<
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/inside-the-fight-to-save-ancient-australian-forests-from-asias-paper-mills/5g7a1oxhk>
'Tasmania, known to its First Peoples as lutruwita, has long been a flash point
in Australia's environmental struggles — from logging and mining to water
protection.
Now, a new generation of palawa Aboriginal leaders is stepping up, continuing
an ancient legacy of defending Country in the face of environmental
destruction.
In Tasmania, logging is a billion-dollar industry that supports over thousands
of jobs and exports millions of tonnes of timber, woodchips and pulp overseas,
primarily to feed paper mills in China and Japan.
But as vital carbon sinks and biodiversity havens shrink, Traditional Owners
argue that the long-term environmental and cultural costs are far greater than
the economic gains.
Among them is 25-year-old palawa lawyer Maggie Blanden. Last year, she made
headlines by rejecting her nomination for Young Tasmania of the Year to protest
a date — 26 January — which she said represents genocide and stolen land.
Blanden told
NITV's
The Point that she was raised with an understanding of
both Aboriginal lore and "settler" systems and is training to be a lawyer to
challenge colonial structures from within.
"Education is power for our mob," Blanden said.
"Our old people were on the front line defending Country and that legacy
continues today. They were protesting for their inherent rights to be
Aboriginal people and to be on Country and yet they were being persecuted for
it.
"Becoming a lawyer was my part in that, breaking down those systems and really
bringing us home to that key message."'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
