There is a global groundswell of activism inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. First Nations people in Australia have been advocating for similar recognition in the past and present.

The time has come for The History Trust to be more proactive in how we engage with First Nations people and how we tell history – truthfully and inclusively.

We have been posting about this on social media recently and want to share here the sources we used for our information and statistics.

432, now 437

The number of First Nations people who have died in custody in Australia since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991. Know their names.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/deaths-inside

O

The number of criminal convictions that have been recorded relating to the 437 Aboriginal deaths in custody since 1991.

https://theconversation.com/despite-432-indigenous-deaths-in-custody-since-1991-no-one-has-ever-been-convicted-racist-silence-and-complicity-are-to-blame-139873

Countless

The number of First Nations people who have been killed across the continent since invasion.

Ongoing

Systemic racism, injustice and inequality results in much higher rates of incarceration for First Nations people than non-First Nations people in Australia: over 11 times higher for men, over 14 times higher for women.

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4512.0#:~:text=The%20national%20average%20daily%20Aboriginal,since%20the%20December%20quarter%202018.