Viewing Aboriginal Australians as victims removes personal responsibility rather than helping them thrive, says Aboriginal Australian senators.
Jacinta Price, Liberal Northern Territory Senator, told the Epoch Times on 1 October that such an approach would not allow “perceived oppressors”, in this case white Australians, to “give you power.” We have a responsibility to give
“The problem with the idea that there are two classes of humans is that they don’t recognize their true potential as human beings,” she said.
“When you say I’m a victim, you’re effectively handing over your power to someone else.bother.”
“Being Aboriginal is not a victim [or] for your legacy. You are, first and foremost, a human being capable of accomplishing great things. ”
price It also criticized attempts by politicians and activists to speak on behalf of remote indigenous communities whose native language is not English and whose lives are very close to traditional ways of life.
Such an approach portrays Indigenous peoples as “one homogeneous group of people,” the Northern Territory senator added.
“No one race on earth has the same ideas. We are not respected as individuals.”
Searching for “Truth”
The comment came as the center-left Labor Party and the left-wing Australian Green Party sought to institutionalize in Parliament an Indigenous Advisory Body that would require constitutional adjustments. Voting is scheduled to take place before the next election in May 2025.
Greens Senator Lydia Thorpe, on the other hand, is also of Indigenous descent, and promoted the Treaty and the “Truth-Telling Process” about past and present injustices against Indigenous peoples.
“Let’s tell the truth … we are the structure of this country and we are not treated as such. So truth helps to heal, truth helps to unite, the treaty is a mechanism for reconciliation negotiations,” Senator Thorpe said in August. Sydney Morning Herald.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told 4BC Radio on September 27 that “telling the truth” should “absolutely” be included in school curricula.
However, Price argued that the teachings of Aboriginal culture and history should reflect truths “not glorified versions, not guilty politics.”
“There is a void because many Australians are ignorant of traditional Aboriginal culture. And that void is filled with cultural romanticism, or cultural reinvention,” she told The Epoch Times. rice field.
“That projection applies to non-indigenous children [who] You don’t have to feel like you’ve done something wrong because of your background. ”
“We cannot speak for each other or act in each other’s best interests.”
A deeper understanding of traditional Aboriginal culture in schools would help people “understand how close we are as human beings” rather than dividing society, Price said. added.
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Nina Nguyen is a reporter based in Sydney. She covers Australian news with a focus on social, cultural and identity issues. She is fluent in Vietnamese. Please contact her at [email protected].