Archaeologists working at Juukan Gorge in the West Australian Pilbara have collected 50,000 artefacts from the site. The team, led by Michael Slack, says Aboriginal people have occupied the site for more than 50,000 years. The rock shelter was destroyed in a mining blast by Rio Tinto in 2020, prompting international condemnation. Traditional owners say the finds strengthen their connection to the place and help them heal. The PKKP plans to reconstruct the rock shelter, which is unlikely to become a tourist attraction.
Indigenous health and children's advocates say the Webb review into Northern Territory child protection gives a chance to fix the sector, but only with genuine partnership with Aboriginal organisations. Critics say the review focused too narrowly on the child protection department and on the mother of Kumanjayi Little Baby, who was allegedly abducted and murdered in April. The Aboriginal Child Placement Principle, which keeps children connected to family and culture, was not addressed in the review's recommendations. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, the child's aunt, accused advocates of an ideological approach.
The WA Government has allocated $6 million to four environmental projects in the Pilbara region through the Pilbara Environmental Offsets Fund. The projects include fire and feral cat management, a bat project, and the protection of a Priority Ecological Community. The funding will be delivered in partnership with local land managers, Traditional Owners, and conservation agencies. Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the projects aim to protect and enhance the region's biodiversity and create long-term benefits for local communities.
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Western Australian officials have defended the use of restraints after a photo showed a 16-year-old Indigenous girl shackled to a hospital bed following her arrest by police. Her family, who cannot be named for legal reasons, shared the image showing her ankles locked to the bed frame. Her grandmother said the girl had scratches on her breasts and stomach from police handling and called the practice appalling. The justice department said restraints are used under standard custodial procedures. Police said a review found officers acted within policy, and the girl has been charged with three offences.
Yankunytjatjara Anangu woman Karina Lester will receive the Bettison & James Award at this year's Adelaide film festival on Sunday. The award provides $50,000 to recognise an individual's inspiring lifelong contribution in any field. Lester is Aboriginal Co-Manager and Senior Aboriginal Language Expert for the Mobile Language Team at Adelaide University, where she is celebrated for language revival and preservation. She is also an anti-nuclear activist and an ambassador for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
The Stronger In Our Way Men's Forum will be held in Kununurra on November 10 and 11. Men, Elders, community leaders, employers and service providers from Darwin to Broome are invited. Presented by two Aboriginal corporations, the forum will focus on healing, men's strengths and aspirations. Activities include yarning, workshops and cultural programs. A community celebration with music, stalls and food will take place on November 10 from 3.30pm. Workshops on November 11 are for men only, and all activities are free.
A review into the Northern Territory's child protection system, following the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby, has been criticised by advocates for not adequately incorporating Indigenous voices. Co-authors Karen Webb and Greg Shanahan expressed confidence in the implementation of most recommendations within six months. The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency and other stakeholders have called for greater government accountability and engagement with Indigenous perspectives.
Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says the culture of child protection needs to change after a review found extensive failings before her five-year-old niece, Kumanjayi Little Baby, went missing in Alice Springs in April. The review, tabled in NT parliament, made 45 recommendations, which the government has accepted in full. Jefferson Lewis, 47, has been charged with the girl's murder and is yet to enter a plea. Price called for a coordinated national approach to child protection, while Indigenous groups criticised the lack of First Nations involvement in the review.
Sixteen people from Western Australia have been named as nominees for the 2027 Australian of the Year Awards. Among them are Professor Michael Wear, an Indigenous marine environmentalist from Shark Bay, and Adam Desmond, an Indigenous community leader from Bellevue. Professor Wear leads large-scale marine restoration in Shark Bay, including a seagrass project with Murdoch University. Mr Desmond founded Binar, an Indigenous basketball association that now supports more than 2,500 children. The Western Australian recipients will be announced in Perth on October 30, 2026.
Bunjilwarra, a residential rehabilitation centre on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, is run by Aboriginal people for people recovering from addiction. Residents say cultural connection has helped them recover. Staff at the centre report a huge increase in young people who have used methamphetamine. Researchers say Indigenous-led programs can improve health and reduce returns to jail. Demand for places at The Glen, an Aboriginal-run centre on the New South Wales Central Coast, far outstrips its capacity.
Sixteen people from Western Australia have been named as nominees for the 2027 Australian of the Year Awards. Among them are Professor Michael Wear, an Indigenous marine environmentalist from Shark Bay, and Adam Desmond, an Indigenous community leader from Bellevue. Professor Wear leads large-scale marine restoration in Shark Bay, including a seagrass project with Murdoch University. Mr Desmond founded Binar, an Indigenous basketball association that now supports more than 2,500 children. The Western Australian recipients will be announced in Perth on October 30, 2026.
A new children's book aimed at teaching young readers about the land they live on has been launched. Titled Djeren Djerup: Mika and Meero, it was written by Alton Walley. The story follows two siblings who travel with their family when the camp moves, and come to understand more about their culture along the way. The book was reported by RTRFM, with the feature image credited to Pexels.
A University of Newcastle program brought hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities to 110 students in the remote Aboriginal community of Wadeye, more than 420 kilometres south-west of Darwin. The program linked STEM learning with local culture, including Sea Country knowledge. Students tested water samples, built solar-powered circuits and designed fish traps using 3D-printed rocks and marbles. Leaders said the visit showed young people that their existing knowledge connects directly to STEM careers. The initiative was run with local partners, including Thamarrurr Sea Farmers and the Traditional Owners of Wadeye.
Australia’s oldest underwater archaeological record reveals how First Peoples lived, transported goods and used different places within a vast cultural landscape that was submerged when rising seas transformed the continent after the last Ice Age. The discoveries, including stone artefacts associated with an ancient freshwater spring, provide insights into a world that existed before rising seas reshaped Australia’s coastline. The research was conducted by a partnership between underwater archaeology researchers and the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, with Rangers trained as scientific divers contributing to the findings.
Mick Mundine, a 79-year-old leader in Sydney's Aboriginal community, was arrested in Redfern on Thursday morning. He faces charges related to alleged sexual assaults of a 15-year-old girl in 1986. The offences were investigated by Strike Force Millersburg, established in 2025. Mundine, CEO of the Aboriginal Housing Company, was granted bail and will appear in Downing Centre Local Court. His family includes boxing figures Tony and Anthony Mundine.
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A man has handed himself to police after a 21-year-old Indigenous woman was found dead in an apartment in Melbourne's inner north. Homicide squad detectives are investigating the death of Jayda Allen Bonner, who was found about 1.45am on Saturday. Police believe the man, aged 31, was known to Ms Bonner and has since been arrested. A 60-year-old man was arrested shortly after the incident but released pending further inquiries. No charges have been laid and the investigation is ongoing.
A former Broome bishop, Christopher Alan Saunders, was found guilty of 13 sex offences by a West Australian jury. Prosecutors alleged he lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house with alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds. Saunders denied wrongdoing, and it is not yet known whether he will appeal. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe acknowledged the eight-year delay but said the church let police lead the case to protect the integrity of the justice system. He said the church hoped to soon reopen its own internal legal procedures against Saunders.
Jessica Skinner is preparing for her first Women's Rugby League World Cup as head coach of the Jillaroos. The tournament will be held next month in Brisbane, where Australia seeks a fourth straight title. Skinner, a Barkindji and Māori woman from Trangie in regional New South Wales, says her focus is on the people in her team. She has risen through grassroots coaching and assistant roles, and hopes to show that women and Indigenous people can succeed at the elite level.
Indigenous leaders across Australia are paying tribute to Arnhem Land elders Mr and Mrs T and C Yumbulul, who died days apart last month. Family member Marina DeJurnett described them as once in a lifetime people. Mrs Yumbulul moved from Italy to Adelaide as a child, later settling on Elcho Island, where she married Mr Yumbulul in 1982. Mr Yumbulul was a renowned artist whose work features in galleries worldwide. He sued the Reserve Bank of Australia over the unauthorised use of his art on a plastic banknote, and his case set a legal precedent for Aboriginal art.
