, Columnist
60,000 Years of History Is Facing Economic Reality
Both big business and governments have a role to play to improve the lives of Australia’s First Nations citizens.
Walking together.
Photographer: Tamati Smith/Getty Images
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Ten months after a stinging rejection to recognize Indigenous Australians in the constitution, the wounds still run deep. So does the desire to move forward.
Traditional Owners of the land want action. That was the message to the country’s premier Indigenous gathering involving 2,000-plus First Nations leaders, politicians, academics and business people who met this month on an escarpment overlooking the Gulf of Carpentaria in northeast Arnhem Land, a remote part of the Northern Territory. The theme of the 2024 Garma Festival was “Fire. Strength. Renewal.”