Articles on Indigenous Australia

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Composer William Barton in 2013. Indigenous composers have long been working in the field, but the contribution of Indigenous music and culture to Australian composition deserves greater recognition. David Crosling/AAP

It’s time to properly acknowledge - and celebrate - Indigenous composers

Australian composers have long referenced Indigenous music and culture in their works. A new platform paper suggests a more collaborative way forward.
A Motu trading ship with its characteristic crab claw shaped sails. Taken in the period 1903-1904. Trustees of The British Museum

Archaeology is unravelling new stories about Indigenous seagoing trade on Australia’s doorstep

It has often been assumed that Australia was essentially isolated until 1788. But research into the seagoing trade on the south coast of Papua New Guinea suggests otherwise.
Peta Clancy, Undercurrent 1, from the series Undercurrent, 2018-19, inkjet pigment print, W120 x H85cm each image approx. Courtesy the artist

Peta Clancy brings a hidden Victorian massacre to the surface with Undercurrent

There is a long history of cultural silence on the frontier wars that characterised Australia's colonisation. Peta Clancy's exhibition invites us to see this history in the Victorian landscape.
Mary Jane Cain (centre) with granddaughters Miley Barker and Molly Chatfield and her great niece Josephine. The sun dancin' : people and place Coonabarabran (Aboriginal Studies Press, 1994)

Hidden women of history: Mary Jane Cain, land rights activist, matriarch and community builder

In the late 1880s, Gomeroi woman Mary Jane Cain began petitioning Britain for land rights. A matriarch and Queen to her people, she recovered 600 acres that became home to displaced Aboriginal families.
Harley Windsor’s visibility before, during and after these Winter Olympics may just be the catalyst to inspire future generations of Indigenous athletes. AAP/Brendan Esposito

In Harley Windsor, Australia has its first Indigenous Winter Olympian – why has it taken so long?

While Harley Windsor’s selection deserves celebration, it’s surprising that it has taken until now for an Indigenous Australian to compete at a Winter Olympics.
The targets relating to Year 12 attainment, preschool enrolment, and childhood mortality are on track to be closed, according to the 2018 Closing the Gap report. AAP/Marianna Massey

Three reasons why the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians aren’t closing

Care needs to be taken in interpreting progress on closing the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and ascribing it to actual policy change.
New research shows Muslims are more negatively portrayed in the media than other groups. AAP/Lukas Coch

Racist reporting still rife in Australian media

New research reveals that about half of opinion pieces in mainstream newspapers and television are so racist they potentially breach industry codes of conduct.
One of the worst examples of identity politics came from Malcolm Turnbull on Monday’s Q&A program. ABC News

How conservatives use identity politics to shut down debate

Conservatives are often critical of 'identity politics' for silencing dissenting views. But on ABC's Q&A on Monday night Malcolm Turnbull presented a very narrow vision of national identity.
Indigenous schoolchildren dance during a launch of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan in Brisbane. AAP

Radical rethink of Closing the Gap required, despite some progress

The latest census data reveals valuable insights into Closing the Gap targets. While there's some improvement in school attendance rates, all other indicators suggest a radical rethink is required.

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