Editorial Opinion

I have a confession: I almost cast a donkey vote at last weekend's federal elections. I was tempted to draw a smiley face on the ballot paper, not turn up, and just cop the $20 penalty. I'm not alone in feeling disillusioned with politics, not just here but globally. But then I remembered and was reminded by others: as Indigenous Australians, our right to vote was hard-won.

Walking through the Queensland Museum last Monday, I was shoulder to shoulder with school holiday crowds. Kids zigzagged and darted excitedly between display cabinets, parents marvelled, and families posed for selfies beside towering fossils in the "Dinosaurs Unearthed" exhibition; the new permanent display includes life-sized models, ancient bones, and digital recreations of creatures long extinct.

With Cyclone Alfred dominating headlines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delayed calling the election until mid-May. But as another federal vote looms, it’s time to ask an uncomfortable question: Why is Indigenous policy stuck on repeat?

Starting my own company last April was a leap into the unknown. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I didn't expect just how much would be on my plate: paperwork, financial risk, and the relentless grind of making it work. Everything from registering an ACN, developing terms and conditions, engaging legal and tax advisers, sorting insurance, handling marketing and advertising, submitting BAS statements, and applying for tenders was all on me. No shortcuts. No government handholding. No subsidised loans. Just risk, long hours, and the reality of running a business.

It's been a predictably colourful and politically charged fortnight following US President Donald Trump’s inauguration and a slew of Executive Orders. Most of these orders focused on strengthening border security by promising the swift removal of illegal immigrants, regulating immigration, promoting economic growth through artificial intelligence (AI) and tech infrastructure, and implementing policies winding back commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and gender recognition.

It's not often that a question from a stranger prompts you to reflect so deeply on your home country, but that's what happened in Palau, a small Pacific Island nation located in Micronesia when a local driver asked me last week: "How does Australia treat Aboriginal people?"