Daily news digest July 20
Major First Nations news across Australia today headlines several key developments, including the racism inquiry and electorte renamings.
Online racism inquiry:
A submission by SNAICC (the National Voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children) to the Senate inquiry into hate directed at First Peoples has highlighted a rise in “coordinated, deliberate online attacks targeting Indigenous children”. Data shows nearly one-third of reported racist incidents against Indigenous youth now take place online.
Electorate renamings:
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has officially renamed the massive South Australian federal electorate of Grey to O’Donoghue to honour the trailblazing Aboriginal nurse and advocate Lowitja O’Donoghue. Meanwhile, controversy has emerged over another AEC proposal to rename the southern Tasmanian seat of Franklin to Tongerlongeter (an Indigenous warrior who fought colonisation). Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and local MP Julie Collins have publicly opposed the Tasmanian change, with Abbott claiming it drags historical figures into modern “culture wars”.
Racism and dehumanisation hearings:
The Northern Land Council (NLC) gave powerful evidence during the Senate inquiry hearings in the Northern Territory. NLC representatives stated that systemic racism is a daily reality, testifying that the ongoing “dehumanisation” of Indigenous people contributes directly to high-risk and fatal driving incidents involving Aboriginal pedestrians.
International advocacy:
Kimberley Aboriginal women, including advocate Savannah Victor, have traveled to the United Nations in Geneva to raise awareness regarding pressing community issues, specifically domestic and family violence, alongside newer concerns about artificial intelligence exploiting Indigenous culture without consent.
