First Nations First

The founder of the First Nation’s music group “ Stiff Gins”, Nardi Simpson, is directing a cross cultural Choir in Sydney called Barayagal. It's a place where First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians gather to sing in the Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay languages. The choir is making songs inspired by culture, supported by musicians from the Sydney University Conservatorium of Music who are participating as part of their degree

Australian Olympic athletes have received a major financial boost ahead of the Paris Games in July. The Australian Olympic Committee has announced three incentives to increase funding for athletes, with specific targets for First Nations competitors.

Reconciliation Australia and the University of New South Wales have produced a new collaborative report called 'Coming to Terms with the Past', which identifies the barriers and enablers to truth-telling and the strategies to promote historical acceptance. Uncle Garry Matthews is a proud older Gadigal man who has been advocating for truth-telling for decades. He has spoken with Youssef Saudie.

A new report has identified barriers to effective truth-telling between First Nations and non-Indigenous people. The research by University of New South Wales and Reconciliation Australia has sparked calls on further action from local councils and government departments to better their truth-telling processes.

More than 250 years after they were first taken, four spears, stolen by Captain James Cook and his crew after they arrived at Botany Bay, have been repatriated to their traditional owners. Representatives of the La Perouse Aboriginal Community traveled to Cambridge University in England where the artifacts, known as the ‘Gweagal Spears’ had been kept since 1771. It follows a 30-year campaign to see the spears returned to country.

A flu outbreak in a Far North Queensland Indigenous community has put the issue of housing in the spotlight. The outbreak has also prompted a vaccination drive in the town of Yarrabah.

Indigenous-led businesses and traders are having a growing impact on the nation’s economy, a new snapshot has shown. Their growing impact doesn't just extend to monetary value, but also more opportunity and self determination for Indigenous people.

The Alice Springs youth curfew has come to an end with the town's mayor and the Northern Territory chief minister praising it as a success. The measure was aimed at addressing a recent surge in violent crime in the Central Australian town. However, some First Nations residents and lawyers have criticised the extreme measure calling it a band-aid solution at best.

When Geoff Anderson suffered a horrific work accident, he fell into a deep depression. Then one day he received a knock on the door that would change his life, leading him to discover his Indigenous heritage language and gain a new perspective on life. In this episode Hannah Kwon chats to Geoff Anderson about his journey from suffering a mental health breakdown to eventually turning his life around through the discovery of the Wiradjuri language. We also hear about the unique discovery made by linguistic and language revival expert Ghil’ad Zuckermann and how it led him to meet and collaborate with Barngarla woman Emmalene Richards

Archaeologists have discovered ancient Indigenous artifacts on an island off Cape York, challenging the long held notion that Indigenous Australians did not make pottery. The discovery of 82 pieces of Indigenous pottery on Jiigurru is the earliest ever identified in Australia, and provides a glimpse into just how far back the craftsmanship and innovation of Australia's Traditional Owners really stretches.