Your browser window currently does not have enough height, or is zoomed in too far to view our website content correctly. Once the window reaches the minimum required height or zoom percentage, the content will display automatically.
Alternatively, you can learn more via the links below.
On 26 January 2024, Krauatungalung (Gurnai) / Djapwurrung (Gundditjmara) elder Uncle Robbie Thorpe, along with several other First Nations people, re-ignited Camp Sovereignty on Boonwurrung Country in Melbourne’s Kings Domain. About Time spoke to Uncle Robbie Thorpe, a First Nations activist and truth-teller, about his fight for sovereignty for Aboriginal people.
Camp Sovereignty represents and raises awareness of our sovereignty. Our sovereignty, or supreme authority, was never ceded on these lands. Other Commonwealth countries have treaties, but not here. Colonists built their country on the idea of ‘Terra Nullius’, that the land was ‘empty’ – but we’re still here.
Camp Sovereignty started back in 2006 when the Commonwealth Games – or ‘Stolen’wealth Games – came here. We received a lot of media attention at the time, making other countries aware of the colonial history of Australia and the oppression of Aboriginal people.
Around that time, we started the Black GST movement – calling attention to the issues of Genocide, Sovereignty, and Treaty (GST). The movement believes we must focus on ending the genocide of our people, by recognising our sovereignty over these lands, by creating genuine and lasting treaty. This is our way to collective liberation, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples alike.
On 26 January 2024, we lit a fire down at the King’s Domain, reclaiming that place. That spot is a sacred site for Aboriginal people, sacred but also brutal. We brought ashes back from the fire at the Tent Embassy in Canberra to reignite the fire at Camp Sovereignty. We’ve been keeping the fire burning now for nearly a year.
We’re trying to get the government into court to deal with the intentional genocide of our people. It started with Cook in 1770. They brought smallpox into this country, biological warfare into this country, put us away and stripped us of our health and our rights.
The original people of this country have been badly treated. We’ve been subject to genocide from the get-go.
We charged John Howard in 1997 and was told by the High Court that genocide was not a crime according to Australian law and was told to pay costs.
We have cases still going. We’re trying to get into the International Criminal Court to get justice about the genocide.
I believe that genocide leads to ecocide. If you kill the custodians and the guardians of a place, the change you would cause is so great, that you cause ecocide in the process. No one is left to defend the land and its sacredness. You become unaware of the effect that would have on you and the land. That’s what we’re seeing now – ecocide. It impacts everyone– white people as well. We must have sovereignty to protect our beautiful lands for everyone.
Firstly, I do not encourage violence. Using violence emboldens a violent response and causes us harm. There is a racist community out there, making it a dangerous place for our people. The most dangerous place for Aboriginal people is our own country, as we stand in the way of the colonisers. But violence is not the way. We must be smart. We’re a tiny community, indoctrinated with self-hatred, in a colony that cannot handle our existence.
In saying this, I don’t want to incite mob in prison to start speaking like me. People are at a greater risk inside prison, deaths in custody are common. And speaking like me puts you at odds, so you got to be careful.
Ultimately, you got to be clever about managing the truth, managing what you say and what the impact would be. You must think about what you say and how it could impact your kids and your relationships with the community.
I’ve never been in jail – I’m no angel, but I’m careful how I step. I don’t have my family around me, because it impacts them. It’s better for them to let me do what I do without them around. And that’s not possible or wanted by everyone.
Another thing – don’t go knocking your heads up against the police. They’re paid to protect the system. The police are just guys doing a job. They implement the law, but they do not make the law. It’s the bigger system we need to challenge.
I grew up in Fitzroy around community. I have been questioned by police a lot (often three times a day) asking my name and address – but I never had any real problems. They’re trained to stop us and ask us these questions. But we got to be smarter than react or we become harmed.
Educate yourself and the wider community. Educate your kids. I believe in the truth. The truth is a powerful force. It can be indestructible. People can relate to it. But I’ve been doing this for a long time. The key is you must be patient. Imagine the light on the horizon and walk towards it. Lately, the light is a lot brighter. I’ve lost a lot of people on the way – but amazingly, I’ve survived.
I’m sustained by the love for my people and the love for my country. I want to see justice in my lifetime, while I’m still here. I want to set the foundations for my cousins. I will keep working away at the truth. I have undying faith in the truth. It’s taken a long time to get any sort of recognition, but I think about my ancestors before me, who never had a hope in hell. I’m fighting for them, and my future and my children’s future on this land. It’s such a beautiful place here, thinking of its sacredness and beauty.
Non-Aboriginal people are welcome to stand up and liberate themselves alongside us – no-one is free until everyone is free.
On 26 January 2024, Krauatungalung (Gurnai) / Djapwurrung (Gundditjmara) elder Uncle Robbie Thorpe, along with several other First Nations people, re-ignited Camp Sovereignty on Boonwurrung Country in Melbourne’s Kings Domain. About Time spoke to Uncle Robbie Thorpe, a First Nations activist and truth-teller, about his fight for sovereignty for Aboriginal people.
Camp Sovereignty represents and raises awareness of our sovereignty. Our sovereignty, or supreme authority, was never ceded on these lands. Other Commonwealth countries have treaties, but not here. Colonists built their country on the idea of ‘Terra Nullius’, that the land was ‘empty’ – but we’re still here.
Camp Sovereignty started back in 2006 when the Commonwealth Games – or ‘Stolen’wealth Games – came here. We received a lot of media attention at the time, making other countries aware of the colonial history of Australia and the oppression of Aboriginal people.
Around that time, we started the Black GST movement – calling attention to the issues of Genocide, Sovereignty, and Treaty (GST). The movement believes we must focus on ending the genocide of our people, by recognising our sovereignty over these lands, by creating genuine and lasting treaty. This is our way to collective liberation, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples alike.
On 26 January 2024, we lit a fire down at the King’s Domain, reclaiming that place. That spot is a sacred site for Aboriginal people, sacred but also brutal. We brought ashes back from the fire at the Tent Embassy in Canberra to reignite the fire at Camp Sovereignty. We’ve been keeping the fire burning now for nearly a year.
We’re trying to get the government into court to deal with the intentional genocide of our people. It started with Cook in 1770. They brought smallpox into this country, biological warfare into this country, put us away and stripped us of our health and our rights.
The original people of this country have been badly treated. We’ve been subject to genocide from the get-go.
We charged John Howard in 1997 and was told by the High Court that genocide was not a crime according to Australian law and was told to pay costs.
We have cases still going. We’re trying to get into the International Criminal Court to get justice about the genocide.
I believe that genocide leads to ecocide. If you kill the custodians and the guardians of a place, the change you would cause is so great, that you cause ecocide in the process. No one is left to defend the land and its sacredness. You become unaware of the effect that would have on you and the land. That’s what we’re seeing now – ecocide. It impacts everyone– white people as well. We must have sovereignty to protect our beautiful lands for everyone.
Firstly, I do not encourage violence. Using violence emboldens a violent response and causes us harm. There is a racist community out there, making it a dangerous place for our people. The most dangerous place for Aboriginal people is our own country, as we stand in the way of the colonisers. But violence is not the way. We must be smart. We’re a tiny community, indoctrinated with self-hatred, in a colony that cannot handle our existence.
In saying this, I don’t want to incite mob in prison to start speaking like me. People are at a greater risk inside prison, deaths in custody are common. And speaking like me puts you at odds, so you got to be careful.
Ultimately, you got to be clever about managing the truth, managing what you say and what the impact would be. You must think about what you say and how it could impact your kids and your relationships with the community.
I’ve never been in jail – I’m no angel, but I’m careful how I step. I don’t have my family around me, because it impacts them. It’s better for them to let me do what I do without them around. And that’s not possible or wanted by everyone.
Another thing – don’t go knocking your heads up against the police. They’re paid to protect the system. The police are just guys doing a job. They implement the law, but they do not make the law. It’s the bigger system we need to challenge.
I grew up in Fitzroy around community. I have been questioned by police a lot (often three times a day) asking my name and address – but I never had any real problems. They’re trained to stop us and ask us these questions. But we got to be smarter than react or we become harmed.
Educate yourself and the wider community. Educate your kids. I believe in the truth. The truth is a powerful force. It can be indestructible. People can relate to it. But I’ve been doing this for a long time. The key is you must be patient. Imagine the light on the horizon and walk towards it. Lately, the light is a lot brighter. I’ve lost a lot of people on the way – but amazingly, I’ve survived.
I’m sustained by the love for my people and the love for my country. I want to see justice in my lifetime, while I’m still here. I want to set the foundations for my cousins. I will keep working away at the truth. I have undying faith in the truth. It’s taken a long time to get any sort of recognition, but I think about my ancestors before me, who never had a hope in hell. I’m fighting for them, and my future and my children’s future on this land. It’s such a beautiful place here, thinking of its sacredness and beauty.
Non-Aboriginal people are welcome to stand up and liberate themselves alongside us – no-one is free until everyone is free.
This is my interpretation of Country. The greens and browns take me back to the quiet and secluded areas I've worked on and stayed on whilst camping and living off Country.
A wide-ranging report commissioned by the federal government has called for “urgent and proactive” system-level reforms to improve the standard of health care provided to First Nations people in prison.
This goanna represents me and the dots represent the people in my life. The dots on the goanna are the loved ones in my life and the people who have had an impact and made a difference in my life.
The story of this painting is of a "Sand Goanna" which is the totem of a brother who has travelled through the "Dark Side" of life struggling on unstable ground.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
•
Leave a Comment
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.