A South Australian First Nations woman says a national conference this week has reignited the fire within her to continue fighting for real change in her own communities.
Key points:
- Five SA Aboriginal women attended the Straight Talk Summit in Canberra this week
- The national program is designed to encourage indigenous women to enter politics
- A Kaurna and Arabunna woman says it has empowered her to fight for change in her communities
Kaurna and Arabunna woman Janette Milera said she was humbled to have been invited to Oxfam’s Straight Talk Summit this week, a program she has applied for every year since it began in 2009
She was among 50 other First Nations women from across the country who traveled to the nation’s capital to meet with federal ministers and learn more about the political system.
Ms. Milera said that while she had always been an activist, the program had empowered her to continue pushing for change.
“I know I have a strong voice, but let me tell you, there were some women who had much stronger voices than I did,” Ms. Milera said.
Political ambitions
Ms. Milera said the conference was a great opportunity to see what strategies other First Nations women used in their own communities to advocate for change.
He planned to use his own experience and what he learned at the conference to move into the larger policy space.
“As Aboriginal people we are always involved in politics, politics within our community is something we deal with very young,” he said.
“I’m looking seriously at how I can go from being a community activist … to a much stronger voice and a more powerful voice that’s really going to help make change.”
Ms. Milera says she has applied to be part of the conference every year since it began. (Supplied)
“I’ve learned more about the Australian democratic system and how our Parliament works and how we can navigate and influence the system from our communities.”
She said the women had the opportunity to ask federal ministers about the paths they took to enter politics, as well as the struggles they encountered and overcame along the way.
“One thing that was eye-opening for a lot of us was that even though these women are Aboriginal women, they’ve taken positions to be the voice of everyone,” she said.
“That was something I believe [some] Aboriginal people are being forgotten.”
Ms. Milera said they also had the opportunity to discuss with the ministers what strategies they would adopt once they returned to their own communities.
Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri woman Kelli Owen meets with Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney. (Supplied)
“Some of us were interested in running for local or state government, so they gave us good direction and good advice,” he said.
“They also said we could come back and contact them if we needed them for support.
“This has definitely re-ignited the fire in my belly to give back to the community and to come back to South Australia and gather and put women’s voices together so that Aboriginal women in South Australia have a strong voice.”
Make “Deadly Connections”
Ms Milera said when she returned home she would work to start conversations with her local MPs to address issues within their communities in Adelaide and Port Augusta.
“I think changing the legislation, introducing bills to make changes is definitely something I will look at,” he said.
She said she would also recommend the program to younger women in her community who are interested in entering politics.
Ngarrindjeri’s wife, Shaylem Wilson, said that although she applied for the program to learn more about how to navigate the political system, she got a lot more out of the event than she expected.
Ms. Wilson says it was inspiring to be surrounded by other First Nations women in Parliament. (ABC: Toby Hunt)
“As a young First Nations woman, I am honored that other women from across the country are sharing their knowledge, strength and power,” she said.
“It has been inspiring and moving to share this journey with over 50 First Nations women.
“I’ve made some killer connections that I’m sure will follow me forever.”