Year after year we cycle through dates that mark a moment in time to be remembered.
Some of these dates and the events that accompany them, have brought and continue to bring hope, while others remind us of how far we still need to go.
Every one of these days recall the slaughter and annihilation of our people and remind us of the devastating impact of the ongoing process of colonisation.
Reconciliation Week runs from 26th May to 3 June. It begins with National Sorry Day, a day that commemorates and recognises the Stolen Generation.
It ends with Mabo Day, when the High Court finally overturned the legal fiction of Terra Nullius in 1992 – a fiction we, as First Nations people, have always known to be true.
This year’s theme ‘Bridging Now to Next’, is a sharp reminder of how the now inevitably shapes our future.
We will never forget the fight of those that came before us. Our ancestors carried a massive load, refused to submit, and resisted every attempt to destroy our culture, our connection to Country and our people.
We have survived, but the struggle is far from over.
Here’s a reminder:
- Despite the Bringing Them Home Report and its 54 recommendations tabled in 1997,
- Despite the first National Sorry Day being observed in 1998, exactly one year after the tabling of the Bringing Them Home Report,
- Despite a formal apology in 2008 from former Prime Minister Rudd,
Our babies and children are STILL being removed from their families and communities at devasting rates.
This stark reality forces us to question the notion of Reconciliation, and what it really means.
This is a theme I first spoke about in my National Reconciliation Week Oration at Melbourne Town Hall in 2023. At that time, I reflected on the fact that, despite tireless efforts from previous generations fighting for change, the dial has not moved far enough.
At this year’s QIFVLS Overcoming Indigenous Family Violence Conference, I asked whether, in a post-referendum world, it is time for a new approach.
Djirra is future-focused, with Aboriginal women children’s experiences at the centre of everything we do. The now is devastating and we need urgent change.
In my 22 years leading Djirra, while Aboriginal women have remained resilient and courageous, the situation has not improved. If anything, it has worsened – you just have to look at the statistics. In this country today, Aboriginal women are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence, 11 times more likely to die from a violent assault, and 7 times more likely to be murdered than other women.
Djirra remains unwavering in our fight for investment in our self-determined solutions.
We remain committed to holding governments accountable on Closing The Gap.
We refuse to accept failure year after year. We reject the contempt in which we are held when agreed targets continue to not be met, and the predictable and scripted narratives from politicians.
We will always keep Aboriginal women and children’s voices front and centre – at the table, influencing the policy agenda, not drowned out by structures that too often exclude us.
Djirra stands firm with and for Aboriginal women. We stand true to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Our truths must be spoken, and importantly, our truths must be heard – in our own words, on our own terms and in our own time.
Aboriginal women’s self-determination is non-negotiable, and now more than ever we must be invested in.
This Reconciliation Week has been a powerful reminder for me how unique Djirra is and why our work must be invested in. Reconciliation Week, and every week, Djirra is bridging now to next – in our own way.
This week, 15 Aboriginal women attended our Dilly Bag workshop, a four day cultural retreat putting Aboriginal women’s business first. Of these 15 women, 11 Aboriginal nations were represented. Together, they have 55 kids, 104 grandkids, two great grandkids and one mum has her 9th baby on the way.
This is truly bringing the NOW into the NEXT – this is more than symbolism – this is real change – Aboriginal Women’s Way.
We have survived and will continue to thrive.
We invite you to get behind us, walk with us, call for an investment in our self-determined solutions:
- Djirra’s Aboriginal Women’s Centre – a culturally safe place where culture is celebrated, and practical support is available.
- Expanding our services to reach more Aboriginal women and children across Victoria.
- Advocating for a mandatory child protection notification and referral system for Aboriginal children, ensuring parents are immediately referred to Djirra for support and representation, when concerns about the safety of an Aboriginal child are raised.
Aboriginal women and children deserve better.
Support Djirra to continue to deliver our vital work, and turn this devastating now into an amazing legacy for future generations. Donate now.
Antoinette Braybrook AM
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