Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has called for a Day of Mourning on January 26.
Appearing on NITV’s Big Mob Brekky on Wednesday, the Senator acknowledged NAIDOC Week's origins, which it was born out of a “day of protest”.
“This is Blak week, this is Blak excellence, this is Blak survival. Our mob always look forward to this week, I know I certainly do,” the Gunnai Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman said.
“But, we have to remember that NAIDOC comes from a day of protest. It comes from a day that we call, in fact, William Cooper called, a Day of Mourning.”
She continued, launching a call for a national Day of Morning on January 26.
“Why aren’t we still calling for a Day of Mourning on the 26th of January? It’s great to go to the [NAIDOC] ball, but we also need a call to action,” she said.
“We should be calling for a day of action on the 26th of January.”
The first Day of Mourning. Source: Supplied: AIATSIS
Aboriginal flag to fly on West Gate Bridge
On Monday it was announced that Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge would permanently fly the Aboriginal flag, replacing Victoria’s state flag.
The almost 60-metre-high bridge, located on Bunurong Country, links inner Melbourne with the outer western suburbs.
While Senator Thorpe noted that it is “probably tokenistic from a colonial perspective” the flag’s presence is a reminder of survival.
“For our people, that’s our sign of our sovereign existence and our sovereign stance in this country,” she said.
“They can keep flying our flag, that just shows we are still here, we have survived.
“Keep putting our flags up you fullas!”
The Aboriginal flag will fly permanently on Melbourne's West Gate Bridge. Source: AAP
Treaty first, flag later
Recently the Greens came under fire for removing the Australian Flag from press conferences.
Greens Leader Adam Bandt first removed the flag prior to a press conference at Sydney’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices on June 20.
"For many Australians, this flag represents dispossession and the lingering pains of colonisation," he said.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese urged the party, and Mr Bandt, to reconsider the choice.
“We will certainly reconsider it when we sit around and start discussing a treaty in this country,” Ms Thorpe told Big Mob Breaky.
“We have been 240 years of an oppressed regime from the colonial construct. I think when we discuss a treaty and a peace-making instrument that will bring us together, yeah, we’ll reconsider the flag.
“Until then there is no peace, our people are still dying at the hands of this system.”
