Here we are in 2024, 52 years after the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, 32 years after the Mabo decision, 26 years since the promise of a Treaty, 16 years since the National Apology and we are still seeing Indigenous life expectancy, incarceration, child removal and suicide at alarming numbers. And there is still no glimpse of self-determination, self-government or a Treaty. 

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On top of this, we still don't know or teach the factual history of Indigenous Australians to our children and most of our knowledge around their culture and law is tokenistic, misrepresented and based on the premise that it is inferior to 'modern' civilisation.

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There have been decades of false promises, failed programs, assimilative policies and top down decision making that have all been built predominantly upon the ideology that the colonial paradigm is superior. 

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Yet it doesn't take much looking around to see that our modern 'civilisation' is far from perfect, in fact our natural world, our human rights and our respect for each other are rapidly declining after only 2,000 years in existence. 

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The irony is that all Australians have a gift unlike any other country in the world right at our doorstep - the deep wisdom awaiting to be shared by the oldest living culture in the world!

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We hope that 2024 marks the beginning to a commitment to learning the truth so that our understanding of the issues are not shallow, but well informed and illuminating.

 

And from this, acknowledging the need for First Nations to be the authors of their own solutions, including the frameworks and processes of coming to those solutions.

 

Like every human being on Planet Earth, First Nations deserve to be free in their country and have control of their own destiny 

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Truth Telling Together is asking all Australians to:

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• Educate yourself and others about the history of our Indigenous peoples, what really happened on contact, the impact that the dominant paradigm has had on their lives, the chaos and devastation that is playing out today, the true depth of their culture and law, and the beauty and sophistication that it holds.

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• Find the courage to think and feel outside your own comfort zone, outside the dominant paradigm and see that another world view exists, that is not exclusive to Indigenous peoples only - but waiting for us all to embrace.

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• To step up, step forward and hold the line for real meaningful change that can only ever come when we respect the right of our First Nations to determine their own destinies. 

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• To move towards Treaty using culturally appropriate processes, such as Makarrata.

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Truth Telling Together is here to help equip you with the foundations to educating yourself and others so that the journey to real change can be realised in our children's lifetime.