A Yalangi woman from the Kunjandji clan and prominent former Magistrate, O'Shane has demonstrated a lifelong-trend for achieving 'firsts'.
She was the first Aboriginal teacher in Queensland, Australia's first Aboriginal Barrister, the first woman and Aboriginal person to head a Government department in Australia, and the country’s first Aboriginal magistrate.
But Indigenous women have had no choice but to be political, O'Shane says, thanks to a lack of protection from double-discrimination (sex and racial-based) and the essential role played by Indigenous women in keeping communities together and Aboriginal cultures alive.
"When you talk about women in the Indigenous political movement, I can't think of one, honestly, I can't think of one who was going to take a back seat," O’Shane says on NITV's Awaken program.
"We were never out of politics because it was literally the air we breathed, the land we walked."
"We were never out of politics because it was literally the air we breathed, the land we walked."
O'Shane joins four other prominent women for a special NITV Awaken called 'Influencers and Game-changers.'
Appearing with her are Tanya Hosch, a Torres Strait Islander woman and 2012 AFR Woman of Influence who is a campaign director for the Recognise constitutional recognition campaign; Tania Major, a Kokoberra woman and 2007 Young Australian of the Year; Shari Sebbens, a Bardi, Jabirr-Jabirr woman and actress who successfully traverses stage, film and television; and Amelia Telford a Bundjalung and South Sea Islander woman, climate activist and NAIDOC Youth of the Year.
While O'Shane may have retired from the bench, it is clear that her role as an advocate for human rights is as strong as ever.
Speaking about government policies around the world. O'Shane lambasts them as "violent" towards Indigenous peoples.
"We live in a violent world. Our government leaders are violent people.
"They have taken us in recent years and even to this day, they have taken [First Peoples] into war zones, where we had no responsibility being [there]."
"They have taken us in recent years and even to this day, they have taken [First Peoples] into war zones, where we had no responsibility being [there]."
She also said that that the cutting of services is tantamount to perpetuating human rights abuses.
Her comments come after the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, announced funding cuts to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations under the Federal Government's Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS).
Minister Scullion has announced that less than half of the 2,345 Indigenous organisations that sought funding for 4,948 projects under the strategy will share in $860 million to deliver 1,297 projects.
Awaken: Influencers and Game-changers airs on NITV at 9.30pm on Wednesday 25 March (Channel 34 free to air. Channel 144 Foxtel).
It is co-hosted by Catherine Liddle and Stan Grant, and features Pat O’Shane, Tania Major, Shari Sebbens, Amelia Telford and Tanya Hosch.
