Truth-telling inquiry finds genocide was committed against Indigenous people in Victoria
It calls the history a genocide.
The report's authors want the state government to offer financial redress and far greater self-determination for Indigenous people.
It comes as federal Indigenous policy on reconciliation remains in flux following the failure of the Voice referendum in the Albanese government's first term.
7.30's Sarah Ferguson interviews Katie Kiss, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Labor vows to introduce new childcare laws when parliament returns
Labor will introduce snap legislation letting the government cut federal funds to childcare centres that 'aren't up to scratch', Education Minister Jason Clare has vowed. The pledge came after detectives arrested and charged a 26-year-old man in relation to allegations of child sexual abuse at a Melbourne childcare centre. He was a worker at the centre and had a working with children check (WWCC). Mr Clare said on Thursday that if the allegations were proven true, then 'the system has failed these families'. 'It has taken too long for governments to act,' he told Seven's Sunrise. 'This is sickening and it demands serious action. We've already taken action around mobile phones in childcare centres and mandatory reporting. 'But there's more that we have to do – there's a lot more we have to do.' Mr Clare said he would not hesitate to 'cut off' federal funds to childcare centres that failed to keep children safe. 'Parliament returns later this month – I'll introduce a piece of legislation in the (first) fortnight that will cut funding to childcare centres that aren't up to scratch when it comes to safety of the children,' he said. 'The big weapon that the federal government has to wield here is the funding that we provide to childcare centres. 'It equates to about 70 per cent of the funding that runs a centre and if they're not keeping our kids safe, then we need to cut off their funding.' He added there needed 'to be consequences'. Police in Victoria earlier this week arrested and charged Joshua Dale Brown with more than 70 offences, including child rape and possession of child abuse material. On Wednesday, police charged a second man, Michael Simon Wilson, 36, with offences relating to child abuse material.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Victorian MP Anne Webster's cultural heritage speech triggers walkout
Local government representatives have walked out during National Party MP Anne Webster's speech at a national conference, calling comments she made about Aboriginal cultural heritage "appalling", "insensitive" and "really disrespectful". Dr Webster's speech as shadow local government minister at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) general assembly in Canberra last week led to heckling from the audience and dozens of people, including ALGA board members, leaving the room, attendees told the ABC. During the 20-minute address, attendees said Dr Webster repeatedly raised examples of native title and cultural heritage disputes in her electorate. She questioned a cultural heritage declaration that paused the progress of a proposal to develop a caravan park and cabins on private land on the edge of Lake Tyrrell, near Sea Lake. "It remains frozen to this day, but with no cultural artefacts found by their expert archaeologists," Dr Webster told the crowd. She also said two-thirds of rock-climbing routes at Mount Arapiles were shut for "disputed" cultural heritage reasons "at the behest of the local Indigenous corporation" after sacred Indigenous rock art was rediscovered. Dr Webster told the crowd some of the rock art "can't even be seen with the naked eye anymore". Three mayors at the event told the ABC the rhetoric of the speech, which Dr Webster gave in front of several Indigenous mayors, councillors and chief executives, was "tone deaf", "appalling", "truly disgraceful", "really offensive" and "hugely inappropriate". Berrigan Shire Mayor Julia Cornwell McKean, a Wiradjuri woman, said it was not the time for Dr Webster to claim native title was restricting councils from doing their job. "It was just truly disgraceful for someone who has been a shadow minister for two seconds," Cr Cornwell McKean said. "Quite frankly, I was stunned. "I was just sitting there in disbelief that someone would use this valuable platform at this critical point in their career as a shadow minister to make points of this nature. "It wasn't a topic for the National General Assembly, and a whole number of Indigenous people and people in the audience decided to leave the assembly at that time." Byron Shire Mayor Sarah Ndiaye was among those who walked out. She said when Dr Webster started to question how land where no artefacts were found was culturally significant, the speech moved into "really offensive territory" and identity politics. "As if that's the only measure of cultural significance," Cr Ndiaye said. "Anyone who knows anything about native title and cultural significance knows that's not the case at all. Mildura Mayor Helen Healy, whose council is in Ms Webster's electorate, said the role of local government leaders was to bring people together, not divide them. "It deeply troubles me that one of our most vulnerable communities is being used, and I'll refer to the words of the mayor of Palm Island speaking to delegates after the incident, as a 'political football to kick around'," Cr Healy said. "Furthermore, with Indigenous Australian culture being a major driver of international tourism, what is it going to mean to the economies of our communities when a federal leader dismisses the cultural significance of Mallee places like Lake Tyrrell at Sea Lake?" Wotjobaluk Wergaia Jaardwa Jardwadjali man Gary Murray said Lake Tyrrell, known as Direl, was a well-documented culturally significant place featuring burial sites and discovered objects that confirmed First Nations people, their ancestors and clans belonged to this country for millennia. "Our unique cultural heritage is shared with all Australians, and this significant cultural heritage should never disappear from our country at the whim of a development or the need for a pollie's vote," Mr Murray said. "After all, there is no other Direl place in the world with such documented significant cultural heritage linked to the astronomy, people, waters and landscape." Archaeologist and Njeri Njeri and Wergaia man Mark Grist said Lake Tyrrell and its surrounds was a sensitive landscape and a special place with a rare sky story. "It has a lot of archaeology history to it, and it also has a lot of oral history and it has the sky story, which is significant to the wider area of Lake Tyrrell," Mr Grist said. "Whatever does happen at Lake Tyrrell has got to be done in a way that respects Lake Tyrrell, as a landscape and the people that use it as well, including my people, and we used it all the time." Dr Webster told a conversation about cultural heritage bans was worth having, and those who chose to walk out during her speech were known to cause "difficulty" to other councillors. She told the ABC the comments she made on cultural heritage were consistent with statements she had publicly made before. "I have been grateful for the significant number of ALGA delegates who have subsequently contacted me from all over Australia, wholeheartedly supporting my comments," Dr Webster said. The shadow minister for Indigenous Australians and social services, Kerrynne Liddle, said Dr Webster's speech was about the impact the Native Title Act 1993 and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 had on constituents and stakeholders. "The issues raised by Dr Webster are not new and are often raised by traditional owners, constituents and developers in relation to the native title and cultural heritage acts across Australia," Senator Liddle said.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Labor urged to rethink 20 per cent student debt cut as leading research body calls for flat $5500 relief
A flat $5500 reduction of HELP debt would deliver better uniform relief for Australians with student debt, with analysis of Labor's signature policy finding that the cost-of-living relief would currently largely help high-income earners. The research, released by not-for-profit research body e61 Institute on Thursday found the policy as is, doesn't meaningfully speed up debt repayment, and unfairly benefits students who graduated in 2024. Instead of a 20 per cent cut to balances, e61 said the relief would be better targeted if Australia's with student debt were given a flat $5500 cut. The figure also represents the average amount set to be wiped across all HELP accounts. e61 said that a $5500 reduction would help 35 per cent of account holders make their final repayment in an earlier year, or 15 per cent more debt holders than a 20 per cent discount. e61 Research Economist Matthew Maltman said the benefits of a straight cut was important factor due to the policy's $16bn price tag, which equals the annual cost of Jobseeker. 'Most HELP debt is held by university graduates, who have much higher lifetime incomes than the average taxpayer. And even if you look within graduates, those with more costly degrees tend to go on to earn higher incomes in the future,' he said. 'You could make the argument that we need to provide debt relief to humanities students in a targeted way because of Job Ready Graduates. 'But the current policy isn't at all targeted and that means it's going to give a very large amount of debt relief to future lawyers, dentists and doctors who are going to go on to enjoy very high lifetime incomes.' University students who finished their degrees in 2024 will also receive twice as much relief as people who left in 2020, and two and a half times more than students who are currently in their first year of a three year degree. e61 Senior Research Economist Jack Buckley said this would create a debt relief lottery. 'If you cut 20 per cent of each individual's balance, it means two very similar people will receive very different amounts of debt relief simply because one finished their degree in 2024 and the other finished a few years earlier or later,' said Mr Buckley. Anthony Albanese has repeatedly said the 20 per cent cut to HELP debts will be the first piece of legislation passed when parliament returns on July 22, with the changes backdated to account balances as of June 1. Labor is also set to increase the debt repayment threshold from $56,156 to $67,000, repayments of payment will also be lowered.
