Always was, always will be

In this year of uncertainty, hardship and inconceivable loss worldwide, Aboriginal people have struggled to breathe. It began with the smoke engulfing large swathes of Aboriginal land, from the fires that killed billions of animals and stole homes and futures. Aboriginal knowledge of this Country – built over tens of thousands of years of sophisticated cultivation. which tie into our spirituality and kinship systems – were ignored and it left us all gasping for air.

The pandemic then drove us into lockdown and Aboriginal people were rendered voiceless in the national debates, despite being most vulnerable to the virus. The Aboriginal community-controlled health sector and communities themselves rose up to protect our own people, even though their efforts were largely ignored.

Despite being far ahead of the public health response to Covid-19, Aboriginal people were then accused of putting community safety at risk when we came out to protest by the thousands for Black Lives Matter. It was