Aboriginal

Bronze statue immortalises Aboriginal leader Lowitja O'Donoghue

Influential Aboriginal leader Lowitja O'Donoghue immortalised in new bronze statue Wed 3 Jun 2026 at 2:27pm In short: A bronze statue of Lowitja O'Donoghue, one of Australia's most influential Aboriginal leaders, has been unveiled in Adelaide. South Australian artist Robert Hannaford created the statue. The statue is the first of an initial six of prominent Aboriginal South Australians that the state government has planned.

Aboriginal woman pepper-sprayed by prison guards during self-harm incident

Aboriginal woman pepper-sprayed by guards during self-harm incident at Canberra's jail Tue 9 Jun 2026 at 4:43pm In short: An Aboriginal woman was pepper-sprayed by prison guards during a self-harm incident at the Alexander Maconochie Centre last year. A review by the ACT Inspector of Custodial Services found prison staff responded as if it were a security emergency, rather than a medical one. The ACT Inspector of Custodial Services has made four recommendations, including a ban on the use of...

Strategy to remove red tape that hinders Aboriginal cultural burning

feel good NSW releases Cultural Fire Strategy to support Aboriginal-led burning Tue 2 Jun 2026 at 1:20pm In short: The NSW government has released its first Cultural Fire Strategy, which commits to removing barriers that have hampered cultural burning across the state. The strategy was created in response to the recommendations of the 2020 NSW Bushfire Inquiry. The strategy commits to resolving issues around regulations and approval processes, insecure funding and insurance costs over the...

'Infuriating': Aboriginal voters turned away, told to line-up again on SA election day

First Nations voters sent to back of queue for Voice election Thu 4 Jun 2026 at 6:38am In short: First Nations voters say they were forced to line-up twice — or even turned away — when trying to vote in this year's Voice to Parliament election. Documents obtained by the ABC show the Electoral Commission was aware more than a year before polling day that double queuing would be perceived as "discriminatory behaviour". The revelations have prompted more criticism of the Electoral Commission,...

Aboriginal ownership of national parks celebrated at cultural festival

Anniversary of national parks' return to traditional owners celebrated on NSW South Coast Sun 31 May 2026 at 8:00am In short: It has been two decades since the Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks were handed back to traditional owners. The land, which includes two mountains between Bega and Narooma, is considered sacred to the Yuin people. The 20-year anniversary was celebrated in Tilba during Reconciliation Week.

Community shocked after Aboriginal rock shelter bulldozed for NSW power lines

Aboriginal families in Federal Court bid for traditional ownership recognition

Traditional ownership of the remote Cobourg Peninsula is being disputed in the Federal Court.

Australian Aboriginals cared for a dingo's grave for decades

A thousand years ago, the ancestors of today's Barkindji people carefully buried a dingo (or garli, in the Barkindji language) in a mound of shells. Archaeologists recently studied the burial in what's now New South Wales, Australia. They found that the Barkindji ancestors had buried the dingo with the same care and ceremony as any beloved human member of the community and looked after the grave for centuries.

After nearly 80 years, the actors in this film have finally been understood

Nearly 80 years after Bitter Springs film, its Aboriginal actors are finally being understood Sun 31 May 2026 at 6:00am In short: An anthropologist, a linguistic expert and First Nations language speakers have collaborated to subtitle previously untranslated segments of the film Bitter Springs. More than 100 Aboriginal actors were employed for the film, which was shot in the South Australian outback town of Quorn in 1949.

Mining set to restart at one of the NT's biggest gold reserves

Mount Todd gold mine near Katherine gearing up to restart production, with first gold bars set for 2030 Wed 10 Jun 2026 at 12:03pm In short: The long-dormant Mount Todd gold mine, near Katherine, is gearing up to restart production from one of the NT's biggest gold reserves. Traditional owners want "first crack" at mining jobs for local Aboriginal people, though Vista Gold is planning a largely FIFO workforce from the outset. The mine is seeking final approvals and hopes to begin engineering...