It was 1992, when Prime Minister Paul Keating spoke to the mostly Aboriginal crowd that had gathered in Redfern Park in inner city Sydney. 

This was the first time a Prime Minister had spoken about the dispossession, violence and prejudice carried out against First Nations people in Australia. 

It was a landmark moment in our history. And it put reconciliation firmly on the political agenda. 

But 28 years after Keating gave his speech, we still haven't passed the test he set for this nation. 

In this episode of Black Stories Matter, we draw on our guests' expertise in media and government to reflect on failure and hope in Aboriginal political history— and what we need to do next. 

Chaired by Andrew Jakubowicz from the University of Technology Sydney, this discussion features Robert Tickner, the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs at the time of Keating’s speech, Jason Ardler, who’s cultural ties are to the Yuin people of the NSW South Coast and he is the former head of NSW Aboriginal Affairs and Arrente and Luritja woman Catherine Liddle, the CEO of First Nations Media. 

This podcast is inspired by the book 'Does the Media Fail Aboriginal Political Aspirations: 45 years of news media reporting of key political moments’ by Amy Thomas, Heidi Norman and Andrew Jakubowicz from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at UTS. 

The Black Stories Matter podcast was made with the support of Aboriginal Affairs New South Wales as part of a strategy to improve the dynamics between Aboriginal people and governments.