Dear Son review – essays by famous Indigenous fathers make for incredibly moving theatre
Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney festivalAdapted from essays by the likes of Stan Grant, Troy Cassar-Daley and NRL player Joe Williams, Dear Son generously invites the audience into its warm and vulnerable camaraderie
Federal environment minister rejects cultural heritage claim on Olympic park site
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-14/qld-heritage-application-olympics-victoria-park-stadium/106229064
#IndigenousIP #culture #heritage #auslaw #auspol
'The federal government has knocked back an urgent application to stop the development of Brisbane's Olympic stadium on cultural grounds.
Early construction work on the 63,000-seat venue at the inner-city site in Victoria Park is due to begin later this year.
The federal environment minister has the power to issue a declaration to protect a significant Aboriginal heritage area that is under threat or desecration.
Murray Watt said he had received five such applications, including one that was withdrawn, and an urgent one relating to drilling within the proposed stadium site.
While rejecting the latter, he said he had appointed an independent facilitator to mediate.
"This is intended to enable timely, ongoing, and structured discussion between the interested parties, to support pragmatic options that protect cultural heritage," Mr Watt said in a statement.'
‘It’s time for healing’: remains of Aboriginal ancestors traded as curiosities are on their way home to country https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/03/its-time-for-healing-remains-of-aboriginal-ancestors-traded-as-curiosities-are-on-their-way-home-to-country #IndigenousIP #UNDRIP #GLAM #auspol #auslaw
'More than 1,790 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains have been repatriated from 11 countries over the past 35 years. An unknown number remain abroad. Australian museums have been trying to return human remains for decades. Several of these institutions have recently undergone something of a cultural reckoning, acknowledging their role in the grim trade and appointing Indigenous-led teams to lead repatriation work. Each of the eight major museums can apply for up to $100,000 a year in federal funding to support the return of ancestors and cultural objects.'
Dr Tony McAvoy SC, esteemed barrister and 2018 QUT Alumnus of the Year, has returned to QUT to deliver the university’s signature Indigenous excellence address, the Meanjin Oration.
https://www.qut.edu.au/study/justice-news?id=202710
Australia’s first Indigenous Senior Counsel, Dr McAvoy SC has spent more than 40 years advocating for Indigenous Australian rights across native title, human rights and constitutional law reform.
The Wirdi man, who grew up in Inala, south of Brisbane, spoke before a packed audience at the free public event in Brisbane, sharing that his journey to becoming a lawyer and passing the bar wasn’t always a smooth one.
“When I first started out I was quite intimidated by the legal system, and I realised I had taken on a lot of the negative sentiment that existed towards First Nations people,” Dr McAvoy said.
“I was attempting things that hadn’t been done by a First Nations person before, and I felt like any moment the door would close for me.” #auslaw #auspol #IndigenousIP
Traditional owners in WA's north launch legal action against the state government claiming it is fast-tracking mining and exploration projects using "expedited procedure" approvals at cultural expense.
Matthew Rimmer
