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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-AU link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Hi Russell,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Do you mean:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='color:black'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span dir=LTR></span><span style='color:black'>Acknowledgement of a country’s indigenous people?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='color:black'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span dir=LTR></span><span style='color:black'>Acknowledgement of a country’s current people (who in Australia and New Zealand arguably displaced the indigenous people with at least dubious legality) and a welcome to those newcomers?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='color:black'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>3.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span dir=LTR></span><span style='color:black'>A right-wing conservative acknowledgement of country?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='color:black'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>4.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span dir=LTR></span><span style='color:black'>Something else entirely?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Disclaimer: I am only speaking on behalf of myself here – and to make this clear, I am not speaking on behalf of LinuxSA or any other organisation I happen to be a member of.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>I believe there is a <i>place</i> for (1) in some circumstances. In my limited experience, events run by progressive, left leaning organisations, those affiliated with the ALP (1) or those closely associated with relevant environmental protection tend to run with these types of openings. Within a sensible context, they can make sense – for example, opening a national local government conference with an Aboriginal welcome made and still makes perfect sense; local governments are, indeed, custodians of the lands of what could be argued one or more displaced peoples. However, having only the opening, with no substance would have made little sense – an empty gesture to say, “we acknowledge you but allowing you to welcome us at our [insert event here]” is all we’ll do. In that experience, though, I did get to learn a lot about how the Aboriginal land rights acts and the various cases actually aren’t quite as “nice” to Aboriginal people as latte sipping left city folk like to think.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Should <i>some</i> of the events that Linux Australia run or sponsor open with an indigenous welcome? I think that’s on a case by case basis. However, let’s take one of Linux Australia’s major events – Linux.Conf.Au – and ponder if it could be relevant. It is, by all means, a major event. There are opportunities in the conference to support and welcome all types of peoples and other causes, including those displaced. In 2004, for example, the morning teas were provided by volunteers from one of Adelaide’s most well-known and effective homeless shelters; we donated money to the zoo and to a children’s foundation (whose name I forget); the proceeds for the raffle at the Penguin Dinner went to ITShare SA Incorporated; I know, because I pushed the organising committee on all of these except the children’s foundation…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>It’s not as though the current organiser of LinuxSA isn’t averse to social justice issues. He’s known to be somewhat terse and were he a Terran from StraCraft it would be absolutely certain he’d be a fire bat – if there’s a flame war, you can be sure he’s lurking somewhere. But he also believes that actions speak far louder than words…but words have the strength to encourage action.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Does opening a user group invite action to redress the problems of indigenous people? I’ll leave that up for discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>I fear that (2) and (3) could easily get muddled. Make people feel welcome at our meetings and in Linux Australia’s own events and sponsored events by <i>demonstrating</i> that welcome. No matter the size of the event find a way such that anyone who is a newcomer is welcomed and can participate in any activities, discussions or – if they prefer, and some people do – to sit back and observe in peace <i>without</i> being pressured to join in actively. In small events or meetings this can be easily done by just one or two people. In larger events this needs to be delegated to those who organise it but <i>also</i> to those who regularly participate in it. In other words, make the culture of the event if it is regular, or meeting if it is regular, welcoming and make it known, gently, to all who come along that it’s everyone’s job – not just the organisers – to keep and sustain that culture.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>Is that culture sustained by an acknowledgement to country or welcome to all? Maybe, but I’m not sure. In fact, despite we have a hideously colonial second verse in our national anthem that declares we have room for those who’ve come across the seas, it still seems the case that this is really only true if you’re a western, generally white person. Asians are welcome, if they buy our land or they pay our universities. But one could hardly call the Australian people’s treatment of incoming refugees as a stellar example of welcoming. I deliberately say the Australian people and not the Australian Government because guess who you elect the Government to represent? You. The Australian people.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>In this case, a welcome to all to Australia could sound a little, well, odd.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>However, I think what we can detect in what I’ve been saying, is that it’s more the doing, the acting, the giving and the work than the words. Yes, words are important – especially when working with displaced peoples. Their strength is unparalleled both to raise people up and bring people down. In Tolkien’s world, words were one of Saruman the Wise’s strength and he kept that strength even after he fell from power due to the action of the fellowship and the ents. However, it is arguable that the humility of Gandalf the Grey practised by actually <i>doing</i>, by his strong belief that it took more than words but actions, support, love, care won the day out in Tolkien’s fantasy world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'>DSL<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='color:black'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>(1)<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span dir=LTR></span><span style='color:black'>I decline to call the current ALP left leaning or progressive; they’re centrist and used to <i>demonstrate</i> progressive concerns. These days, their lofty platform of principles gets swallowed by the silly revolving door of political back stabbing when in power rather than the old fashioned, Whitlam-esque or even Hawke-ish version of “Let’s lead by convincing the people this is the right thing to do.”<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>