Culturally significant

"We work together so hard, we always stick together to come to every meeting and we talk about everything — like our country, our Mirrar children, we don't want them to wander off somewhere else — we want to keep them here, and help us work in our country, to look after our mother country," says Annie Njalmirama, TO.
 
At the heart of it all, traditional owners are calling for fundamental changes to the lives, opportunities and living conditions of Indigenous people in Kakadu - and that this time, the spoils of tourism will be shared equally.

THE NOONGAR DEAL: $1.3billion (cash and in kind) is made up nearly $600 million in financial payments over 12 years, 320,000 hectares of land and an Indigenous housing project (120 houses near Perth), is to sell Noongar Country once and for all, and end any right to claims by any Noongars over Perth and the State's south west, whether they signed the deal or not.

Indigenous children can benefit greatly from learning in a language they understand
(Image: Neda Vanovac / AAP)

Samantha Disbray, Senior linguistics researcher, Charles Darwin University
16 June 2017

Video Gallery: The political confrontation that occurred at the National Convention was caused by the very apparent stacking of the meeting by the organisers (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Studies, AIATSIS), no doubt supported by the Referendum Council with a budget of over $800 million.

What was visually clear during the whole process was the apparent divide between members of the Referendum Council.

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Notice the tin mugs placed in strategic places on the tin wall behind the prisoners - if one wanted a drink or go to the toilet the whole gang would have to go with them. In some cases, people were chained next to a member of a tribal group that is culturally inappropriate to even to speak to, never-loan the different customs and language barriers. It's no wonder they had difficulty fitting into their own family group when they were 'lucky' enough to return to their home.

INVITE ONLY MEETINGS: Broome: 10-12 February 2017, Dubbo: 17-19 February 2017, Darwin: 22-24 February 2017, Perth: 3-5 March 2017, Sydney: 10-12 March 2017, Melbourne: 17-19 March 2017, Cairns: 24-26 March 2017, Ross River: 31 March - 2 April 2017, Adelaide: 7-9 April 2017, Brisbane: 21-23 April 2017, Torres Strait: 5-7 May 2017, Uluru - National Convention

Yingiya Mark Guyula 13 February 2017