We must do far more as a country to acknowledge the First Australians: Prof Lesley Barclay

Australia needs to do much more to recognise and respect this country’s first peoples, according to Professor Lesley Barclay, Director of the University Centre for Rural Health (University of Sydney), based in Lismore.

Our failure to do so is harmful for Indigenous Australians, as well as being a source of shame for non-Indigenous Australians, she says.

Her article below was prompted by a recent visit to New Zealand, where the acknowledgement of Maori symbolism, language and spirituality at two health conferences made a lasting impression.

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A researcher pays her respects

Lesley Barclay writes:

I have just returned from New Zealand where I spoke at two meetings. The first was a conference held by the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHANZ). This was their first conference and was associated with their first annual general meeting.

I went representing the National Rural Health Alliance of Australia to continue assistance that has been provided by this organisation to RHANZ in the past. The second meeting was the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network conference.

Both meetings were preceded by a formal Maori welcome. This began at the larger meeting with a conch shell invitation to enter the meeting area. The welcome was conducted in Maori language and included mixed gender led singing.

The response from the organisers of the meeting and their invited guests was led by a Maori Elder who works with RHANZ to ensure that Maori cultural requirements are met.

The New Zealand General Practice Network’s chair also had a Maori Elder with him as an adviser; the Elder lives in the area where the general practitioner practices. The Elder also participated in the ceremony and was able to speak on the Chair’s behalf, which gave cultural legitimacy to the leadership.

So where does this lead? To my embarrassment in being Australian because we do so little as a nation to recognise and value the original people of our country.
While we have made some steps to doing more to acknowledge the First Australians, such as acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ownership of land, often this is done in a tokenistic way

If we are in a big meeting, we may have an Aboriginal Elder provide a traditional welcome. It appears, compared with my recent New Zealand experience, that we fall far short of the inclusivity and respect shown in New Zealand. For example, an organisation or leader there will have a cultural advisor to make sure their work is mentored and guided culturally.

The power, strength and respect engendered by the use of Maori symbolism, language and the spirituality of these ceremonies in New Zealand increased my awareness and shame of the lack of recognition given to Aboriginal peoples in Australia.

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