Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Time marches on, but issues remain. The opportunity to recognise both these monumental anniversaries only serves as a stark reminder that we are still debating and dealing with so many issues that disadvantage our Indigenous people. In 1967, after 10 years of campaigning, a referendum was held to change the Australian Constitution. Two negative references to Aboriginal Australians were removed, giving the Commonwealth the power to legislate for them as a group. This change was seen by many as a recognition of Aboriginal people as full Australian citizens. This referendum campaign effectively focused public attention on the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were second-class citizens, with all sorts of limitations, legislative and social—including our very own Linda Burney.

This decade-long campaign to change the Constitution came to symbolise the broader struggle for justice being fought during these years. Activists presented their case for a Commonwealth government which would be prepared for the very first time to take responsibility for Indigenous citizens wherever they lived. Twenty-five years later, the Mabo decision challenged the legal standing that his family's land was owned by the Crown. The High Court's landmark decision overthrew that standing and paved the way for native title. Native title is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous people have rights and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs. Colleen Wall, the chairperson of the Queensland South Native Titles Services, put it correctly when she said:

We have responsibility for our country, we have recognition that we are the traditional owners of the country and we can take that bundle of rights into the future to protect our land, and that our children have the right to carry on processes on country.

It is also important that we recognise the determination of all the people who work behind native title. We have to recognise the amount of years collectively that has gone past to get to where we are now, so that’s 25 years of lots and lots of tears and joy and hard work and miles travelled to get where we are now.

Our legacy and the way we go forward from Mabo, is taking that tenacity and taking that dedication and taking that strong mindedness into the future to make sure that we have honoured what Eddie [Mabo] did.

These anniversaries are a proud and a rightly proud part of the history that we can build on today.

We have to act, and my observations around NAIDOC Week and a recent visit to Alice Springs highlight that. The NAIDOC Week celebrations, which we have just had, are an important opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal culture. In many of my school visits, I was able to speak about the anniversaries which we are recognising here today. Our theme this year is 'Our language matters'. This highlights the protection and needed regeneration of Aboriginal languages. It is an important theme and it continues to be an important theme because it celebrates the unique and essential role that Aboriginal languages play in cultural identity. Language links people to their land and water in the communication of history, spirituality and rituals through stories and songs. Language is vitally important.

Today we heard in the chamber an important observation about Dr G Yunupingu. As one of Australia's most prominent musicians, his premature death at age 46 underlines the Aboriginal disadvantage that still continues today. Whilst we proudly celebrate these anniversaries, we still shamefully have such disadvantage. Yunupingu was trapped in a cycle of bad health from contracting hepatitis B as a child, which left him with liver and kidney disease. His death would have been preventable in most circumstances, especially in the circumstance of being a white middle-aged man. Yunupingu represents the soul of the original language and music of Indigenous communities. He played for the likes of Barack Obama and the Queen. He brought the NT to the world. He could play every instrument and he sang like an angel. Yunupingu started in music by playing a guitar upside down, because he was left-handed. His friend Cal Williams was lead guitarist in Yothu Yindi when Dr G Yunupingu played keyboard, guitar and percussion in the band. Mr Williams said:

Yothu Yindi started by filling the gap between white music and Aboriginal music. But he—

Yunupingu—

was the icing on the cake.

His legacy is bringing everyone together and enjoying it for what it was: an amazing sound from an amazing musician who could play every instrument and sing like an angel.

Yunupingu contributed so much to the language, music and culture of not only the Aboriginal community but the broader Australian community. Like many Aboriginal people, he has done a lot for his people and for our country. This should always be treasured and honoured.

An example of how we can be more aware of what we have and what we have lost is when we compare the coverage of Yunupingu's death to that of Linkin Park frontman, Chester Bennington, who died in the same week as Yunupingu, but whose music and sad demise saw much more media attention. While very sad, I do reflect on the fact that Yunupingu's contribution is arguably much deeper and richer to our community. This comparison highlights other measures that we need to fix in our Aboriginal community such as life expectancy, writing and numeracy, attendance rates at school and employment—to name but a few. Our Aboriginal community suffers inequality and disadvantage. As the previous speaker, the member for Whitlam, said, we need to do much more and not just pat ourselves on the back.

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