Voice to Parliament Speech at the Financial Serives Union

This is a story aobut that time I got to address the Financial Services Union (FSU). there are heaps more wonderful photos to show but for the moment here are some I got and my speech.

Just a little highlight / update for the Voice. I am on a First Nations Committee with the FSU (Financial Sector Union) and I was invited to speak. There was a whole Congress of elected Delegates, with me, merely an Observer.

 

All the big Banks, our largest Superannuation companies were represented there but no Insurers. No other Suncorp presence beside me either.

 

We got to meet Sally McManus and Anthony Albanese. His media team of four flew to meet us the day before and were with us at the Conference but that morning the air force said the rain and hail was too rough and wild for the PM to fly so we only got a video conference. No-one knew the PM was coming. It wasn’t in the program. A bit crushed none the less.

 

Here is the rundown:

1. I gave my speech and got a standing ovation. Ha! It was an incredibly kind group of people.
2. We used some cultural protocol and Union protocol to facilitate creating the right space where people felt they could speak up.
3. We had everyone break into sub groups to discuss their thoughts and feelings, what they wanted to know about the referendum, and some said that they were a No Vote before the speech but that it addressed a few concerns they had. In my speech I addressed many of the No campaign concerns because I’m trying to help with the middle of the road, and confused voters. We converted a few voters, and some unsure ones are now happy to support.
4. We had a great session where “No” voters were invited to speak. We only got one question about how they thought it was wrong to have a constitution that wasn’t fair by representing the First Nations people i.e. not equal, and that that the constitution should be equal. Someone got up in response and said that there are many pieces of legislation and laws that are about specific people, such as Domestic Violence, Migration, Marriage Equality etc. He is disabled and said that the Disability Act saved his life. I could not have asked for a better retort.
1. Now as a side, the person who is voting No, said that the end of the Conference, when we were sharing public reflections of the event, that her most impactful moment was that she felt valued even though she didn’t agree with the Voice. She also didn’t vote against the right to campaign the next day, but Adam Fletchers leadership (Aboriginal man from NAB (14+), Head of Indigenous Banking was amazing and I think his leadership and all the process we had, made a world of difference.
5. The next day our committee put forward a resolution for the Delegates to vote on and it was passed. That now means that the FSU has an official mandate to run a Campaign to Support the Voice. This is huge! It will mean advertising, door knocking, workplace conversations in so many workplaces, community campaigns, flyer and digital campaign information distribution, and we are having an event and all campaign details are here: The FSU Supports the ‘Yes’ campaign on a First Nations Voice to Parliament - Finance Sector Union (fsunion.org.au)

 

Thought I would share. 

So I tell my girls I’ll be away for a few nights. I’m going to ask for support from people in my Union, to vote for the Voice. And I tell them….This is bigger than us, bigger than our fears and our circumstance. This is for our future. 

In my mind I think of those before me, our elders, my baby girls bloodline who have paid a much higher price than is being asked of our little family right now. 

Our elders did a lot more, with a lot less. 

Our beautiful Jard family paid with their anonymity, their freedom from harassment, reputation, they risked breaking laws, were sometimes physically broken and bruised, and some have paid with their life. Mumma’s trip is only a sacrifice of time so we will show a little courage.

I tell my girls that in 2015 the Government asked for help from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They toured Australia consulting community for 6 months to gather their words, now known as the The Dialogues. 

In 2017 people from many different Nations (known and disposed) gathered at Uluru to create a statement of story, and a strategy to achieve action in the future. The Yolgnu people gifted the conference a word from their ancient language. The word was Makarrata, meaning the coming together after a struggle.  

I also remind the girls that when I leave, I’ll be coming back. As I hug them, I am again reminded of mums and dads who will never be reunited with their babies again. Our Stolen ones.

I remind my girls to be brave, smart, get to school and learn not just to advocate for themselves, but for others. The change we need is systemic, and institutional and the time and efforted need to  change will be a burden over future generations. As a Muma I want to gift the girls the Voice to help them with this burden.  Our resilience must be intergenerational. 

I neglect to tell them this trip might be fun! Voting for Yes, is exciting, electric, and it fills my cup with energy and hope. I want to see everyone to radiate with the same conviction, and confidence.

I kiss them goodbye, knowing they are in the safe care of their beautiful Daddy, Nanma and Poppy. 

So which 440 words did hundreds of Indigenous people ask for? 

Uluru Statement from the Heart

We, gathered at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart: Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands, and possessed it under our own laws and customs. This our ancestors did, according to the reckoning of our culture, from the Creation, according to the common law from ‘time immemorial’, and according to science more than 60,000 years ago. This sovereignty is spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty. It has never been ceded or extinguished, and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown. How could it be otherwise? That peoples possessed a land for sixty millennia and this sacred link disappears from world history in merely the last two hundred years? With substantive constitutional change and structural reform, we believe this ancient sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood. Proportionally, we are the most incarcerated people on the planet. We are not an innately criminal people. Our children are aliened from their families at unprecedented rates. This cannot be because we have no love for them. And our youth languish in detention in obscene numbers. They should be our hope for the future. These dimensions of our crisis tell plainly the structural nature of our problem. This is the torment of our powerlessness. We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country. We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution. Makarrata is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle. It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination. We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history. In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.

The ask is this: one an advisory Voice that shows depth and understanding of our most complex of issues, two that a Makarrata Committee becomes responsible for treaty / agreement making and oversight and Truth telling. 

So will we in this room respond to that offer, and take the call to vote yes?

What about everyone’s history, are we being left out? 

I reflect that not every person who has a vote will be thinking like a Kamilaroi / Gamilaraay woman like me with the benefit of 46 years of political debate invitro and at home. Many here many step into a consciousness about this issue for the first time. It is ok if that is you! You are welcome here!

I say often, that Truth Telling is Hard, Truth Listening is hard too. I have grown up with two sets of history. This I am practiced at intellectualising and translating. First Nations communities are in a constant state of grief. I am cognizant that Reconciliation may be a time of grief for many non-Indigenous Australians. You may feel you are losing the identity of the Australia you once thought existed, it might feel new, but it’s not. 

With the abolition of the White Australia Policy, Australia has already started down the walking trail of finding it’s Authentic self. As a country we are already down that road or deconstructing and reconstructing ourselves. As we form this new identity, we are asking for the inclusion of our First people as a mandate, and an ongoing voice. 

The true measure of a society is how it treats it’s most vulnerable. 

Australia may need to progress through the grief cycle faster, because “”while we are imagining our future as a nation””, our children are dying. Our jarjums, our aboriginal kids are more likely to die at birth, walk out of school illiterate, to be unemployed, to miss out on life saving medical care, to die from preventable illness and disease, to experience a disproportionate racism tax on their mental health, to be a Black Death in Custody, be killed in an act of violence, or just simply die before the age of retirement. I can save my two but I need your help to save our others.

Time is a luxury, that our kids do not have. My Nanna brought up her children to activists, the gift they won in the 67 referendum, was that of citizenship and a right to education. The gift I want for my kids is that of empowerment and self-determination through a VOICE. It will be permanent, but only a very small step. 

So why do I believe the Voice will work, when people say it is just not enough?

Of course it’s not enough, it’s just the launching pad. The Voice is one foot forward on a long, long trail. My girls, and I suspect their kids will have to continue to play it out, long after I am returned to our earth. When people say, the Voice is not enough, I say, that’s because this is the INFINATE GAME. The Voice is a milestone, it will be a moment in history where we show our true colours, our courage and bravery, but getting the job done will be the actual test of our Nations true character. This is an infinite game.

Why should I fight for this, some First Nations people don’t even want it. What about the people that say no. 

We’ll I’ve got nothing but love for my community, sometimes tough love, but always love. And the fact that we don’t all agree, is something I’m proud of, we must be critical thinkers, and not afraid to stand for what we believe, descent and difference is a natural part of being inclusive in our community. But if we do the math, this is not about a minority vote. 

It is about your Vote. Your vision. Your future generations. 

This is our chance to say to future generations, that we stood up, we responded to the call, we chose to act, we implemented something that would be the start of a blazed trail. A truly intergenerational solution, to create systemic change but we did it with critical thought, and we did it with confidence, and without fear. 

We can’t change the past, but we can change the future. 

Does this divide and conquer? 

We’ll here is my challenge to you. You can’t love Australia, if you can’t love all of it. 

I love this country and it’s people. I have unconditional love for this country, that is exactly why I fight so hard for it, I fight hard for all of us. The them, the rest, the us, the we, the he, the she, the they. My people are beautiful, and I often think the rest of Australia is missing out on really getting to know us.

Indigenous knowledge will help save this country and planet through the power of our connection with it.  The Lore, the bush, the water, community co-design, the animal life (our spirit), the justice, the collaboration, the humour. They are all gifts. 

My culture is the gift I wish for you but most of all I wish you love. There is so much love to be found in my community, despite the odds. So the Voice is not about what we lose but about what we will gain. 

If you embrace all that it is, it gives you so much back in return – Pat Farmer. 

This brings me to our mantra, to Empower / Unite / Transform

So embrace education yourself, be a critical thinker, vote with confidence, draw on the energy of those around you to inspire you, fuel you, and empower you. Let’s get through it together, and dare to imagine a different future. 

So to my little girls, Mumma is going to be home soon, I just have a little job to do, which is to appeal to the beautiful mind and big heart of this congress, to give us a boost in our plight, and give us a Yes!

Gooo ooown, give me a yes!

Intergenerational Trauma

This is a story of what gets passed along to our future generations. It’s a story not written by me by by my second cousin Maiala Waters, her Mumma Rennae is my first cousin. Maiala’s matriarchial line is through her Mum Rennae, her Grandmother Janet McCabe (my Aunty), and her Great Grandmother, Alice James.

Every Aboriginal family are survivors of slavery. The country we see now, it’s infrastructure and this economy, and the prosperity and economic opportunity exists as a result of slavery and stolen wages. Slavery and colonisation also causes trauma, so the legacy of that will be passed on to future generations, also the very obvious and real financial disadvantage. So here we are, taking steps to heal and support eachother in our community. Some times we get lucky and we get to do it as our day job.

Below are some reflections from my cousin Maiala Waters.

Here is her voice..........

As some of you may know I have been working in Child Safety most of the year and recently made the switch to community, still in the same sector, but now I support families to lead the discussions about their lives and their children. I work in this sector not to point the finger at our mums and dads struggling with the challenges life brings or to remove our babies. I work in this sector to create space where we can have real and raw yarns about how we are in the position we’re in today. I wrote similar words today that I thought I would share. Not to big note how deadly a writer I am (cause I already know that derrrr) but to do what we have done for tens of 1000s of years, share one of my stories. One of the stories that make me who I am today.

I leave you with a raw reality of intergenerational trauma. The same reality shared by the families I work with every day. The reality of my Great Grandmother, Alice James, a proud Pitta Pitta woman who was a mother, a Nan, an Aunty and a respected Elder. Before my Grandmother became any of these things though she was nothing but a slave. Despite being the best Mum, Nan, Aunty and Elder she could be, those days of being a slave always stayed with her. And it stayed with my Nan and it stays with my mum and now me and my daughter. That is the reality of intergenerational trauma that we don’t see. That is the reality of intergeneration trauma thousands of Aboriginal peoples carry. This is why I do the work that I do. Because I know the worlds our families are in. Because I too am in that world. And I can hear the pain they don’t know how to voice. Because I too, carry that pain. I want to create spaces for our families to share their yarns. I want to create platforms to understand that trauma passed down from our old people and hopefully keep some of our babies out of the system. I carry my Great Grandmother’s strength in all I do. And I see that strength in my daughter and my son. I see that strength in all my people and I want to empower our families to know, they too, carry that strength. Here are some photos of my Old Nan and women who I love that share the same beautiful strong matriarch I do

 Maiala is Mumma to her two babies Birriwa* Miyaay*,

Sister to Marcus*, Ngiyaani*, and Dylan*.

Daughter to Woolombi Waters and Rennae Hopkins* (my cousin)

Granddaughter of Janet McCabe (my Aunty), and Harry Jard (my Uncle, my father’s brother),

Niece to Christine Jard*, Billie Larkin*, Lana Rosenblatt*, Troy* and Shane*.

Cousin to many Caitlin Louise*, and me (Rina) many many more.

(8) All pictured.

Maiala's Nan, (my Aunty Janet)

Maiala's Aunties and Uncles (my first cousins)

Maiala's Brothers and her babies (my second and third cousins)

Maiala's Muma Renae and her Nan Janet

Maiala's cousin Caitlin and her Aunties again.

Dear Pop Meeting the Jards (17 January 2021)

Dear Pop,

I love you.

This is a story I don’t know how to write, except these words are the easiest. Pop, I love you.

Today I met one of your grandsons, and his beautiful family. Ray’s boy Peter (my first cousin/ your grandson) brought his two sons, Robbie and Stevie, his beautiful Jill and Robbie’s Kandace.

Pop, you probably don’t know that after you died, we knew you had a son. The State Archives were missing so much of your story. But the archives were full of another little boys story, just like you he grew up without his biological family. The papers confirmed that infant son that was taken away from you, and his name was Ray. A little baby boy who future was decided by the Chief Protector of Aborigines, because at the time you had no rights as a father. A little baby boy who you were not allowed to hold, or love, or care for. A little boy who was put into State ‘care’. He grew up and had a family, he had a big one. He had your name too. The archives come with many letters and voices, none of them are yours. They also come heavily laden with racism, and you and I know how big it is to be Aboriginal. Sometimes they say that the experience of great pain, can enhance our ability to give and experience great love. Pop, I love you.

This is a story with a middle, and here are the facts.

Every year or so I type Jard into google and social media platforms and see if relatives show up. I found these Jards on Facebook, and they essentially found me back. The next part of the story is that they came around to meet. I shared everything I knew and I was nervous. As wonderful as it is to be Aboriginal, you and I know that the racism that comes with it is a burden, and there is unfinished business. We are left with a responsibility, and it can break some of us, and for others they turn their back. I want you to know that I was nervous because it’s a big thing to share. I want you to know that they have support. Not just from me, but Pop, there is an ecosystem of love that surrounds them, and for that I am grateful. I know you would be thankful too. Pop, I love you.

I wish you could see them, they are happy, proud of their work, proud of each other, proud to be Jards.

I wish you could see them, they are making plans, enjoying their passions (football just like you), and growing as a family.

I wish I had met you so I could tell them what you were like first hand. I guess that leaves another chapter and they will have to meet Dad so they can hear and see the love. The love you gave to my Dad, he has passed along to me. Pop, I love you.

I wished you could see Ray’s babies. There were stories of his pain in his life, and moments of searching for his mother, but there was also love. So much love despite it all. I want you to know that Ray was a loved Dad and a loved Grandfather. I want you to know that there seemed to be joy in his life, and that he was strong and determined, and an advocate, and he passed that on.

I wish I knew your bloodline, yours / our mob, so I could tell and share, that with them too.

I most deeply wish you could have had more moments with Ray. That one I wish for the most.

I can’t tell you that he found peace. I think that there were moments in his life that he searched for his mother.

I can’t tell you if he had support to understand his story, and work through his pain.

I can’t tell you what he thought of any of it, growing up without being surrounded by blood relatives.

I can’t tell you if he felt proud of his identity, if he had the words, or what he thought of his treatment due to the colour of his skin.

I can tell you that the questions that can be answered, raised more questions that can not be answered. I can tell you that I feel peace and acceptance. There are things I will never know.

I wonder how you managed the pain. I hold my babies, as they fall asleep in my arms. I hold my babies and think of the babies taken away. I think of the pain. The human rights that were taken away from you because of the colour of your skin will always bring me pain. As an Aboriginal parent it is a regular thought that haunts me often. It has ended for me and my family but it still continues in different forms for our people.

I wonder what you felt as a parent, as you held your other babies at night, remembering the ones that were no longer with you.

I wonder what you felt as a father who worked where they told you to work (still being under the Aboriginal ‘Protection’ Act), and took jobs you had to, to survive. I wonder how you felt and thought about missing out from tucking your kids in at night, or their missing their milestones and moments. Our babies grow so beautifully.

 I wonder about your thoughts you may have had back then, but also what you would have thought about the 26^th May, National Sorry Day recognising the Stolen Generations. I wonder if you would agree that it is still not enough. I wonder how you want to see the unfinished business addressed.

I wonder how else you experienced the pain, or if it changed your experience of joy, and love in your life. I can’t imagine. I will always wonder. I will always have unanswered questions. Pop, I love you.

I wonder about unfinished business. The ugliness is not ours, but the burden is left with us.  With all of that, we are in a generation where we have allies and I hope you would be thrilled with the progress we are making. For some, our progress will come too late, but for some our progress will save lives, and hopefully families like ours. Love tempers the heartbreak that still remains. There is unfinished business, but we are getting it done.

This is a story that has a beginning, and middle, but I don’t know the end. There are other chapters, and more stories outside this letter to you, so I promise to keep writing, and sharing our story.

Pop, I love you.

I will sign off by saying how grateful I am for you. Thank-you for the gift of life you gave to me. Thank-you for my Dad Barry, he is our Poppy, and we love him, just like he loved you.

Love Rina.

Some photos are enclosed.

A beautiful picture of you, Pop (William Willie Jard), with Nana (Lorna Jard).

A picture of brothers, Poppy (Barry Jard aged 49) and Ray (Jard aged 65).

A picture of me (Rina Abbott-Jard) with Peter and his boys Stevie and Robbie (all Jards too)!

We don’t have the name of Pop (Willie) Jard’s group, but he came from far North Queensland, around the area of Mission Beach.  He is thought to be a member of the Birra Nation.

National Sorry Day 26 May 2020

The 26 May is National Sorry Day. This is a photo of my Nanna Lorna Jard, and her sister Vera Tyson (nee Mitchell). They are standing there with my Dad, Barry. When asked about her family my Nanna drew out her family tree on an A4 piece of paper. There were the names of her brothers and sisters, and the dates of birth that were given to them or estimated. She wrote the names of Rosie and Doris, both of which they would be separated from. Rosie from a young death, and Doris who was taken away because of the colour of her skin. Doris was one of the Stolen Aboriginal children. They would only remember of her that she was taken to Sydney for servitude (slave labour) as a child, and would be heard of in America, and then in Sydney again. Many of you know our girls Kaiya and Kirra, Kaiya is of very fair skin, but in fact both would have been taken away. Kaiya for sure. The pain is unfathomable. There is no one on this planet besides Michael and I that could love our children more. My Great Aunty Doris was one of far too many. They were stolen children for essentially slavery (of which this country's economy is built on) and to kill out a race of people by 'thinning out' the DNA in their blood so you can colonise their country. If you live in this country you are benefiting from that legacy. If you celebrate ANZACS then you should also see the benefits in your life are also due to atrocities. Today is about empathy, compassion, and starts with saying sorry. To all those beautiful babies who were taken away from their families I hope you find peace.

If it's not a day of sadness and reflection for you then it might be something that you need to read about. There is so much education out there, immerse yourself in it. Take a walk in someone's story. #Sorry #NationalSorryDay

My Nanna Lorna Jard

This is my Nanna, Lorna Jard nee Mitchell. Her birthday was 29th November 1918 and I was going to wait until her Birthday to share this photo. She taught herself to read, and count. She was denied an education so she fought for one for me. She believed in education, a strong work ethic, fought for human rights, and advocated for the next generation. She is a major contributor to the fact that I have choices, a degree, a career, a great life partner, a love of politics, and she has influenced my how I love my children. She was one in a long line of matriarchs. I think of her often and she inspires me every day, particularly the tough ones. She was a fierce intellect, and she loved just as intensely. I am grateful everyday for her and my Mum and Dad. If actions speak louder than words than I hope my life choices make her proud. Nanna is wearing glasses and holding a sheet of paper, and my cousin Karen Mitchell is also pictured (standing behind, and to the right of the girl in the white dress. 

Acknowledgement of Country

I am writing here from Brisbane, Australia, and I would like to acknowledge the Qandamooka people of Winnam (Wynnum). I would like to thank them for the care and custodianship they have invested in this area for thousands, and thousands of years. I would like to acknowledge their elders, past, present, and emerging. It is through the wisdom and sacrifice of all of our elders in this country, that has afforded me the human rights, and privileges I have today.

I would like to acknowledge my Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi) ancestors who have shared with me their bloodline and culture, through my Dad, Barry Jard, my Nana Lorna Jard (nee Mitchell), and her mother before her Lucy Mitchell. I also acknowledge my Pop, William Jard, who did not grow up knowing his bloodlines.  

We don’t have the name of Pop (Willie) Jard’s group, but he came from far North Queensland, around the area of Mission Beach.  He is thought to be a member of the Birra Nation.

I thank our elders for the care of the land, skies, oceans, and waterways.

My purpose here to write about family. As with every family our stories will be of the past, and of the present. As with every family, our traditions, grow, and change, with some remaining the same. My hope is that future generations can draw on this as a reference, but also to reinforce their sense of identity, and connection to us. We are a small family, but scattered across Australia. My dream to one day have all of my family together in a big gathering, especially so my children can meet their cousins. Until then, see you in this space.

The photo is of my Pop and Nanna, with my Aunty Florence (Flo), and her baby boy Alan Murphy at Pop and Nanna’s house at 93 South Street, Depot Hill, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.

Please note that in sharing these stories, there will be images of those no longer with us.