say they are continuing to be dispossessed of their rights and their economy after a study of Indigenous water rights in the Murray-Darling Basin found they share less than 1 per cent of the market. Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute compiled for the first time the volume and value of water rights owned by First Nations groups in the basin, which spans [...]

Stan Grant calls out Australia for double standards on Q+A during discussion on sexual assault and the government   Stan Grant called out Australia for only caring about sexual assault once it happened in Australia's middle class. ABC journalist Stan Grant has used an appearance on Q+A to call out Australia for only taking notice of sexual assaults when they happen to "middle class" white women. Allegations of sexual assaults, misogyny and inappropriate behaviour in political circles have dominated the [...]

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia's story was ancient, as were the stories of the country's First Nations peoples.(ABC News: Rhiannon Shine) More than 140 years after it was first composed and performed, Advance Australia Fair is again being updated in a move the Prime Minister says reflects a "spirit of unity". From January 1, 2021, the second line of Australia's national anthem will change from, "For we are young and free" to "For we are one and free". Governor-General [...]

Commemorative coin raises Aboriginal flag copyright debate An Indigenous organisation is questioning how the Royal Australian Mint can issue coins featuring the Aboriginal flag at the same time as the Australian Senate is investigating the flag’s copyright issues.   Laura Thompson, co-founder of Clothing The Gap, helped start the #PrideNotProfit petition and Free The Flag campaign which led to the Senate inquiry into the flag’s private copyright protection. She said she was surprised that the Mint released a coin set [...]

More ancient wonders revealed at Budj Bim Aboriginal site South-west Victoria's world-heritage listed Budj Bim Aboriginal site has yielded further ancient wonders, with laser technology revealing previously unrecorded fish traps and stone huts, deepening its cultural and historic significance. The discoveries were made using light detection and ranging technology that mapped the landscape and penetrated vegetation to reveal features that are invisible to the naked eye. New scans of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape have revealed more remnants of stone [...]