Latest news with #AboriginalAffairs
SBS Australia
06-07-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
The music icon and croc hunter who was a driving force for NAIDOC Week
Ted Egan isn't just a songwriter with an extensive and well-known catalogue documenting life in the Northern Territory. As a public servant, he also played a significant role in the formation of the group behind what is today known as NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week. Born in 1932 in Melbourne, Egan moved to the Top End in 1949 and started working for the NT Department of Aboriginal Affairs. His work as a patrol officer and reserve superintendent took him out of the city and on to cattle stations and crocodile-hunting expeditions. In his late 30s, Egan worked as a project officer with the Office of Aboriginal Affairs: a new national agency within the Prime Minister's Department that had been established following the successful 1967 Referendum, which saw the Commonwealth now having overall responsibility for Aboriginal affairs. In 1970, a year after Egan wrote the track Gurindji Blues with land rights leader Vincent Lingiari, Egan was sent to Sydney to attend the annual general meeting of the Commonwealth Council of NADOC (National Aborigines' Day Observance Committee). The purpose of the National Aborigines Day Observance Committee was to "create and promote an informed public opinion on the status and needs of the Aborigines". The committee had been set up back in 1957, two years after the National Missionary Council of Australia (NMCA) had asked the federal government to establish a National Aborigines Day. While denying the request for a National Day, the federal government supported a National Aborigines Day via funding for publications, leaflets and stickers as a way of "creating and promoting an informed public opinion on the status and the needs of the Aborigines … as to what is being done, and what remains to be done". In 1969, the NADOC Federal Executive was made up of Rev Frank Engel (chairman), Rev Robert Denham (secretary), Rev Richard Udy (treasurer) and committee members: Rev Robert Brown (SA), Rev James Sweet (Qld), Rev G Night (NSW), Mr Ken Colbung, Mrs S Dunn (NSW), Rev E Newman (NSW) and Pastor Schultz (NSW). A turning point In the overall historical context of National Aborigines Day or NAIDOC Week, the February 1970 meeting of the National Executive was a turning point. At the meeting, there was a move to elect an Aboriginal man — Ken Colbung from WA — as the new National Chairman. Colbung was the Secretary for NSW NADOC which had large staunch Aboriginal membership including Kaye Mundine, Clive and Tom Williams, Charles 'Chicka' Dixon, Lyall Munro, Bert Groves and Reverend Frank Roberts. It would be the first time an Aboriginal person would be at the helm of the National Committee; Lester Bostock was also elected a joint treasurer. On returning to Darwin, Egan typed up a report to his supervisor — Frank H Moy, assistant director (research) at the Office of Aboriginal Affairs — about the meeting. "The members of the outgoing committee seemed anxious to replace some of the church officials on the Executive with Aboriginals and this is an encouraging sign," he wrote. Egan recommended that NADOC should be a national committee made up entirely of Indigenous representatives. Moy endorsed his observation about the lack of Aboriginal people on the National Executive. "We have been lecturing them on this for two years now," Moy scrawled in pen over this section of Egan's report. In his report, Egan went further, writing that the NADOC should be a national committee made up entirely of Indigenous representatives. "It seems to me that if this is to become a national body, NADOC should appoint a representative (preferably an Aboriginal) in each state," Egan wrote. "Mr Phillip Roberts would be an ideal choice for the Northern Territory and perhaps one of our liaison officers for the ACT. Could it be suggested to NADOC that an Aboriginal be appointed in each State, NT and ACT?" From National Aborigines Day to NAIDOC Week Later that year, in September 1970, the annual general meeting of the National Council of NADOC saw Indigenous representatives from across the nation attend. These included: Dick Roughsy (Mornington Island Qld) G Winnunguj (Goulburn Island NT), Tom Williams (Foundation Aboriginal Affairs NSW), George Abudullah (WA), Lyall Munro (Moree Advancement Committee), Kath Walker (National Tribal Council), and Dulcie Flower and Faith Bandler (Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders - FCAATSI). Egan also used his report to cheekily comment on the lack of interest in the NT about the national celebrations. "I know at present in the Northern Territory little is done towards the observance of National Aborigines Day because it is considered to be a day on which a few 'compensation neurotics' do a bit of stirring in Sydney," he wrote. LISTEN TO SBS News 04/07/2025 05:58 English Egan's attendance at the meeting occurred in an era of growing calls to make National Aborigines Day a proper national day. "It seems to me that there should be a move to make it a national day in its true sense," Egan summarised in his report. "I think that our role should be to make the thing financially secure as far as publications etc are concerned and thereby make it an attractive enough proposition for Aborigines to take over 'their day'," he concluded. Ken Colbung would again sit as National Chairman in 1971 with Pastor Frank Roberts, Kath Walker and Dulcie Flower joining him on the National Executive. In 1972, control of NADOC was given to the newly established Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs, and in 1974, the Committee had full Aboriginal representation for the first time. In 1975, National Aborigines Day became NAIDOC Week. By this point, Egan had already released several albums and begun to establish his reputation as a musical chronicler of outback life. He would go on to be a member of the first National Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and serve as administrator of the Northern Territory from 2003 to 2007. NAIDOC Week will be marked 6-13 July.
SBS Australia
05-07-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
National Aborigines Day: How an Australian icon wanted to make it a 'true' national day
Ted Egan isn't just a songwriter with an extensive and well-known catalogue documenting life in the Northern Territory. As a public servant, he also played a significant role in the formation of the group behind what is today known as NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week. Born in 1932 in Melbourne, Egan moved to the Top End in 1949 and started working for the NT Department of Aboriginal Affairs. His work as a patrol officer and reserve superintendent took him out of the city and on to cattle stations and crocodile-hunting expeditions. In his late 30s, Egan worked as a project officer with the Office of Aboriginal Affairs: a new national agency within the Prime Minister's Department that had been established following the successful 1967 Referendum, which saw the Commonwealth now having overall responsibility for Aboriginal affairs. In 1970, a year after Egan wrote the track Gurindji Blues with land rights leader Vincent Lingiari, Egan was sent to Sydney to attend the annual general meeting of the Commonwealth Council of NADOC (National Aborigines' Day Observance Committee). The purpose of the National Aborigines Day Observance Committee was to "create and promote an informed public opinion on the status and needs of the Aborigines". The committee had been set up back in 1957, two years after the National Missionary Council of Australia (NMCA) had asked the federal government to establish a National Aborigines Day. While denying the request for a National Day, the federal government supported a National Aborigines Day via funding for publications, leaflets and stickers as a way of "creating and promoting an informed public opinion on the status and the needs of the Aborigines … as to what is being done, and what remains to be done". In 1969, the NADOC Federal Executive was made up of Rev Frank Engel (chairman), Rev Robert Denham (secretary), Rev Richard Udy (treasurer) and committee members: Rev Robert Brown (SA), Rev James Sweet (Qld), Rev G Night (NSW), Mr Ken Colbung, Mrs S Dunn (NSW), Rev E Newman (NSW) and Pastor Schultz (NSW). A turning point In the overall historical context of National Aborigines Day or NAIDOC Week, the February 1970 meeting of the National Executive was a turning point. At the meeting, there was a move to elect an Aboriginal man — Ken Colbung from WA — as the new National Chairman. Colbung was the Secretary for NSW NADOC which had large staunch Aboriginal membership including Kaye Mundine, Clive and Tom Williams, Charles 'Chicka' Dixon, Lyall Munro, Bert Groves and Reverend Frank Roberts. It would be the first time an Aboriginal person would be at the helm of the National Committee; Lester Bostock was also elected a joint treasurer. On returning to Darwin, Egan typed up a report to his supervisor — Frank H Moy, assistant director (research) at the Office of Aboriginal Affairs — about the meeting. "The members of the outgoing committee seemed anxious to replace some of the church officials on the Executive with Aboriginals and this is an encouraging sign," he wrote. Egan recommended that NADOC should be a national committee made up entirely of Indigenous representatives. Moy endorsed his observation about the lack of Aboriginal people on the National Executive. "We have been lecturing them on this for two years now," Moy scrawled in pen over this section of Egan's report. In his report, Egan went further, writing that the NADOC should be a national committee made up entirely of Indigenous representatives. "It seems to me that if this is to become a national body, NADOC should appoint a representative (preferably an Aboriginal) in each state," Egan wrote. "Mr Phillip Roberts would be an ideal choice for the Northern Territory and perhaps one of our liaison officers for the ACT. Could it be suggested to NADOC that an Aboriginal be appointed in each State, NT and ACT?" From National Aborigines Day to NAIDOC Week Later that year, in September 1970, the annual general meeting of the National Council of NADOC saw Indigenous representatives from across the nation attend. These included: Dick Roughsy (Mornington Island Qld) G Winnunguj (Goulburn Island NT), Tom Williams (Foundation Aboriginal Affairs NSW), George Abudullah (WA), Lyall Munro (Moree Advancement Committee), Kath Walker (National Tribal Council), and Dulcie Flower and Faith Bandler (Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders - FCAATSI). Egan also used his report to cheekily comment on the lack of interest in the NT about the national celebrations. "I know at present in the Northern Territory little is done towards the observance of National Aborigines Day because it is considered to be a day on which a few 'compensation neurotics' do a bit of stirring in Sydney," he wrote. LISTEN TO SBS News 04/07/2025 05:58 English Egan's attendance at the meeting occurred in an era of growing calls to make National Aborigines Day a proper national day. "It seems to me that there should be a move to make it a national day in its true sense," Egan summarised in his report. "I think that our role should be to make the thing financially secure as far as publications etc are concerned and thereby make it an attractive enough proposition for Aborigines to take over 'their day'," he concluded. Ken Colbung would again sit as National Chairman in 1971 with Pastor Frank Roberts, Kath Walker and Dulcie Flower joining him on the National Executive. In 1972, control of NADOC was given to the newly established Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs, and in 1974, the Committee had full Aboriginal representation for the first time. In 1975, National Aborigines Day became NAIDOC Week. By this point, Egan had already released several albums and begun to establish his reputation as a musical chronicler of outback life. He would go on to be a member of the first National Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and serve as administrator of the Northern Territory from 2003 to 2007. NAIDOC Week will be marked 6-13 July.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
NSW Labor government commits $202million to help improve the lives of Aboriginal Australians and close the gap
The 2025/26 NSW Budget, to be handed down on Tuesday, will allocate $202million to Closing the Gap initiatives to help improve the lives of Aboriginal Australians. This investment will be delivered partnership with Aboriginal organisations and communities, to achieve more targeted and tangible outcomes for Aboriginal people across health, education, employment, criminal justice, and economic development. The funding includes $20million for Aboriginal-led, culturally safe programs that support Aboriginal adults and children leaving custody, aiming to reduce reoffending. It also includes $13.4 million for the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service and the Department of Communities and Justice to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the criminal justice system through Aboriginal-led solutions. An additional $17.9 million will support Aboriginal organisations, such as Local Aboriginal Land Councils, to acquire and activate land - such as through rezoning - to unlock economic opportunities. Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said the Labor Government has maintained a strong focus on delivering real outcomes for Aboriginal people. 'Delivering on Closing the Gap and creating a more equitable state, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, is not only the right thing to do; it builds a better NSW by strengthening our society, economy, culture and communities.' The budget will also allocate nearly $80 million to position NSW as the best place to innovate, attract investors, and scale businesses. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey says his third budget declares the state is 'open for business' to help expand its $900 billion economy. 'There is a global race for capital ... and we want NSW at the front of that race.' The state has a world-leading workforce and offered businesses stability and connection to global industries, Mr Mookhey told reporters on Monday. 'What we want to add now is the confidence for businesses to get on and make the big calls to sign off on the $1 billion-plus investments that drive growth,' he said. Housing affordability would remain a major issue but supporting business confidence was a major factor to boost jobs and wages and address unaffordability, Mr Mookhey said. 'We're pretty determined to get the balance right,' he told AAP in the lead-up to the budget. 'There's a lot of opportunity and a lot of ambition in NSW, and the changes we're making are designed to hold on to what we love.' The government will duplicate efforts to speed up planning, with an Investment Delivery Authority to receive almost $18 million. Similar to the Housing Delivery Authority which started in December, the four-person panel will override councils and accelerate planning approvals for businesses amid complaints making major investments in NSW is too complex and time-consuming. Other funding announced on Monday includes $38.5 million for Australia's largest technology and innovation hub, Tech Central, and $20 million for emerging technology commercialisation to help boost growth in the housing and energy sectors. In 2024, NSW accounted for 65 per cent of Australia's venture capital investment, and hosts five out of eight 'unicorn' companies - privately-held start-ups valued at over $1 billion. Major projects to be considered by the new panel may include hotels, data centres, renewable energy projects and commercial developments. Too many major projects from the private sector were getting bogged down in red tape, Premier Chris Minns said. 'It's costing us high-paid, high-skilled jobs in our modern economy, and something has to change,' he told reporters on Monday from data centre operator NextDC's facility in Sydney's north. NextDC chief executive Craig Scroogie said the announcement would help the company move on its $15 billion investment pipeline. 'The planning system was never designed to move at the speed that technology is moving, let alone the speed that artificial intelligence is changing the way we live and work every day,' he told reporters. 'This is a global opportunity for Australia to be a leader in artificial intelligence and large-scale infrastructure, and it needs modern planning systems to be deployed.' NSW LABOR GOVERNMENT BUDGET PLEDGES TRANSPORT: * $452 million to increase bus services, including $56 million to buy 50 new 'bendy' buses and $150 million for more regular school bus services in outer Sydney and regional areas * Road upgrades and new signage around Western Sydney Airport precinct totalling $80 million EDUCATION: * $9 billion across four years for public school infrastructure, largely focused on growing suburban communities, including three new public primary schools with attached public preschools in west and southwest Sydney * $3.4 billion towards TAFE and upskilling, including $40 million to enable 23,000 construction students to complete their apprenticeships for free HEALTH: * Another $700 million towards construction of the $2 billion Bankstown Hospital and relocation of Bankstown TAFE * A statewide pathology hub to be established at Westmead, with the $492 million investment to include an upgrade to a high-security lab researching dangerous pathogens such as Ebola and measles * $23 million to cut down the overdue surgery list by 3500 * $83 million to bolster maternity care ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS: * $202 million for Closing the Gap projects, including $23 million towards community-led suicide prevention programs LAW AND ORDER: * $125.8 million for cybersecurity upgrades to NSW Police, including $50 million to upgrade outdated hardware * Victims' Support Service funding boosted by $227 million across five years to help victims of violent crime access counselling * Upgrade of Downing Centre to create 15 new physical and virtual courtrooms and $48.3 million to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for more solicitors HOUSING: * $145 million across four years for the state's Building Commission to hire more prosecutors, investigators and inspectors to weed out dodgy residential builds * $30.4 million crisis intervention package for homelessness services * Extension of build-to-rent tax concessions beyond slated 2039 end date INNOVATION AND BUSINESS: * $80 million in innovation funding, including $38.5 million to boost technology hub TechCentral * A four-person Investment Delivery Authority to fast-track planning approvals for billion-dollar projects ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC SPACES: * $110 million to maintain public spaces, including the repair of heritage-listed Pyrmont Bridge and maintenance of fire trails * Construction of the Newcastle Logistics Precinct, housing wind turbines and electrical transformers used in renewable energy projects, for $115.5 million * Commonwealth Veteran Card holders will receive free vehicle entry to all NSW National Parks CULTURE: * Establishment of a $100 million fund to find a suitable location for a second major film studio in Sydney * $280 million to support the screen and digital games sector, including rebates for NSW-based visual effects and digital games productions
ABC News
01-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
SA First Nations communities ‘waiting, prepared' to restart treaty process
South Australian First Nations leaders say their communities are waiting to restart treaty talks with the state government after an election promise, but the minister in charge says he is "not keen to rush" the process. Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher told ABC News that the state government was still committed to restarting treaty negotiations in SA, but it was unlikely any agreements would be signed before the next election in nine months' time. "We're not keen to rush it," he said. "I don't want to put a time on it, but one thing I am quite certain: We won't see treaties concluded before the next state election. SA Labor entered government in 2022 promising to spend more than $2 million to restart the treaty process over its "first four years". The pledge formed part of a broader policy commitment to implement the three requests of the Uluru Statement from the Heart — Voice, Treaty and Truth. While SA became the first jurisdiction in the country to legislate a state-based Voice to Parliament in 2023, the government is yet to announce how or when it will establish treaty or a truth-telling process. "We've started work on what that (treaty and truth) might look like, what's happened both in Australia and overseas, and we will continue with that," Mr Maher said. "I have had some discussions with the South Australian state First Nations Voice and we will continue those discussions. "The elected Voice won't be the body we'll negotiate with, but (we're) certainly keen to get a perspective about, in the current environment, how we continue with both truth and treaty and sequencing those." It has not been a smooth journey towards treaty in SA. Discussions officially started in 2016, when the state government set aside $4.4 million over five years towards the treaty process, as well as the appointment of an independent commissioner to consult communities. Two years later, the state government and Narungga Nation Aboriginal Corporation signed the Buthera Agreement, which committed both parties to negotiate on a treaty. But the former Liberal government halted treaty discussions just months later, with then premier Steven Marshall describing the agreements as "more divisive than helpful". One of the South Australian signatories to the Uluru Statement, Melissa Clarke, disagreed, and said treaties could benefit everyone. "It is about, as Aboriginal people, being Aboriginal people on our own land, in our rightful place with our unique, precious strengths and views and values," the Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Wirangu woman said. "We share, we give, we don't take away. "Treaty is about restoring balance in this country for everybody." Ms Clarke said she believed the time was right to restart treaty talks with communities, describing the government's "lack of progress" on negotiations as "disappointing". "What we need is for governments to listen and act, to provide a safe and welcoming space for us to be able to have those conversations. "We are sitting here waiting, prepared to commence these negotiations." SA Native Title Services CEO Keith Thomas said he believed the government had taken a "cautious" approach to treaty after South Australians overwhelmingly rejected a constitutionally-enshrined Voice to Parliament at the 2023 referendum. He said while many members of the Aboriginal community were "surprised" by the referendum result, he believed the community was now "ready" to restart treaty discussions, citing stronger native title, heritage and water rights as potential outcomes. "I think there has to be recognition from the state government about the growth in native title bodies in South Australia," he said. "We have legislation from the 1960s around the Aboriginal Lands Trust, which is keeping land safe for Aboriginal people. "That legislation has done its job, they (the government) should be giving those lands back to Traditional Owners now, and that could be part of a treaty process." Mr Thomas said South Australia could take inspiration from Victoria's nation-leading treaty model. The eastern state has, under legislation, allowed Aboriginal Victorians to negotiate statewide or local treaties with the government, with Dja Dja Wurrung traditional owners already notifying the state's independent treaty authority of their intention to do so. Mr Thomas said he believed a statewide treaty was the best path forward for SA. "It should be a state treaty between the Aboriginal nations and the state, looking at all the groups involved (and) not separating or having one against another," he said. But Ms Clarke said she believed individual nations should also have the option of negotiating their own treaties. "Each nation has different customs, beliefs, worldviews, languages," she said. "Each nation has their own unique needs for their own families and communities." Mr Maher said the government was considering the Victorian model, as well as treaties in Canada and New Zealand.
