First Nations First

A trailblazer of Australia's arts and cultural landscape, Aunty Rhoda Roberts has been laid to rest on Country in her hometown of Lismore. Hundreds gathered to honour a life dedicated to the arts and elevating Indigenous voices.

The latest report on Closing the Gap Targets, released last month, found just four of nineteen targets are on track. Among those targets Australia is failing to meet, the country is moving backward when it comes to reducing suicide rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which are now more than three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians.First Nations health advocates and practitioners are urgently calling for investment in new approaches to preventative mental health support that are led by First Nations wisdom and experience. SBS reporter Angelica Waite, has speaking with Clinton Schultz, a Gomeroi Gamilaroi man, and Director of First Nations Strategy and Partnerships with Black Dog Institute. For more than a decade, he's been a pioneering voice when it comes to finding new models for preventative care that reflect the depth, complexity and connectedness of First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing. She started by asking Mr Schultz how he came to study and work in the field of psychology.

The latest report on Closing the Gap Targets, released last month, found just four of the nineteen targets are on track. Among those targets Australia is failing to meet, the country is moving backward when it comes to reducing suicide rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people , which are now more than three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians. First Nations health advocates and practitioners are urgently calling for investment in new approaches to preventative mental health led by First Nations wisdom and experience.

Tributes are being made to SBS Elder-in-residence and Widjabul Wia-bal woman, Auntie Rhoda Roberts, who has died at the age of 66. Her short battle with a very rare type of ovarian cancer ended on Saturday afternoon on her country surrounded by family. The decorated writer, actor and director was awarded an Order of Australia in 2016 for her service to performing arts and immense impact on and off the stage and screen. Rhoda Robert’s family has granted permission for SBS to broadcast images and audio, to honour and celebrate her life and enduring legacy.

New data from the Productivity Commission reveals that the national effort to Close the Gap is failing. As the 2031 deadline looms, Indigenous leaders and advocates are calling for an urgent shift away from "band-aid" government strategies toward genuine community-led action and structural reform.

A First Nations advocate and activist for incarcerated women says the social contract between the Australian government and the community is broken. Tahlia Isaac, who founded 'Project:herSelf', says authorities are more interested in punishment than providing the conditions to keep people safe. She says the system needs to change and the government needs to start listening to women who have real insight into the cycle of incarceration.

The Acknowledgement of Country has been translated into 40 languages as part of a project led by Dr Elaine Laforteza. She explains how it started and the vision for what comes next.

The federal government has released its latest report card on its Closing the Gap targets, which are meant to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. The data shows just four of the 19 targets are on track. Anthony Albanese has used his annual closing the gap speech on Thursday to announce a $144 million boost to Indigenous health to upgrade more than 100 services in cities and regional areas. But some - like the incarceration rates of First Nations people - continue to worsen.

The Federal Government has launched a landmark $218 million national plan to end violence against First Nations women and children. It marks the first long-term strategy designed and led entirely by Indigenous communities. While the policy targets specialised healing and emergency services in remote areas, community leaders warn that real change also requires confronting the systemic racism and high rates of violence perpetrated by non-Indigenous men.

A powerful exhibition featuring photographs and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability has been called a milestone for inclusion and representation. First exhibited at the United Nations in Geneva more than a decade ago, it's now being shown again on home soil in its most accessible format.