Aboriginal people have never ceded their Sovereignty, but have experienced genocide and continue to the suffer the effects of dispossession. While the gap is closing between the wider Victorian society and Aboriginal communities in high school completion, kindergarten participation and decreasing infant mortality, Aboriginal people continue to suffer the effects of colonisation through discrimination, high rates of incarceration, poor health outcomes, high unemployment rates and family violence to list some of the main issues facing Aboriginal people living in Victoria. Lidia Thorpe, Victoria’s first female Aboriginal Member of Parliament, has been sworn in and made her maiden speech. She has vowed to continue fighting for Aboriginal rights and equality as the Green’s newest MP in Victoria. Ms Thorpe won the Melbourne seat of Northcote in a by-election following the sad death of Fiona Richardson. Read more in Adam Carey’s story published by The Age on 29 November 2017 at: https://www.theage.com.au/victoria/first-aboriginal-woman-mp-lidia-thorpe-speaks-of-genocide-lingering-disadvantage-20171129-gzv2ms.html
