Amnesty International Conference on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Human Rights

Last Wednesday myself, and some members of the QUT Big Lift team attended a conference on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Human Rights at Queensland's Parliament House. It certainly was a peculiar scene given that much of the laws that continue to disadvantage Indigenous Australians were devised here. Nonetheless, a modern representation of activists, Indigenous members, and other interested parties stood alongside each other to reactivate the same conversation that has been going on for far too long. The history of hurt was certainly evident. We have now come to a stage in society where a lot of Elders stray from conferences such as these. I must admit, I don't blame them! Think about it, what actually comes out of these conferences? What tangible outcomes come out of conferences such as these if you continue to talk about the same topics over and over again. 

It is indicative that there is no change. There is however one thing that will always change, the people and faces that attend as time and life pass on. Behind each face is a willingness to get things done; a willingness to work with each other to develop and provide positive change to people that continue to be disadvantaged. As a society we can donate to earthquakes overseas and other natural disasters, but the dominant coalition in Australia refuses to support an unnatural, man-made disaster that is evident within our own country - the land in which we share with Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Indigenous communities do not want a pay out, they want to be heard. They want to afford their wisdom to people who are in positions of power, to use that power for good. Not to build an alcohol canteen in communities where Elders opposed the sale of alcohol in the first place, yet the government in all their wisdom gives a green light to. Seriously it doesn't take blind Freddy or his long lost cousin deaf Derrick to work out that in order to deliver a successful program, the direct stakeholders need to be consulted with. Let's start that conversation. With all of these communicat

I don't want to get angry - yes I am angry, but this anger burns from a passion to write change in the history books of tomorrow. Please take the time to reflect on a quote from an activist, 'if you don't know how you can be part of the change, then you form part of the problem.'

If it wasn't clear before, I hope it is now. We need to start realising our capacity to change, I want to show you this on our trip.

Michael Attard