2024 Dr Charles Perkins Oration: Joshua Creamer makes the case for Truth-telling
How can we move forward as a nation without reckoning with our past? This is the underlying question that Joshua Creamer challenged the audience with at the 2024 Dr Charles Perkins Oration when he delivered the keynote address on Wednesday 30 October. The annual event honours the legacy of Dr Charles Perkins AO and spotlights race relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, to build understanding and shape a better future for all.
Mr Joshua Creamer delivering the 2024 Dr Charles Perkins Oration keynote address. Photo by Matthew Venables.
Joshua Creamer is a Waanyi and Kalkadoon man and is the Chairperson of the Queensland Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry. His personal and professional experience with Truth-telling and healing was a key focus of the address, commencing his speech with an introduction to his identity and connection to Country – a connection he shares with the late Dr Perkins.
He continued his address with reference to the current state of race relations in Australia. He shared the results of a recent survey which found only 3 percent of Australians have direct engagement with Aboriginal communities – yet as indicated by last years’ referendum, many hold significant and at times harmful views in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
“That data while not surprising, at least to me - who for two decades now has realised that in the many circles I roam I am likely to be the only Aboriginal person in the room – did give me cause to reflect,” said Mr Creamer.
“While few might know us, many hold views and those views are often strongly held, and in some circles the views are quite negative. To answer the question of why so many hold views without a direct relationship with us, we must turn to our history for the Truth.”
Exploring the dark truth of Australian history
Throughout his address, Mr Creamer spoke of specific instances of colonial racism, supported by policies and legislation that “embedded division and ensured our destruction”.
Mr Creamer noted the impacts of policies such as the Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act, which contributed to the labelling of Aboriginal people as inferior to white settlers and led to widespread removal of Aboriginal children and cultural suppression.
He recounted harrowing examples of violence and mistreatment experienced by Aboriginal peoples in missions and reserves and reminded the audience that many of these sites, that acted as a means to exclude Aboriginal people from others, still exist today.
“By the time the Aboriginal and Restriction of the sale of Opium Act 1897 was passed in Queensland, the Aboriginal population was no more than 25,000. Almost 90 percent of the population perished between 1830 and 1890 - in a single person’s lifetime.
“When the practice of culture in Queensland was prohibited, within a generation the ability for us to speak our languages and know the intimate detail of our laws and customs was almost quashed.”
Mr Creamer’s professional experience in two landmark class action cases – Wotton v State of Queensland, also known as the Palm Island Case, and Pearson v State of Queensland, also known as the Stolen Wages Case – exemplifies the systemic injustices rooted in early colonial labelling of Aboriginal people, which have perpetuated throughout our history with damning consequences.
Truth-telling to heal and move forward
In order to move forward as a nation, Mr Creamer argues that we have to acknowledge the truth of our past, explaining it is an essential exercise for healing.
“Our history is our Truth,” said Mr Creamer. “It may not be widely acknowledged but it is buried just below the surface in the minds of those who lived it. There must be a proper account of our history.”
“The Truth-telling process is not about laying blame and guilt with today’s generations. Truth-telling is a necessary act of justice, grounded in the belief that ethical societies must confront and acknowledge past wrongs to establish justice.
“Without Truth, any attempts at reconciliation are superficial, as they do not address the underlying injustices.
“Suppressed or denied Truths only serve to perpetuate trauma. Truth-telling allows individuals and communities to process their experiences, validate their pain, and begin the healing journey.”
In closing, Mr Creamer warns against perceiving efforts to confront historical wrongs as attempts to interfere with the future.
“The ones who now shout loudest about threats of division acknowledge little of the division, which is a legacy of our past. If they did, they would understand the cries for Truth are to heal the wounds of division.”
The University of Sydney is proud to acknowledge the ABC as the host broadcaster for the Dr Charles Perkins Oration event, helping share this important conversation with Australians. Watch the 2024 Charles Perkins Oration now.
The 2024 Dr Charles Perkins Oration
2024 Charles Perkins Memorial Prize
Awarded to the highest performing Indigenous students at the University in recognition of their academic success, the Charles Perkins Memorial Prize is awarded at the Oration event.
This year the prize was awarded to:
- Eitan Harris
- Nicholas Astill
- Mahlia Garay
- Rae Anderson
In receiving his prize, Nicholas Astill, a PhD candidate at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, said he was honoured by the recognition, and shared what the prize meant to him.
“The prize gives me confidence that I belong, and in my ability to learn and grow and access resources I need to put myself in the best position to contribute to my field of research,” said Nicholas.
“Ultimately, the prize is a meaningful endorsement from a community and institution that I respect immensely, helping me be the best I can be.”
The Charles Perkins Memorial Prize is made possible through the Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust and the University’s Indigenous Strategy and Services portfolio.