First Nations First

Internet use is growing in remote First Nations communities, but cost is still a barrier. A new study from RMIT University has revealed that even though progress is being made, there is still a long way to go to close the digital gap for communities.

In South Australia, a public inquiry has found the number of Aboriginal children being removed from their families is approaching levels equivalent to the Stolen Generations. One in every ten First Nations children is in state care, and that figure is expected to increase to 14 in every 100 within seven years if not addressed. This is the story of how one grandmother took on the state department o...

The Northern Territory Coroner has handed down her findings into the killing of four Aboriginal women by their partners. After a year-long inquiry, Elisabeth Armitage has painted a bleak picture of 'relentless violence' against women and children, with frontline agencies overwhelmed and underfunded. She has now made 35 recommendations calling for change.

A new million-dollar project from the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University is compiling the largest ever documentary history of Australia from an Indigenous perspective. Ngura Ninti, which means 'knowing home', is the first of its kind and aims to challenge the common understanding of Australian history as told through a colonial lens.

For generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have called for a formal treaty or treaties to recognise their sovereignty. Now, formal negotiations have begun in Victoria to establish the nation's first-ever treaty between a state and its First Nations people. But other countries including Canada, New Zealand and the United States began signing treaties centuries ago, so what's tak...

New data from the New South Wales government suggests there's a record number of Aboriginal adults in custody in the state. Advocacy groups are calling for community-led solutions nationally to combat the over-representation of Indigenous adults and children in custody.

This is the legacy of Rottnest Island, now a popular tourist destination off the coast of Perth - thousands of First Nations men and boys sent to suffer or die on a prison island in horrific circumstances. Descendants of those who were imprisoned there have now come together to commemorate the island's traumatic past and celebrate the resilience of their people.

As the new Northern Territory government implements the tough-on-crime policies that helped bring them to office, access to legal aid is being cut back sharply, raising concerns vulnerable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be left to defend themselves in court.

Senator Lidia Thorpe has defended her protest during the King's visit to Canberra. She says her calls for a treaty have garnered international attention, and has furthered the national conversation. But the headlines remain squarely on her eligibility as a senator. Listen to her full interview with SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson about the controversy.

A traditional healing ceremony has been held in Darwin for the families of three US Marines who died during a training exercise over the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory. Around two dozen personnel were on board an Osprey aircraft when it crashed on the remote Melville Island, north of Darwin, in August last year.

A free community laundry service has seen encouraging results in reducing the prevalence of skin infections and scabies in remote Northern Territory communities. Untreated scabies infestations can lead to dangerous secondary infections, which can then be a factor in causing rheumatic heart disease.

Aboriginal tenants in Western Australia have launched a class action against state housing authorities, alleging severe neglect of their homes. It comes amid a housing crisis nationwide. The tenants are seeking justice for years of substandard living conditions, highlighting a need for accountability and urgent reforms.

The landmark report makes ten recommendations for federal, state and territory governments and calls on government to co-design solutions with First Nations communities. It's also called for a review into existing police practices in each jurisdiction.

Indigenous knowledge will - for the first time - be a focus of the Federal Government's set of scientific priorities. The National Science and Research Priorities will guide Australian science and research efforts for the next decade, replacing the current framework, published in 2015.

Australia's chief organisation for homelessness services says the situation is worsening for children and families in a report released to coincide with Homelessness Week (August 5-11). Homelessness Australia says First Nations children made up 32 per cent of homeless children nationally.

In her first TV interview since she was appointed as Federal Indigenous Affairs minister, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy talks to NITV's John Paul Janke at the Garma Festival about her new role and the challenges she faces.

In Western Sydney, community leaders have convened to address the escalating prevalence of diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Highlighting success stories and urgent needs, advocates pushed for enhanced access to affordable diabetes management technologies amid health disparities and systemic challenges.

Yessie Mosby is one of the so-called Torres Strait Eight, a group from the Pacific Islands which lodged a complaint with the UN Human Rights Council. Their complaint - that Australia is not doing enough to protect their people from climate change - was the first ever case of its kind. Mr Mosby - a Zenadh Kes Masig man - has been in Hawaii for the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture to connect wit...

Traditional owners are hoping to share a Tiwi Island delicacy with the world. The Mantiyupwi Clan are part of a world first trial in Black Lip Oyster Farming which they want to take to a global market in the next two years.

After 13 years of dedicated campaigning, the Awabakal community in New South Wales' Hunter region celebrates the protection of its sacred Butterfly Cave. The state government has purchased the land to create a National Park, preserving this historically significant Aboriginal women's site in West Wallsend.

A tiny beach shack on a remote Island in the Torres Strait has become one of the world’s most desired tourist destinations. After making it onto the Forbes top fifty places to visit - Badu Island has put the region on the global tourism map. Traditional Owners say the venture is helping them care for country and grow their island economy.

From rogue educators… to leaders in remote education. Yirrkala community leaders in the Northern Territory are celebrating 50 years of bilingual education at the local government School where elders and teachers defied government orders to dismantle the two- way education system.

A new research centre will draw on the traditional practices and knowledge used by generations of Indigenous communities to care for Australian land and maintain cultural heritage.

It has been nearly 30 years since a landmark report recommended appropriate redress schemes for Stolen Generations survivors. Advocates say the impacts from the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families - under government policies – continue until this very day. They are calling for urgent action to help Stolen Generations survivors.

The chief commissioner of Victoria Police has apologised to survivors of the Stolen Generation for the institution's role in the forcible removal of children from their families. The ongoing harm to Indigenous Australians caused by this practice was recognised at an emotional event.