Still visitors in our own country

Triumph and tragedy that restitution is by individuals rather than government

THAT TRUTH STANDS AS THE SINGLE GREATEST CRIME THAT STILL HAUNTS TASMANIA. AND NO ONE HAS GENUINELY APOLOGISED TO US FOR IT

NAIDOC is the celebration of Aboriginal culture, our values and our endurance. Rightly so.

But there is a shallowness to these celebrations, a missing element—truth. And honesty.

Not just the ideas of truth and honesty, or the words. But concrete acts that don’ t just acknowledge but also repair the damaged one to Aboriginal people, our lands andsociety.

Like the petro glyphs, we too were removed by force from our lands.

Our people were driven from the land sat the point of a gun and exiled on Flinders Island.

That truth stands as the single greatest crime that still haunts Tasmania. And no one has genuinely apologised to us for it.

We were once proud owners of the lands, these as and the rivers; of all the trees and forests—we are now deprived of that ownership.

The story of generations of Aboriginal people are carved into the permanent mosaic of the West Coast petro glyphs. The story is now disjointed, damaged, but repair able. If the petroglyph scan be returned to their rightful place then so too can the lands be returned to the original owners.

But still we are treated as visitors in our own country.

The theme of this year’ s national NA I DOC Week is “Always was, Always will be ”, but so far there seem to be many that don’ t see it that way.

In the decade between 1995 and 2005, the Tasmanian government returned 15 parcels of land to our community.

These lands are to be held on behalf of all Aboriginal people in Lutruwi ta in perpetuity. That means, they are never to be sold and are to be held forever for the benefit of our people.

For our people, the return of those lands was along over due ac know led gm ent that this land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

As the conversation had started, hope bloomed in the heart soft he Aboriginal community, and our people felt that the broken promises of the past would finally begin to be up held.

The return of those lands was the very first meaningful step on the long road to restitution.

But after 2005, the conversation abruptly stopped. Successive governments have failed to return any land to the Aboriginal people in Tasmania.

In the last 15 years, the only meaningful ac know led gm ent that this land is, as it has always been, Aboriginal land, has been through the generosity of private citizens. It is both a triumph and a tragedy that restitution for the wrong soft he past is being carried out by individuals rather than the collective acts of government.

In the words of Xavier Herbert in his book, Poor Fellow My Country, and I quote: Until we give back to the black man just a bit of the land that washis, and give it back without provisos, without strings to snatch it back, without anything but complete generosity of spirit in concession for the evil we haved one him until we do that, we shall remain what we have always been so far: not an honourable people but a community of thieves.

Why, during NAIDOC Week, can not the Premier announce the return of stolen lands. Why? What is the problem? Happy NA I DOC everyone!