Yawuru Senator for Western Australia and Shadow Assistant Minister for Reconciliation and Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians Patrick Dodson joins Balit Dhumba to talk more on his support for a motion to establish a Truth Telling Commission on Makarrata and Treaty in the Senate over the last fortnight.
The motion was rejected by the Coalition Government and Senator Dodson and the Opposition are determined to keep trying as he sees change ahead.
He says he is disappointed that the current government is not leading the conversation on truth telling and a resolution to the past injustices towards First Nations peoples.
"We are in a climate that over the next five to ten years we'll see some big changes in this nation."
He reflects on the time when Aboriginal people were considered a dying race and agrees that there has been some significant changes with respect to the way First Nations peoples are treated but there is still a slow journey ahead.
Senator Dodson says "Don't accept the current political leadership as if they've got custody of the truth because many Australians know what the truth is and they want leadership and they want to see a resolution to the challenges that First Nations peoples have been putting up with for such a long time."
Senator Dodson also shares his sadness about the recent and increasing Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and supports for an independent inquiry into the implementation of the 330 recommendations handed down from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody thirty years ago in 1987.
"This is a National crisis, this is a national shame, it can be dealt with. It takes political resolve, ' he says 'it needs a national cabinet or a national police justice committee to comes to terms with it. It can be addressed very quickly."
Photo: Federal Parliament House Ngunnawal Country, ALP Senators Patrick Dodson and Malarndirri McCarthy meet Clinton Pryor (Spirit Walker) on his Walk for Justice September 2017. @senator.patrick.dodson
Here is the Balit Dhumba's latest truth telling story on the recent announcement from the Andrews State Government's recent decision to support the development of the
Produced by Kirstyn Lindsay
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