Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Third day of performances at the Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures
ABC NEWS (Australia)
Follow
8/4/2024
The Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures is Australia's largest Indigenous cultural gathering, taking place over four days each August in northeast Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Category
📺
TV
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
Following the failed voice to parliament referendum last year and some of the racism that was
00:06
in parts of the campaigning and that emerged throughout the year, there's been a big conversation
00:10
here at the 2024 Garma Festival about racism and about the future, particularly about ways
00:17
to navigate some of the intractable issues affecting our country.
00:21
The new Race Discrimination Commissioner is here.
00:25
Commissioner Giri Sivaraman, thanks very much for your company.
00:28
I wonder what your observations have been in the five months that you've been in this
00:32
role about the way that we grapple with racism in Australia.
00:37
It's really hard to grapple with racism sometimes in Australia because the person that calls
00:42
out racism often gets attacked far more than the racism itself.
00:47
But every time we have ruptures in our society, whether it be COVID, where we saw anti-Asian
00:51
racism, the referendum, anti-First Nations racism, the conflict in Gaza, anti-Semitism
00:57
or anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian racism, what that shows is whenever there are ruptures
01:01
in our society, racism just seeps out.
01:05
And that means that structurally we have problems that need to be rectified.
01:09
And one of my key objectives is a national anti-racism framework, and I think what we
01:14
see shows the importance of that framework.
01:18
And just here at the Garma Festival yesterday, the Northern Territory Police Commissioner
01:21
issued an extraordinary apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Territorians about
01:28
where there has been mistreatment from police over the last 154 years.
01:34
How did you receive that apology?
01:37
How did you hear that?
01:39
I was here and I was glad to be here, to hear it on these lands, and it was very powerful
01:46
to hear.
01:47
The way in which it was introduced and the mongrel that took place afterwards were powerful.
01:52
And so I was grateful to hear it.
01:53
But of course, words are words and they're powerful, but actions are what really make
01:58
change.
01:59
So it will now be the what next?
02:01
What kind of systemic change will we see as a result of this apology?
02:08
And that would clearly be the work around anti-racism, which we know that Leanne Little
02:13
will be launching into that work, an anti-racism strategy for the police, as well as broader
02:18
targets around employment.
02:21
Did what you hear yesterday go far enough for the sort of change that you think is required?
02:26
I think the mentioning of anti-racism or an anti-racist approach was really important.
02:35
That's a significant step.
02:37
What you have to do now is you have to take action that will also involve current serving
02:44
officers.
02:45
It can't just be about historical acts.
02:47
There'll need to be an internal review of the force itself, an anti-racist review.
02:52
But as a starting point, you have to build racial literacy within the force.
02:56
You have to get members of the force to understand how race operates, how it affects their actions,
03:00
how it affects the way in which they treat people.
03:03
No race is inherently bad.
03:06
So why is it that some races in First Nations, in particular, in the Territory, are so grossly
03:10
over-represented in the justice system?
03:13
That's as a result of structural racism.
03:15
That's as a result of, effectively, processes that are built up during colonialism, then
03:20
baked in during the white Australia policy, and now there's an attempt to change.
03:25
But it has to be a really significant structural change if it's going to work.
03:29
Commissioner, I've already heard mixed reaction from inside the police force, some who welcome
03:35
it and say that this is a step in the right direction, others who are questioning it,
03:39
and some who are quite dismissive, in fact.
03:41
There's also been a lot of commentary on social media, some of it quite racist, aimed at those
03:49
that have been leading this.
03:52
Is this just what we see now, when these conversations, these apologies are issued?
03:58
Sadly, we often see this torrent of vile racism, particularly on social media, where
04:04
people aren't accountable for their actions.
04:08
And there is a role to play for the social media giants in holding people accountable
04:12
and taking better measures.
04:14
But again, it's that same point that I mentioned earlier, that when you try and call out racism,
04:19
you just get attacked, and you can get attacked from all angles for it.
04:23
So it does take real courage to call it out, and in that sense, I commend the Commissioner
04:27
for doing so.
04:29
But then the courage will be in seeing it through, that despite the attacks, knowing
04:32
that this is absolutely the right thing to do, to take an anti-racist approach, to take
04:36
a systemic review of the force and its actions, and the way in which it impacts on negatively
04:41
racialised communities, but particularly First Nations communities, as he mentioned yesterday.
04:46
And just finally, Commissioner, and more broadly, we are having national conversations about
04:52
truth-telling and treaty.
04:53
Do you see those as having a role in the work that you're calling for and doing around
05:00
anti-racism?
05:01
Oh, absolutely, because calling out racism is calling out the truth of what is happening
05:07
around us.
05:08
And so the truth-telling is significantly important as a step.
05:13
You have to acknowledge the racism that exists, and that is talking truth to power, talking
05:18
about the racism that exists first and foremost.
05:21
So you have to name the beast to slay it.
05:23
If you just pretend it's not there and talk about diversity or social cohesion without
05:27
first acknowledging racism, you'll never get to the cohesion.
05:30
You have to grapple with and defeat the racism first.
05:34
Race Discrimination Commissioner Gary Sirivaran, thank you so much for your company.
Recommended
4:25
|
Up next
Garma festival kicks off in Arnhem Land in the NT
ABC NEWS (Australia)
8/4/2023
0:33
PM lands in Arnhem Land for Garma Festival
Australian Community Media
8/4/2024
0:59
Thousands travel to Far North Queensland for Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival
ABC NEWS (Australia)
7/9/2023
1:02
Australian Capital celebrates with food, music and dance from around the world with multicultural festival
ABC NEWS (Australia)
2/8/2025
2:00
Canberra’s National multicultural festival gathers cultures from around the world
ABC NEWS (Australia)
2/8/2025
0:51
Giiyong Festival 2024
Bega District News
11/4/2024
2:07
Parrtjima festival shining light on First Nations art and culture
ABC NEWS (Australia)
4/8/2025
1:33
Cameroon: Grand cultural bonanza
DW (English)
1/12/2022
2:23
Diyarbakır'da Herkesi Festival Heyecanı Sardı! Sur Kültür Yolu Festivali 14 Ekim'de Başlıyor
Ulusal Kanal
10/12/2023
1:06
Thousands flock to NT's Jawoyn country for annual Barunga Festival
ABC NEWS (Australia)
6/8/2024
4:02
Indigenous leaders gather as the annual Garma Festival begins in Arnhem Land
ABC NEWS (Australia)
8/2/2024
4:10
Australia’s biggest arts festival draws to a close as final weekend of celebrations commence
ABC NEWS (Australia)
3/17/2023
0:20
Cornish culture celebrated at Tiwardrai Fest 2025
Tindle News
5/16/2025
1:22
15,000 attend Yabun Festival in Sydney, celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
ABC NEWS (Australia)
1/26/2025
3:04
Indonesia Turut Semarakkan World Culture Festival di AS
Official Channel Republika TV
10/10/2023
0:42
Celebrating Qiang New Year: A vibrant showcase of Sichuan's cultural heritage
The Star
12/6/2024
3:33
The world comes to Canberra for three day celebration
ABC NEWS (Australia)
2/18/2023
2:16
Palm Island music festival showcases Aboriginal stories
ABC NEWS (Australia)
8/6/2024
1:57
Mexican village honors cowboy culture with traditional festival
Gulf News
5/30/2025
1:00
Australia’s biggest music festivals
Australian Community Media
11/27/2023
2:09
Ponggal festival to revive Tamil heritage among youth, says trustee
The Star
1/1/2025
1:33
Top end music festival Bass in the Grass make vibrant annual return
ABC NEWS (Australia)
5/20/2024
1:47
Thousands flock to celebrate 35th anniversary of Midsumma Festival
ABC NEWS (Australia)
1/22/2023
0:13
Not guilty plea from Outback Wrangler after fatal crash
Australian Community Media
today
1:23
PM stares down internal push for Palestine recognition
Australian Community Media
today