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The National Indigenous Times | Motion

02/12/2015

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. T.A. Franks:

That this council notes—

  1. The immense contribution of The National Indigenous Times as a powerful voice for Australia’s First Peoples;
  2. The investment made by the founders of The National Indigenous Times, John and Beverley Rowsthorne;
  3. The National Indigenous Times’ record as Australia’s most awarded Indigenous publication, including a Walkley Award for Indigenous coverage in 2005; and
  4. The sad departure of the newspaper from the media landscape following an announcement that its parent company, Destiny Publications, had gone into voluntary administration in January and the subsequent closure of the newspaper in February 2015.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Dignity for Disability, like other members, is sad to hear of the end of The National Indigenous Times. The National Indigenous Times first hit the streets in 2002, with Indigenous and non-Indigenous owners and predominantly Indigenous Australian writers and columnists. The act of reconciliation takes an ongoing and concerted effort. It is about everybody taking small steps to learn about, understand and repair the damage of the past and the present, to work towards a future where we have a greater understanding of Aboriginal Australians.

When it comes to representing Aboriginal Australians, our mainstream media in particular too often focuses on the bad, stereotypical representations of Aboriginal people, as with many other minority groups, that do not help to heal, and that is what we need to do. So, we certainly have a long way to go and I will miss The National Indigenous Times as a voice in that path to healing. With those few brief words, on behalf of Dignity for Disability I thank the Hon. Ms Franks for bringing this important motion forward and commend it to the chamber.

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