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Aboriginal protesters have come face to face with federal politicians in Australia’s capital, Canberra. A large number are participating in a sit-in at Parliament House to draw attention to the state of Indigenous affairs around the country. An initiator of a recently formed Freedom Movement and the sit-in, Narungga man Tauto Sansbury, who’s from the York Peninsula in South Australia, said he was delighted by the support it had attracted.

Hear Sansbury and pro-Aboriginal activist journalist, Gerry Georgatos, describing Monday’s (9 February) events to the National Indigenous Radio Service. Sansbury told the national multicultural broadcaster SBS that it’s important to keep applying pressure to highlight the issues affecting First Nations communities in Australia.

As Members of Parliament and other politicians were embroiled in a failed bid by government backbenchers to sack their prime minister, Tony Abbott, after staging a demonstration and sit-in, delegates from the Freedom Movement had a meeting with Indigenous affairs minister, Nigel Scullion, at Parliament House.

National Indigenous Television reported that Scullion was presented with a list of demands. He later met with protesters at the nearby Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

This is how Gerry Georgatos reported on the meeting with Scullion:

“The Federal Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Senator Nigel Scullion walked out of Parliament to meet with the organisers of the sit-in. He invited Mr Sansbury to organise a delegation to meet with him in Parliament after the spill motion. Mr Sansbury, alongside Freedom Movement delegates, Michael Anderson, Jenny Munro, Chris Tomlins, Les Coe, Christine Abdulla, Roxley Foley, Vanessa Culbong and Ben Taylor met with the Minister. They slammed the Indigenous Advisory Council, criticised failed and dangerous Government policies. They damned assimilation, spoke of what sovereignty means, and of all the issues that readers of this news site know only too well.

“Senator Scullion agreed to meet with them regularly and to meet with delegates and their peoples on their Country. 

“Grandmothers Against Child Removals began to arrive later in the day and joined the Freedom Movement protest action on Capitol Hill. This Friday, on the day seven years ago when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the Stolen Generations Apology, they will protest at Capitol Hill that the Stolen Generations cruelly continues. Listening to their painful narratives, tears flowed among many. I took it upon myself to phone Senator Scullion and suggest to him to meet in person with the Grandmothers and the whole of the Freedom Movement crowd at Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

“He agreed and fronted at Aboriginal Tent Embassy to meet with the Grandmothers, Mothers, families and the Freedom Movement supporters.

“Ms Munro invited him for tea and cake with everyone. It was free flowing conversation, it was fiery at times, there were mothers who broke down. Spokesperson, Hazel Collins let fly, holding little back. Their stories was what Senator Scullion needed to hear in person. He promised to work closely with the Grandmothers. 

"’I have children, and if anyone were to stop me from seeing them I don't know what I'd do. It is the worst thing that can happen,' said Senator Scullion. 

"’Hopefully he does. We'll see if he does. He has to do it from now,’ said Ms Collins.”

Hundreds of community radio stations across Australia, all run by volunteers, were fed a report about “protesting the world's worst child removal rate“.   

The report noted that the sit-in was a collaboration between several groups  voicing their concerns. “In New South Wales one in nine aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children is removed from their families. That’s the highest racial removal rate in the world.”

After the meeting with minister Scullion, some activists felt reassured that progress would begin, the report said. The report featured Sue-Ellen Tighe, founding member of Grandmas Against Removals NSW; Michael Anderson, leader and spokesperson for the sovereign union and elected delegate to The Freedom Summit; and Tauto Sansbury. 
 

The report noted that the sit-in was a collaboration between several groups  voicing their concerns. “In New South Wales one in nine aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children is removed from their families. That’s the highest racial removal rate in the world.”

After the meeting with minister Scullion, some activists felt reassured that progress would begin, the report said. The report featured Sue-Ellen Tighe, founding member of Grandmas Against Removals NSW; Michael Anderson, leader and spokesperson for the sovereign union and elected delegate to The Freedom Summit; and Tauto Sansbury.

Alice Springs based Aboriginal CAAMA Radio had this description: "It was the first [sit-in] day of the First Nations Freedom Movement where the march started at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy as people walked down to the Parliament House and set up the front line of the protest. Protesters were met by police and national media who were covering the national "spill". Ten delegates hand delivered the sovereign manifesto of demands to the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion inside Parliament House and discussed their concerns."

Commercial Channel 9 television reported that protesters attempted to derail its breakfast broadcast about the bid to remove the prime minister.

"Protesters from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy attempted to derail the live broadcast of the TODAY Show and other TV programs this morning outside Parliament House. The activists took advantage of media attention on the political machinations in Canberra to protest about indigenous deaths in custody. Brandishing Aboriginal flags and at least one large cardboard placard that stated "No more black deaths in custody", the group became increasingly disruptive during the broadcast."

Prominent Aboriginal journalist, Amy McQuire, noted in the online publication, New Matilda, that while the media focussed on the attempt to oust the prime minister they “missed the only real story in town”, the Aboriginal protest gathering.

She wrote: "What the mainstream media weren’t aware of was that for months, there had been a Freedom Summit sit-in organised by Aboriginal leaders pushing for sovereignty and treaty, to be held to mark the first day of Parliament for the year. ... While breakfast television reported on the nation’s top story, there was a much more urgent story unfolding right behind them. And it was one they by and large ignored. This morning, about 100 protestors walked the short path from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy to Parliament House, where they took advantage of the media furore and hijacked the photogenic backdrop.”

Background to the National Freedom Movement

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