We want to take January 26th to acknowledge that VMIAC sits on the land of the Wurundjeri people, land where sovereignty has never been ceded. We take today to acknowledge that this always was, and always will be Aboriginal land.
We acknowledge that First Nations people have suffered greatly from the effects of colonialism, both historic and ongoing, and those effects have far reaching impacts, on Aboriginal physical, social, and mental wellbeing. There is a lot more that needs to be done to address these inequalities, from the government, organisations such as ourselves, and from wider society. We also acknowledge that a great deal of ways forward have been recommended by community to start addressing these issues and not enough has been acted upon by those with the power to do so.
Last year our staff attended protests against the ongoing treatment of our first nations people. This year we will not be attending as a group but many of us will be attending other events, both online and in person, donating to first nations groups, spending our time learning about indigenous history, and more.
This always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.
If you are looking for a list of COVID-safe events to attend, there is a list available here
If you wish to donate to Indigenous groups within Australia.
Pay the Rent have great resources available here.