We cannot celebrate 26 January when our children still face the devastating impacts of colonisation. Instead, on Survival Day we recognise the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
If we are to celebrate the many great things about our nation, we need a new date that is inclusive of all Australians and ensures we can all participate in celebrations together.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 26 January and the colonisation of Australia is a reflection of the ongoing discrimination and violation of human rights that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children face today.
It has been 20 years since the Bringing them Home report, and still so many of the recommendations remain unimplemented. Our children are the most important thing, and the lack of action means that too many continue to have contact with out-of-home care, and juvenile justice, and criminal justice.”
– Muriel Bamblett, SNAICC Chairperson
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more than 10 times more likely to be removed from their families than other Australian children. Our children are only half as likely as other children to access early years education, missing out on learning at the very start of their lives.
We have families who have experienced poverty, homelessness, family violence, forced removal for generations upon generations. That intergenerational trauma has a profound impact on our children.”
– Muriel Bamblett, SNAICC Chairperson
In recent weeks we’ve seen the suicides of multiple Aboriginal children, which is absolutely heartbreaking, yet we haven’t seen any real response, or real action.
“These are the devastating realities that our children face. Clearly a change in approach is urgently needed, and involving Aboriginal people in that change process is the only way it’s going to work.”
– Muriel Bamblett, SNAICC Chairperson
SNAICC has been calling for action to address these issues with clear national targets and cross-governmental strategies through the refresh to the Closing the Gap strategy, and the launch of the Fourth Action Plan under the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children.
SNAICC calls on all Australian governments to work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through these processes to secure equality for all Australian children.
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