One year ago today, a majority of Australians rejected the opportunity to recognise Aboriginal people in the Constitution and provide for an Indigenous Voice to federal parliament. The Don Dunstan Foundation was one of many Australian organisations that encouraged a Yes vote.

We did this because we wanted to honour the carefully thought-out roadmap set out by the many Aboriginal people who drafted the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We believed - and still believe - that a Voice would make a difference to the lives of many. We also wanted to continue Don Dunstan’s legacy in advocating for justice, recognition and self-determination for First Nations people. The latter is an obligation for Australia under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The past 12 months have been difficult and painful; the pathway ahead for an effective national voice for First Nations people is unclear. Sadly, there has also been a reactionary push against recognition of the unique place of Aboriginal peoples and cultures in Australia.

On this day of reflection, I can think of nothing better than to point readers to Lowitja O’Donoghue’s first oration in her name – an initiative of the Don Dunstan Foundation back in 2007. Her clear-headed and practical guide to advocacy remains relevant, wise and encouraging. Read or listen here.

I'd also like to point readers to this year’s oration, in which Tom Calma methodically skewered the myths that endure about Aboriginal people – some of which underpinned aspects of the No campaign. You can read or watch his speech here. 

As for the Foundation, we’re soon to launch a new strategic plan – with justice for Aboriginal people central to our work, as it was to Don throughout his political career. Watch out for more details in a special edition of Dunstan News over the next few weeks.

David Washington

Living Hot with Clive Hamilton and Tiahni Adamson

6.00pm, Tuesday October 22

University of Adelaide, Napier G03 Lecture Theatre

Tickets are still available for important event on climate justice supported by the Don Dunstan Foundation.

Join prominent Australian academic and scholar Clive Hamilton, Professor of Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, and 2024 Young South Australian of the Year Tiahni Adamson as they discuss Clive’s latest book: Living Hot.

Living Hot tells the blunt truth about our current climate change predicament: it’s time to get cracking on making Australia resilient to intensifying climate extremes.

If we prepare well, we can give ourselves a fighting chance to preserve some of the best of what we have, build stronger and fairer communities, find a path through the escalating pressures of a warming world – and even find new ways to flourish.

The Hall of Mirrors: A Retrospective

2024 Wal Cherry Lecture

8.00pm Friday 15 November
Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre

In 1982, a young filmmaker documented the groundbreaking twelfth edition of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts and its iconoclastic Artistic Director. The resulting film, The Hall of Mirrors: A Festival, features interviews with legendary artists from Pina Bausch to Patrick White alongside footage of an Adelaide on the cusp of an explosion of creativity. The filmmaker and the director would be at the vanguard of cementing Adelaide’s place on the global cultural map: Scott Hicks went on to earn seven Oscar nominations for Shine, and Jim Sharman remains one of Australian theatre’s most beloved figures and successful exports.

For the 2024 Wal Cherry Lecture, Scott Hicks and Jim Sharman will be  in conversation alongside a screening of the original 1982 documentary The Hall of Mirrors. This is a rare chance to watch the documentary on the big screen, and to hear some of Australia’s most celebrated artists reflect on their legacies and the role of the Adelaide Festival in driving creative innovation. That spirit of innovation suffuses the other anniversaries this event marks, especially the 50th birthday of the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Playhouse building, which opened in October 1974.

The biennial Wal Cherry Lecture celebrates the legacy of Professor Wal Cherry, founder of the Flinders Drama Centre – also celebrating its 50th birthday in 2024. Throughout his career in Australia, Wal Cherry pushed the boundaries of theatre, from the Emerald Hill Theatre in Melbourne to iconic productions at Flinders and across Adelaide. Cherry was a noted interpreter of the work of Bertolt Brecht, and part of the organising committee of the fifth Adelaide Festival of the Arts in 1968. His own play Horrie’s Alibi, which originated at Flinders, was included in the seventh Adelaide Festival in 1972, and his production of Seven Deadly Sins was included on the double-bill that opened the Space Theatre in 1974.

The 2024 Wal Cherry Lecture is presented by Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts at Flinders University, with event partners Helpmann Academy and Don Dunstan Foundation.

Thank you for Raising a Glass

Thanks to everyone who supported our annual Raise a Glass event in September.

The event hosted by the Stathmore Hotel was a sparkling celebration of Don Dunstan’s legacy.

Guest speaker Kyam Maher, Attorney-General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, spoke about Don’s ground-breaking support for Aboriginal justice, including land rights.

All of the funds raised on the night will go towards the Foundation’s work.

Thanks also to Dominic Norton who was there to record proceedings. You can see his work below.

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