History War Replaces Frontier War As National Statues Are Called Into Question

01/09/17 – For Immediate Distribution

History War replaces Frontier War as national statues are called into question

The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (Congress) reiterates its call for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on pre and post-colonial events to be recognised and accepted as fundamental to Australia’s history.

Congress is alarmed that when an Aboriginal person like Stan Grant has made a rational public statement, it has unleashed extensive backlash thatreplaces physical genocide with the symbolic exclusion of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective from mainstream debate.

Stan Grant’s view is thathistorical colonial monuments should not be removed completely, but allowing these statues to remain inscribed as they are perpetuates theignorance surrounding Eurocentric accounts of Australian history. This consequently upholds 19th century attitudes condoning the dispossession, oppression and genocide of our ancestors under the governance of historical figures such as Lachlan Macquarie.

It is the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that these monuments continue to overlook. There is an enduring struggle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders to exercise their citizenship and present their views without being criticised as being ‘undemocratic’ by non-Indigenous conservatives.

The opinions of Anglo-Australians continue to dominate national conversations which have a direct impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,the preservation of our history, and our continued experience of discrimination and alienation within Australian society. Until the truth of our nation’s history is recognised and effective steps are taken to appreciate our cultures and to close the gap, reconciliation is nothing more than an empty platitude.

The call to alter a plaque stating that James Cook ‘discovered’ Australia aligns with contemporary Australian law, which has refuted the belief that our traditional lands were terra nullius prior to British settlement. It acknowledges that this denial of our culture and ownership over the land has led to the dehumanisation and oppression of our ancestors, the impacts of which are still felt within communities today.

Congress supportshistorical monuments which are inclusive of the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which has existed for at least 65,000 years.
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Media Contact: Greg Slabb0474000260