Indigenous Sky Country

[pmccarthy]

An astronomer has claimed the moon is part of "indigenous sky country" after being asked whether Australians should be concerned about a SpaceX rocket which is set to crash into the lunar surface this week. Rebecca Allen, the Co-Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, also said the moon was important for aboriginal storytelling, and therefore “not just something for us to go and explore”.

Late last year The University of Newcastle was given more than $500,000 in taxpayer funding to “embed aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in Australian space policy’’ via a project that also used the term “sky country”. The university said the $528,491 Australian Research Council grant will “help shape culturally respectful and environmentally responsible space exploration”.

[old man emu]

And no other indigenous population wherever on the planet has no cultural reference to the Moon? Australia is creating a culture of lunar tics. 

[old man emu]

By the way, tomorrow, 4th of August is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day. Anyone know the date of Non-National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day? 

 

Have I jst posted something racist?

[facthunter]

Possibly. It would depend on your intent and in what context you wish your statement to Apply. 4th Aug is designed to apply to a specific group of Individuals." Everybody Other than" is terribly Non specific and Philosophically one could ask what is the particular obvious Need? I imagine it would be a question PHON would raise, or maybe already HAS. The Purpose there would be that of a Stirrer.  Nev

[pmccarthy]

OK, if we have a white European children's day here in Australia, is that racist?

[facthunter]

Why would you want to? I personally don't believe in any raced or religion based discrimination, or superiority but the Afor mentioned group aren't travellng that well for a lot of reasons so consideration of WHY might be the real issue. Nev

[willedoo]

In the foreseeable future, it's only the moon they have to worry about. It will be a long time before they have the technology to shoot rockets at the Emu.

[old man emu]

3 hours ago, pmccarthy said:

OK, if we have a white European children's day here in Australia, is that racist?

I was trying to make the point that there are children in Australia from many different cultures. Why can't they join together to selebrate childhood nationally. 

 

Actually such a day is descriminatory since it excludes any child who is not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. 

[willedoo]

5 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Actually such a day is descriminatory since it excludes any child who is not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. 

Section 8(1) of the RDA makes it lawful.

[old man emu]

I knew there would be an "out".

 

 

Section 8(1) of the RDA

 

8  Exceptions

 (1) This Part does not apply to, or in relation to the application of, special measures to which paragraph 4 of Article 1 of the Convention applies except measures in relation to which subsection 10(1) applies by virtue of subsection 10(3).

 

Can anyone translate that gobble-de-gook?

[Litespeed]

There already exists a National childrens day and an international childrens day.

 

Whats the issue?

 

Aboriginal children have the lowest health, educational and social outcomes in the country as a group.

 

They obviously need extra attention and the day just expresses that need.