6 Aboriginal news stories mainstream media doesn’t want you to hear

The media plays a crucial role in manipulating public opinions in Australia. The media often follows a set government/corporate agenda.

The media has the power to speak the truth and when injustices are televised, the media has the power to spark change. People from all walks of life have a strong sense of right and wrong and when we learn about injustice we often band together to demand change. In Australia however, the media fails again and again to let the truth be told about injustices faced by Aboriginal people in Australia. There are large populations of non-Indigenous Australians who would most likely stand up for our people just like they have stood up for LGBTIQ rights, environmental causes and animal rights.

But how can they rally in support of our people when the media fails to inform them about what is happening? Here are 6 Aboriginal news stories that mainstream media has failed to tell. We are calling on everyone to help share these stories.

6. The Aboriginal Tent Embassy

The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is the longest continuously run protest in Australia and possibly the world. Since 1972, the lawns outside the old Parliament house have been home to Indigenous activists who continue to fight for sovereignty. Indigenous Sovereignty is something that the government refuses to acknowledge. Even though the Mabo decision overturned the settlers original claim of terra nullius, the settler government still tries to claim they have the power to rule our lands. This is simply not true and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was set up to challenge the governments illegal claims to sovereignty. Sadly news about the existence of this embassy rarely reaches the Australian public and we often hear from people who have never heard of it after almost 50 years.

5. Protests against Australia Day

In recent years there has been a resurgence in the numbers of protesters who protest against Australia Day. Once again, Indigenous protests against Australia Day shine a light on the issue of sovereignty and also the crimes committed by settlers during the invasion of Australia. Some of the biggest anti-Australia Day protests have been happening in Melbourne. There are also major protests in almost every state capital around Australia. In 2015, the Melbourne protest literally took over the official parade, but news of this never went further than social media.

4. Frontier Wars Remembrance March

For over 5 years there has been a silent protest happening during the national ANZAC Day parade in Canberra. This is a respectful protest that pushes for equality in regards to remembering all lives that were lost both overseas and here in Australia during colonisation. Even though the national war memorial states that ANZAC day is about remembering all wars, it seems the government is still not ready to acknowledge the frontier wars and continues to block the Frontier War marchers from completing the march. It’s an interesting situation, because most onlookers appear to be in support of the march. However the police and government have their own agenda which is upheld by the media.

3. Ongoing removal of Aboriginal children

Do you think the stolen generations are a thing of the past? Well data reveals that there are now more Aboriginal children being taken away from families than anytime before. There is a huge Indigenous campaign being led by the Grandmothers against removals (GMAR) who want to see children being placed within extended family groups instead of with non-Indigenous families. There are some disturbing cases where children are removed by police at gun-point and cases where parents go above and beyond to do the right thing only to be denied by government agencies to have their children returned. Right across Australia, there is a widespread belief that a culture of racism within child protection services still lingers. These racist beliefs promote the myth that white saviours are what our children need.

2. Highest child suicide rates in the world

Australia prides itself upon being one of the best or most successful countries in the world. How can this be when Australia is also home to some of the highest child suicide rates in the world? We aren’t talking about the national average, we are talking about the rates within Indigenous communities. This is not a recent discovery either. The alarming rates have been made public for close to a decade now but once again the media isn’t helping. Our communities need to be empowered through Indigenous led initiatives. However the government would prefer that our communities continue to breakdown with a long term goal of moving us off our homelands into regional and city centres.

1. Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

If ever there was to be a flash-point to spark national outrage in Australia, it would have to be some of the shocking cases of Aboriginal deaths in custody. Sadly, news and details of these events are often silenced by the police who withhold evidence such as CCTV footage. The media only ever tells a one-sided story handed to them by police. How is it that since 1991, there have been almost 350 Indigenous deaths in custody but not a single charge have been successfully laid against anyone in connection to these deaths? Many of these deaths were highly suspicious. The fact that no charges have ever been laid is in itself a reason for outrage.

If you are already aware about these issues, that’s great. You have actively taken steps to learn about these issues for yourself. Please help us to make these issues more widely known by sharing our stories. People can also connect with Blackfullla Revolution, the largest Indigenous rights network on social media. Don’t forget to follow our Welcome to Country Facebook page for the latest breaking news and events.