As Chair of Noosa First Nations Allies, I am deeply disappointed at the Queensland government’s decision to scrap the independent Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry. As a Queenslander, I am dismayed that this action has been one of the first shows of ‘power’ of the new Queensland Premier, David Crisafulli.
The Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry was set up in July 2024, after years of negotiation, with a mandate to build awareness and understanding across the state and make recommendations to the Queensland Government. The Inquiry’s role is to uncover the truth of our past to “allow Queenslanders to heal and move forward together, with respect”, as called for by the people of Queensland.
Further, I am appalled that the Premier and his new Cabinet did not even have the courtesy to inform the Chair of the Truth-Telling and Healing Inquiry, Joshua Creamer, personally of the decision to axe the Inquiry.
We feel for the hundreds of staff members who have been stood down due to this rash political decision and are deeply concerned about the mental health and wellbeing impacts this decision will have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
I pay my deep respect to the Kabi Kabi and Gubbi Gubbi people who had intended to speak at the inquiry hearings that were scheduled to take place this month in Cherbourg. This would have been an opportunity to have their experiences heard, recorded and recognised. To build the courage to share their story and revisit past trauma only to be denied on the eve of the hearings is simply heart-breaking.
Many people who would have voted for the new government will be dismayed by this decision, which sets back the process of healing and reconciliation.
It is prudent to point out that this is the very scenario the Voice to Parliament was aiming to address, whereby changes of government can dismantle decades of work with no justification, care or consultation with First Peoples.
The outcome of the federal referendum does not give the government a mandate to discriminate against First Nations people at will. This decision by the Queensland LNP government further erodes our international standing as a mature and respectful nation.
On behalf of Noosa First Nations Allies, I call on the new Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Fiona Simpson MP, to reverse the decision to shut down the inquiry.
As a non-Indigenous person who grew up in Rockhampton, near the Woorabinda Aboriginal Mission as it was called then, I had many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends as a child who I remain close with to this day. One of the most heartbreaking realities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is the loss of connection to their Country, their language and their culture.
As part of the Australian Government’s racist policies over the years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were ripped from their families and sent to missions to live with other tribes. This has led to traditional culture, language and connection to Country being totally wiped out in many cases, ultimately leaving Aboriginal people feeling completely lost and broken. My childhood friends among them. The result of these actions by successive governments has manifest in extremely poor social, educational, recidivism and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The saddest of all is the disproportionately high suicide rates among young Indigenous people.
As a nation, we must do better for Australia’s First People. We should be looking up to our First Nations People, not looking down, but ahead to a brighter, shared future based on mutual respect.
Noosa First Nations Allies is committed to advocating for self-determination, equality and greater respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We believe this can only be achieved by people understanding our true history and engaging in meaningful dialogue with each other to begin the process of healing our dark past.
Noosa First Nations Allies is committed to truth-telling, listening for understanding and healing. We stand in solidarity with First Nations Peoples and their Allies. We hope you will join us.
If you feel the decision to shut down the Inquiry was wrong, please contact the offices of the Premier, Fiona Simpson MP and your local MP Sandy Bolton, to show your support First Nations Peoples. Or please add your signature to the petition here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-from-queensland-residents-in-support-of-the-path-to-treaty-act-2023
In solidarity,
