Name: Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs - Cairns, QLD (part 2 of 2)
Uploaded: 2026-07-29T04:45:00+00:00

00:00 - 03:14

Speaker 37

Until now, present date 2026, is by effort diminished in the eyes of our people, the First Nations people. An influence... Influential indigenous academic framing appears in the work of Henrietta Fourmile Marie back in 1993, which is many decades ago, but still her work proceeds today as being true. And, also, there needs to be conversations still held today, which is why we are here. Particularly the idea that racism can be embedded within institutions and persists through the contemporary operations of colonial arrangements, Fourmile's work is significant because it argues that racism is not merely incidents, is a contemporary continuation of colonial power maintained through institutions, which are the guardrails of colonialism that shape who is seen as legitimate, who is believed, who perceive support or receive support, and who is punished.

When we talk about institutional racism, we are not excusing individuals. We are recognizing something more demanding that even well meaning systems can produce harmful outcomes through their rules, incentives, and discretionary practices. There is strong evidence that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience discriminations within the construct of Australia at higher rates that non indigenous Australians include discrimination connected to accessing services, policing and justice settings, education and employment, housing and homelessness services, interaction with government agencies as well. Where data is collected consistently, it shows that discrimination remains a persistent experience, not a relic of the past. I have more here written in front of me, but I think I'll end quite briefly with also adding to the table of contents here today in conversation that the institutions such as the museums still hold today under the disguised sovereignty of Australia, the possessions of our ancestors, our cultural connections to the country, which then is formidable in the usage with our youth to determine a stronger, brighter future and this via through culture and learning.

03:15 - 05:31

Speaker 38

These instruments and tools that are cataloged within the museums are held within the museums in boxes, in crates, in dark, dusty dungeons, and multiple items into the thousands are collected within these institutions. And under the so called sovereignty of Australia, our reach and advantages of our own history, the original history upon this continent is somewhat of a quest to gain even one's eye upon these objects and these items. The items that can be once again represented in the formidable ways of excluding our youth from troubled trajectories into a society built and honed around colonialism. Some anecdotal reference also, the doctrine of discovery also comes to my mind, and some would say that the CCD or the collective colonial delirium that exists within the country and its highest excellence of governance persists to suffer with my anecdotal, once again, diagnosis of CCD that exists within the highest forms of government of this nation. We are within a world stage and the world arena with international laws that some have been ratified in this country, but we see the lack of legislation that put these rightful justices into place.

05:33 - 06:42

Speaker 37

I quote, not verbatim, but in my own words, maybe just in case I may speak wrongly or not word for word, a quote that was written by playwright Robert Merritt. And he said, a way to genocide is to take a culture and crush its credibility so it no longer reflects itself. And what I gather by this, and I will also protrude through my voice, is that when we step outside our doors, we don't see a reflection of whom we are as indigenous peoples. Yes. Within our own abodes and homes, we may have our paintings, our ritualistic songs, and dances being connected too.

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