Supporting non-Indigenous Australians

17 May 2009

A page for Indigenous Australians who are interested in the Respect campaign

Thanks for your interest in the Respect campaign!

ANTaR is an organisation that takes direction from Indigenous Australians and campaigns on changing the attitudes and behaviours of non-Indigenous Australians so that the rights and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are respected and affirmed. We’re really glad for your support!

The campaign for mutual respect implies there are two sides to the story, so even though the Respect campaign aims to engage non-Indigenous Australians, there are lots of ways you can help too!

The four actions we’re asking non-Indigenous Australians to take are:

Understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history
Acknowledge the traditional owners
Be supportive of Indigenous businesses and campaigns for justice
Speak up against racism and incorrect stereotypes

What you can do

We have spoken to Tranby Aboriginal College and some other Aboriginal people about what you can do to support the Respect campaign and they came up with a few ideas:

Encourage and be supportive of non-Indigenous people when they try to understand Indigenous culture. The more that non-Indigenous people understand Indigenous culture, the more likely they are to be willing to speak up about injustices against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
If your workplace doesn’t have a Reconciliation Action Plan or doesn’t acknowledge country before meetings, let them know why these are important and encourage them to start!
If the council area you live in doesn’t offer cultural awareness training, let them know how important it would be if they offered it (see previous point).
If you don’t already, advertise your business, your campaigns, and the great things you do in the non-Indigenous space. There are a lot of non-Indigenous people who would love to hear positive stories from Indigenous communities: why not start promoting your work through ANTaR?
Speak up against racism. Anti-racism tactics have to come from both sides. If somebody abuses your relative or friend, be assertive, not aggressive. Don’t be afraid to calmly correct misinformation.
Get involved in local festivals. Increasingly, festival organisers are including an Indigenous area e.g. The Byron Bay Blues festival now has an Indigenous stage. Getting your creative skills (like your music) into these spaces increases the exposure to – and hence the open-mindedness of – the non-Indigenous community.

Do you have more ideas?

If you're an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person and would like to add something to this list, please leave a comment:

Wayne Quilliam 2009 ‘Artist of the Year’

Anonymous — 15 July 2009

Aboriginal photographer/videographer and artist Wayne Quilliam has been awarded what is considered one of the most prestigious Australian art accolades: 2009 NAIDOC ‘Artist of the Year’. In front of more than a thousand people at the Brisbane Convention Centre Wayne accepted his award from Bangarra artistic director Stephen Page and said “I am very honoured to be nominated for ‘Artist of Year’, but to win is overwhelming. This award signifies that we as a people respect all artforms and are as progressive as any race when it comes to preserving our cultural heritage while embracing new practices. I would like to thank every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person that has helped me become the person I am, for sharing stories and experiences most people only dream of. I would like to thank my family, mum and dad for their guidance and unwavering support, my brother Mick who is an amazing artist in his own right and my beautiful sister Nicole. It was fantastic to have my eldest son Nathan at the awards with me and we were thinking of my other son Aaron back in Tasmania and their children. Most importantly my amazing wife Jodie who encouraged me to chase my dream at whatever cost, this award is as much for her as for me. And of course my little girl Tanisha, the last 9 months has inspired me to greater goals’, Wayne said. Wayne Quilliam is considered one of Australia’s most prominent Aboriginal photographic artists working on the global stage with more than 130 solo and group exhibitions in Australia, Europe, Asia and the USA, 35 in the past 18 months. His recent shows in Berlin and Vienna attracted capacity crowds and were extended for 3 months and featured on BBC television. It was estimated his ‘Sorry – more than a Word’ exhibition at Parliament House in Canberra was seen by more than two hundred thousand people. Wayne recently travelled to Mexico with his international show “Lowanna” opened by the Australian Ambassador to Mexico, which is now included in the permanent Australian Embassy Collection. He visited Posta Rica as the Australian Art Ambassador and Photographer for the Cumbre Tajin Festival a traditional Mexican festival attended by more than a quarter of a million people. He also flew to Bolivia to work with the traditional people to develop images for a global campaign charity campaign. He also developed the imaging for the ‘Close the Gap’ Campaign and works with the Fred Hollows Foundation. His unique style encompasses the spiritual and artistic dimensions of Aboriginal culture and his art is transformed through traditional and modern practices including developing a world first technique that infuses the artwork with traditional ochre’s and plant dyes. Wayne is highly sought after by Australian and International organisations’ to product culturally appropriate images that accurately represent his people. His work includes documenting virtually every significant Indigenous event of the past 15 years including the Yeperenye Festival regarded as the largest gathering of Indigenous people in the modern era, Garma, Laura, Burunga, Dreaming Festivals. He won the 2008 ‘Human Rights Award’ for his work on the ‘Apology’ with the Koori Mail and was a finalist in the prestigious Walkley Awards for a social documentary on the ‘block’ in Redfern, Sydney. His Australian shows include Boscia Gallery, Fibre Gallery, Gasworks Gallery, 101 Collins St, W15/Melbourne, Melbourne Central, Rialto Tower, Melbourne Town Hall, Incinerator Gallery, Manningham Gallery, Grenfell Gallery, Garma Gallery, Portrait Gallery, Sydney Opera House, Dreaming Festival, Melbourne Cricket Ground and Parliament House in Canberra. Contact: Samantha Faradaiys prmedia@optusnet.com.au Wayne Quilliam wqphotography@optusnet.com.au Ph 0413 812222