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Published: October 7th 2023
Spring tide in Broome laps by the shore at High Tide and one has to walk about 300 metres to greet the low tide...only Nova Scotia has larger tidal flows. What will happen if we dip our toes in?
Dinosaur tracks across the bay from Roebuck Beach...some of the largest bird migrations on the planet...art and culture of the World's oldest living civilisation...the First Nations indigenous people dreaming stories for over 60,000 years.
The savage history following the coming of the white man...the clash of cultures...dispossession, disconnect, disadvantage to the aboriginal first inhabitants that has ensured...their human blight that many non-indigenous seek to avoid or forget.
Red rocks millions of years old...red & orange tracks into the remote...but on a map...the Kimberley is only a speck on this sunburnt country I am blessed to call home.
******
We chose to visit in June...three months after the Wet Season ends...hoping there is still water in the rivers, waterfalls and waterholes...aware that by September the Dry Season may be dust and more dust and by November the hotels are nigh on empty.
Devastating unseasonal floods shortly before our visit washed away bridges and roads into the remote
beyond...a cyclone now threatening to disrupt our stay.
I hear the floods have cleaned out the area...that it needed a massive washout to make it sparkling clean...yet some areas such as Windjana Gorge now inaccessible to us.
I come to see ancient indigenous rock art...to discover
'country'...to listen...to learn...to hopefully get a hint of what the Dreamtime of the ancients is all about.
But as a privileged white man I am not supposed to understand or know.
Hit me...teach me...break through those barriers of ignorance and disconnect.
I am ready.
Broome We flew from Sydney across Central Australia to get here...the stark but vivid palette of the outback and interior different on every crossing...always takes hours longer flying east to west than on return east with westerly winds.
The first thing you notice on arrival are the paint strokes of coastline, beaches, islands and winding rivers...a tiny airport...no high rises...and it is surprisingly hot.
Broome was once the centre of World pearling...but now the mecca for backpackers looking for work in this buzzing seasonal tourist town.
Checking into Moonlight Suites overlooking Roebuck Beach and a voice behind,
"I think we are on the same trip as you"...meeting Jon & Felicity from Adelaide who later shared the back seat of the Kimberley Wild 4WD Safari Truck with us.
No matter where we go...no matter how remote...we usually meet some folks time and again.
A walk down the road in Broome for our first foray...past the
"No Alcohol, No Humbug, No Gambling" street sign.
I am aware of alcohol issues and some indigenous settlements are
"dry towns" (no alcohol).
But
"No humbug" (dishonest talk, writing, or behaviour that is intended to deceive people). What's the reason for that? I frown.
Indigenous youth carousing on a sand dune...wildflowers lining the street.
To the Broome Lookout over the Indian Ocean...murals of indigenous art of The Jarlangardi (the goanna) totem of the Yawuru people.
Two well-dressed indigenous girls leaving as we get to the top...return our greetings...fresh chicken bones and carton scraps discarded on the lookout table...left for ants and flies or someone else to clean up...as if they didn't care.
Our first glimpse of what I now believe is the attitude that results from
'dispossession'...the effect on the indigenous aborigines of dispossession of their
homelands by white occupation and white man's rules.
'Loss of pride' in those portions of their lands they call "Country"...where their spirits no longer fly.
In other Kimberley towns...indigenous families eating and drinking in parks...discarding their litter as if not their concern to clean up.
Not an uncommon sight when I was young of white folk discarding rubbish in the bush or chucking their food packages and ciggies out car windows or as they walked along...but
"tossers are losers" has been the cry in Oz that has largely changed that.
By comparison, we will never forget litter in abundance in numerous East and West African markets or waterways clogged with plastics in Asia.
Rubbish piled up next to garbage bins in China 'cos too lazy to open and place in the bins provided.
Attitude...attitude...why care?
But then the stark contrast of villages of stick and grass thatched huts in Ethiopia with the earthen surrounds broomed and litter free. Subtle but powerful images evidencing
'pride of place' ...that in those villages so obviously bloomed.
Sunburn cream and boab nuts To the Broome supermarket for sunburn cream...a middle-aged indigenous woman walks in front of me grabbing at deodorant sprays...then with three in her hands dropping
them. Picks them up then reaching under her long dress sprays her whole body...then sprays again...seemingly oblivious to my presence...drops three cans then with a shake of her head moves to pick them up but sweeps them under the shelves with her feet and stumbles off.
Later that evening with friends Bill and Sharyn for dinner at the Mangrove Hotel overlooking Roebuck Bay...a down-and-out indigenous man going from table to table being waved away by diners...approaches our table and my natural reaction was
'beggar beware".
His fingers are twisted...his disarray and darting eyes one of despair...holding out a carved boab nut about the size of an ostrich egg...asking $30 for it.
He hands it to me. The skill of the carved images of stingrays and design taking away any prejudice I may have had.
"Did you carve this?" "Yes". "Your skill is exceptional. Yes. I will buy it. I will see if I can get some cash." His demeanor by my return had changed...sitting with us as equals...the simple act of acceptance rather than rejection by our group had changed all that.
He was Dougie, the brother of Daniel who is
the master carver around here.
I paid him with praise and thanks...disappeared into the night with a smile on his face.
And what a bargain I got. Similar but less skilful carved boab nuts in art shops were $80 - $100!!!
A simple act of acceptance and kindness moved us all that night.
Indigenous Disadvantage In Oz we are all aware of indigenous disadvantage in our otherwise
"lucky country". Do we acknowledge it is apparent...or do we turn a blind eye?
A history of colonialism by white settlement in Australia since 1788 under the concept of
'terra nullius'...that the land belonged to nobody...justification for taking land from the aborigines without compensation or treaty.
England emptying their overcrowded prisons to claim and settle the southern continent...introducing smallpox and massacres that decimated the indigenous inhabitants.
Taking any of their mixed blood children by force by government decree from 1910 until the 1970s
"to breed the blackness or colour out of them" ...placing them in missions (
'the Stolen Generations') affecting one in three to one in ten in some regions...ripping apart the cultural, familial and spiritual bonds of indigenous families...the scars of which endure to this day.
On 13 February
2008 our then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave
"the National Apology" in Parliament to the Stolen Generations whose lives had been blighted by past government policies of forced child removal and assimilation:
"We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country." "I say we are sorry". The Apology elicited a wide range of emotions amongst those affected. While few believed that it would completely erase the pain of the past, many felt that a vital first step in the healing process and reconciliation had begun.
"Sorry". A simple word that took so many years before it was expressed.
"Sorry".
How soon we forget.
There are the current social issues in the remote indigenous communities of drunkenness with out-of-control domestic violence...youth suicide...high mortality rates...deaths in custody...the marches of Black Lives Matter echoing in our streets in recent years.
Julian Leeser, my Liberal Member of Parliament and a champion for change says:
"The terrible truth is
that in Australia today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face:
• Chronic ill-health – with Aboriginal people, on average, living eight years less than other Australians.
• Widespread unemployment – with the Indigenous unemployment rate being nine times higher than what other Australians face.
• Poverty – with one in two Indigenous Australians living below the poverty line.
• Homelessness – with one in five Indigenous households living in accommodation not meeting an acceptable standard.
• A lack of safety for women and children. In NSW, an Indigenous woman is 30 times more likely to present at a hospital with injuries from violence than other
Australian women.
• Lack of opportunity – with Indigenous boys in this country more likely to go to jail than university."
What is their legal status? you ask. As we travel the Kimberley the cultural divide hits my heart and hurts my eyes.
The indigenous Aborigines only make up about 3.3 percent of Australia's population of about 26 million.
But in my reckoning they are the only marginalised ethnic group in our country.
The only mention of the First
Nations people in the Australian Constitution of 1901 is Section 51 (xxvi) and Section 127 which in effect specifically excluded Aboriginals as citizens with the words:
51. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have the power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to: (xxvi) the people of any race, other than the aboriginal race in any State, or whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws." (my emphasis) 127. in reckoning the numbers of people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives shall not be counted." Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples were entitled to vote at a State level before 1901 but were expressly prevented from voting in Queensland and Western Australia.
In 1962 the Electoral Act was amended so they could register and vote, but it was not compulsory, unlike the rest of the population.
It was not until 1984 that full voting rights were granted federally, and they were required to register on the electoral roll and to vote was compulsory.
They were
not counted in the Census of Australian residents until
that was reversed by Constitutional Referendum in 1967.
On 27 May 1967, Australians voted to change the Constitution so that like all other Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be counted as part of the population and the Commonwealth would be able to make laws for them.
The vote for "YES" was 90.77 percent in favour of the changes.
The Constitution Alteration (Aboriginals) Act 1967 amended Section 51 (xxvi) of the Constitution, so that power now reads:
"51(xxvi) the peoples of any race for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws." "Yes" or "No" in 2023 There is a current Referendum set for 14 October 2023 seeking to recognise them in the Constitution as the first inhabitants of Australia for over 60,000 years (some say over 40,000 years) and for them to be heard and have a Voice to consult and be consulted on government policy that affects them.
The Question simply reads:
"A Proposed Law to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?" The 'Proposed Law'
that Australians are being asked to vote upon is set out in the Constitution Alteration Bill. If approved at the Referendum, the Bill would add the following words to the Constitution:
'Chapter IX Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 129. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia: i. there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice; ii. the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; iii. the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures." The First Nations peoples are seeking to walk in partnership with other Australians so they have a say and can take responsibility for decisions that affect them.
To date, white beaurocracy has decided what they need without adequate consultation with the recipients. History shows when they
are consulted it is after decisions are made...or if before, that their input is usually disregarded or overlooked.
A number of committees have been set up in the past to assist aboriginal needs but have been abolished by later governments.
By enshrining it in the Constitution, the Voice cannot be abolished.
It's function will be a non-binding advisory body made up of grass roots indigenous old and young, remote and urban communities.
However, its creation and function will be decided by Parliament and able to be adjusted by successive governments.
The Voice will have no veto power and will not have the power to manage money or deliver services.
There has been so much wasted money of indigenous services that the Voice will seek to overcome and obtain better outcomes.
That the Voice if granted, will not be able to be abolished so they continue to be able to consult as to their needs and issues that affect them...is surely a step of hope for their future and their benefit.
An example of non-consultation was providing refrigerators to remote indigenous settlements that only have intermittent electrical power!!!
If they had been
asked if that would work, surely there would not be such stupidity and waste of public funds!!!
The Voice sounds reasonable to me...but it appears to be heading for defeat by the
'mean spirited' "No" vote of the non-indigenous of this immigrant continent.
Ironic that the non-indigenous majority will vote as to the welfare of the marginalised aboriginal minority!!!
The "NO" campaign has made it a political issue rather than a humanitarian issue.
"They will take away our homes and backyards", they wail.
"I don't know what to vote. Where is the detail?" The "NO" campaign chant is,
"If you don't know, vote "No". If you don't know, vote "No"" (sung over and over in a whine by the Senator with the bad hair!) Well...if you don't know find out. There is more than enough detail in articles on the issue.
The Constitution sets out powers, not details...the nuts and bolts are always left to Parliament to sort out. Yet the "YES" campaign in summary says:
Let us walk together so they can consult as to their needs ...our country will surely benefit.
But unfortunately, many simply do not want to.
The privileged white or immigrant
"What's in it for me, me, me, me, me?" attitude seems to hold sway.
I believe a "YES" in the referendum will not affect the non-indigenous majority in any way. Yet the "NO" voters are publicly determined that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders not benefit in any way. I believe this is a chance of a lifetime for Australians to prove to the World that our mantra of
"Give a bloke a fair go" is our reality.
Denise and I and tens of thousands of others joined the
'March for Yes' on Sunday 17 September 2023 in Sydney...over 200,000 folk of all shapes, sizes and political and ethnic backgrounds marched for our indigenous brothers and sisters in cities and towns all over Australia.
We marched for what we believe is fair and right.
But if the
"NO" vote prevails on 14 October 2023, I fear the World will judge that the
"R" Word Still Rules in Oz...the word that has highlighted our dark history.
And it is that word...with rage and contempt...that many in this country refuse to mutter or admit.
My perspective As an Australian citizen I have a right, and
indeed it is compulsory, for me to vote
"Yes" or
"No" to the question whether to recognise the First Peoples of Australia in the Referendum on 14 October 2023 by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice non-binding advisory body in the Constitution.
As a white privileged male...I know the granting of the Voice will not affect me in any way. The Voice will only deal with issues affecting them. I regard
the restoration of pride in the indigenous peoples as the key to moving out of dispossession, prejudice, disadvantage and poverty.
I believe they need to know the rest of the population is backing their attempts for their advancement.
We worship our indigenous sportsmen and women for their uncanny skill and verve.
But what about the rest of them?
I firmly believe Pride in Self leads to better outcomes moving forward.
Taking responsibility for consultation and decisions that affect them will follow when their heads are held high.
So morally, Do I have the right to deny them this opportunity to have a say in issues that affect them, their welfare and hopefully for their
benefit?
Do I have the right to say
"No" to that?
I do
not believe I do.
That is why I
must vote
"Yes" on 14 October 2023...and hold my head high with a smile that I do so.
The World is watching...we must vote "YES".
******
The western sun casts a magic hue on the Roebuck Beach mangroves, sand and water...layers of greens, yellows, reds and blues...lifting our expectations of wonders of the Kimberley to come.
What further evidence of a people robbed of their pride and thus disadvantaged will we stumble upon?
It did not take long for me to find out.
Relax and Enjoy,
Dancing Dave
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John Miranda
John & Miranda
The Kimberley
As always, some top photos!