YOUR VIEWS

P0 Box 1, Southport 4215 editorial@goldcoast.com.au facebook.com/goldcoastbulletin NATIONAL Reconciliation Week is held annually on May 27 to June 3 in celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

It is important to recognise that indigenous history and culture is Australian history and culture.

These dates – May 27 and June 3 – represent two major events in our nation’s reconciliation journey.

This year is especially significant as May 27 is the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum where Australians voted to amend the constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and allow the Commonwealth to create laws for them.

June 3 will be the 25th anniversary of the Mabo decision, where the High Court decided that terra nullius should not have been applied to Australia. The landmark decision recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights to the land – rights that existed before the British arrived and can still exist today.

Australia’s mistreatment of indigenous Australians is a national shame. These two cases are significant in our attempt to rectify our wrongdoings, however, our reconciliation journey is far from over.

My organisation, Youth Off The Streets takes great pride in reconnecting young indigenous Australians with their history and culture.

I employ Aboriginal youth workers and case workers to connect to young people and encourage them to be proud of who they are and where they come from.

This Reconciliation Week I implore everyone to get involved in community reconciliation events.

FATHER CHRIS RILEY CEO AND FOUNDER AT YOUTH OFF THE STREETS

WHAT a “day of destruction” with 2.2 tonnes of seized drugs going up in smoke ( GCB, 20/5).

I’d love authorities to force those responsible to watch as their multi-million dollar dreams disappear before their very eyes.

KEN JOHNSTON

THE presenter of Australia Wide on ABC TV on Sunday afternoons, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, is contravening the ABC Charter, set down by Parliament, and which requires the corporation to provide informative, entertaining and educational services that reflect the breadth of our nation.

Abdel-Magied has openly derided the commemoration of Anzac Day and has also expressed her support for Islamic sharia law and the sexually violent practice of female genital mutilation.

With the continual employment of Abdel-Magied, the ABC is showing support for sexual abuse and disregard for social customs and conventions that embody the fundamental values of the Australian community.

GRAEME BREWER

DONALD Trump is acting more like a spoiled brat who cannot acknowledge his mistakes than the leader of the “free world”.

Such puerile behaviour should be viewed as a cause for concern.

The trouble too many of those who voted for him are navel gazers who haven’t a clue about the responsibilities their country has outside its borders.

D.J. FRASER