Australia Day has passed and for all the debate, Indigenous people woke up today to the same reality. These are lives framed by statistics that condemn so many to misery. But it is not enough to wallow in that pain or to remain shackled to our history.



The challenge now for us all is to lift our gaze and live up to the greatness that we have celebrated in barbecues and cricket games, in the bush and on beaches around the country.

Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people came together to mourn and to commemorate survival. For some there is still an unbearable pain, and we saw flashes of anger and protest symbolised in burning the Australian flag. Some may cringe or take offence at such acts, but this is a democracy and if it means anything, we respect the right of all to express themselves and we reserve the right to respond and disagree, fiercely if we choose.

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But we can also come together around a shared love of country and a future that makes good on the great fortune and blessings we enjoy. We live in a place prosperous and secure. When we look at the war-ravaged lives of those in Syria or Iraq or countries torn apart like Somalia or Ukraine, the divided line that marks the unending conflict between North and South Korea we realise, frankly, how lucky we are.

We know there is a groundswell of goodwill towards Indigenous people. It has been there for decades. We have seen it in the overwhelming carriage of the 1967 referendum finally acknowledging the full citizenship of the first people of this land. It was there in the freedom rides to end segregation, in the passage of land rights legislation, in the high court overturning the motion of terra nullius and accepting native title, in marches for reconciliation and in Kevin Rudd’s apology to the stolen generations. I believe this is who we are.

So where do we go from here? There is a pathway to constitutional recognition but it appears long and winding. For all the bipartisan political support we don’t know what recognition would mean, what legal force – if any – it would carry or what practical outcomes would ensue. Would it make any difference to the lived reality for Indigenous people?



Blackfellas are sceptical at best, hostile at worst. In communities around Australia, Aboriginal and islander people are wondering if it is not a con. Some want recognition of sovereignty and a treaty. Without consensus among Indigenous people – at least to the idea – then what hope of a successful referendum demanding a majority of people in a majority of states?

Indigenous people may be united in a sense of shared identity but like any population we are lacerated by divisions – economic, geographic, gender, political – we don’t all agree, there is no common voice, nor should there be. But our voices – all of them – do need to be heard and we need to have the ability and the mechanisms to shape our destiny.

Some see a future apart from Australia. There are those who choose to remain steadfast to their traditional lands and communities, some of which are remote, and there are challenges for the delivery of services and opportunities.



Stan Grant's speech on racism and the Australian dream goes viral Read more

Others engage with “mainstream Australia”. Is this assimilation? Some think so. I can’t deny the facts of my life: education, employment opportunities, better access to healthcare and housing. I enjoy a good life certainly in contrast to many of my Indigenous brothers and sisters and indeed many other Australians. Yes, I enjoy the best of Australia, but I take my place proudly as a Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi man with a community that nourishes and sustains me. Should we not all enjoy the right to choose our path and the equal chance to succeed?

We all have our personal responsibility. We need to make a contribution, pay our taxes, obey our laws, honour our families and raise our children. Indigenous people right across Australia do this every day. Where some fall short or wrestle with the weight of disadvantage, there are consequences and there needs to be support.

There is a deep discussion stirring in Australia. We need to seize it and we need to do so with respect.

Australians are cautious if not conservative in our politics. We are inherently suspicious of extremes and we tend not to like labels. We see this in our approach to issues like marriage equality or the republic. A favourable public sentiment still needs to be carefully managed.

We live in an age of 24/7 news and constant opinion polling. Nervous politicians are reluctant to show leadership that gets too far in front of the public. Making yourself a small target can be a successful political strategy.



I am aware that as Indigenous people we need to find a language and a narrative that speaks to non-Indigenous Australia, that acknowledges that generosity of spirit that we see everyday. But there are those who want to shout from the extremes on all sides.

Much has been made of a speech I gave as part of a debate on whether racism is destroying the Australian dream. Frankly it has left me a little embarrassed; I have never aspired to that sort of leadership. It was short and direct and it didn’t pretend to provide answers to what plagues us still. Yes, we emerge from a racist history and the original dispossession is still being felt. But the point of my speech ultimately was simple: we are better than this.