Support dips for Indigenous recognition referendum in Australia, poll shows
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Fewer than half of all Australian voters are supporting a proposal to include an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution that will be put to a referendum later this year, the latest opinion poll showed on Monday. About 46 per cent will vote yes to having the new advisory body, called the Indigenous […]
Australian Christian leaders say government move to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage, including reparations, doesn’t go far enough
Last updated 2:50pm (AEST)Sydney, Australia Australian Christian leaders say the Federal Government’s $A1 billion Closing the Gap announcement does not go far enough to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage, and acknowledge the past wrongs suffered by the nation’s Indigenous people. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the funding, including $A378.6 million in redress payments for survivors […]
Australia promises national vote on recognition of Indigenous people by 2022
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia will hold a national vote within three years on whether to include recognition of Indigenous people in its constitution, the government said on Wednesday, an issue that has spurred decades of often heated debate. Australia has struggled to reconcile with descendants of its first inhabitants, who arrived on the continent about 50,000 […]
Australian islanders to lodge landmark UN complaint on climate change
Kuala LumpurThomson Reuters Foundation A group of Indigenous people will file an unprecedented legal complaint against Australia on Monday, lawyers involved in the action said, accusing the government of breaching their human rights by falling short on its Paris climate accord pledges. Eight residents of the Torres Strait Islands, a group of more than 270 […]
Call for Australian Christians to attend Aboriginal-led prayer services in lead-up to Australia Day
Christian Aboriginal leader Aunty Jean Phillips has joined with justice movement Common Grace in inviting Australian Christians to attend services of “acknowledgement, lament and prayer” in the two weeks leading up to Australia Day on 26th January. Aboriginal-led prayer services are being held in every state and territory capital as well as some regional centres […]
BOOKS: AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS ARTISTS BRING A NEW PERSPECTIVE TO BIBLE STORIES
DAVID ADAMS reports on the creation of a new book, Our Mob, God’s Story, showcasing the work of Indigenous Australian artists to mark the bicentenary of Bible Society Australia…
Call for a “fundamental shift” in working with Indigenous Australian youth after survey finds 1 in 10 males have “zero” happiness
There needs to be a “fundamental shift” towards a more inclusive and consultative way of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Australia, says Mission Australia. The call comes after a report found they have higher levels of concern than their non-Indigenous peers about issues such as bullying, emotional abuse, depression, drugs, […]