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STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH
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Why I Wrote Margaret Fuller and the Philosophy of Human Dignity
By Brian AJ Newman LLB — Principal Employment and Human Rights Advocate My book, Margaret Fuller and the Philosophy of Human Dignity, began with a discovery in my family tree. It developed into an examination of questions that reach into my professional work, my Aboriginal ancestry and my responsibilities as the father of four daughters. What makes freedom meaningful when another person controls the conditions under which we can exercise it? How should we respond when someone
Brian AJ Newman LLB
2 days ago5 min read
A Gympie Man With Wings, A Man Loved and Remembered by His Shepherd Family Now and Forever
Flight Lieutenant William George "Bill" Shepherd - A Gympie Man With Wings
Brian AJ Newman LLB
4 days ago3 min read
The Box at the Wharf Part Two
The Box at the Wharf Part Two
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Oct 1511 min read
The Box at the Wharf: My Fourth Great Grandfather and the Case for a Fair Hearing
The Box at the Wharf: My Fourth Great Grandfather and the Case for a Fair Hearing
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Oct 1512 min read
HIDDEN NO MORE — BORN INTO THE FIGHT
Our ancestors hid to survive. Now their descendants must fight for the right to be recognised. By Brian AJ Newman, LLB Principal Employment & Human Rights Advocate 14 October 2026 A new research and advocacy paper examining generations of hidden Aboriginal identity, the racism that forced families into silence, and the gatekeeping and lateral violence confronting their descendants today. There was a time in Australia's history when being openly Aboriginal could cost you your
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Oct 146 min read
It's a Glorious Day - QCAT Confirms My Aboriginal Identity
By Brian AJ Newman, LLB Principal Employment and Human Rights Advocate9 October 2026 Today, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal delivered its decision in Newman v Mye, proceeding ADL043-24. The referral was dismissed. However, one of the central factual issues in the proceeding was resolved clearly and expressly in my favour: The Tribunal found that I am Aboriginal. The Tribunal stated: “The evidence before the Tribunal established on the balance of probabilities
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Oct 97 min read
TWO DAYS OLD ON THE BAR: MY CONNECTION TO THE PALLY PUB
TWO DAYS OLD ON THE BAR: MY CONNECTION TO THE PALLY PUB
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Oct 98 min read
LULU — HIDDEN, NOT LOST - The Anaiwan ancestor at the beginning of my family story
LULU — HIDDEN, NOT LOST - The Anaiwan ancestor at the beginning of my family story
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Sep 248 min read
When a Disputed Charge Turns Into a Threat to Your Tenancy: What You Can Do
When a Disputed Charge Turns Into a Threat to Your Tenancy: What You Can Do
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Sep 236 min read
HIDDEN NO MORE — FOLLOW-UP Frank and Jack Duval: the records behind the family story
HIDDEN NO MORE — FOLLOW-UP Frank and Jack Duval: the records behind the family story
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Sep 1616 min read
HIDDEN NO MORE — THE FACE OF THE NATION HAS A NAME Gwoja Tjungurrayi, Coniston and the extraordinary life hidden behind “One Pound Jimmy”
HIDDEN NO MORE — THE FACE OF THE NATION HAS A NAME Gwoja Tjungurrayi, Coniston and the extraordinary life hidden behind “One Pound Jimmy”
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Sep 1013 min read
HIDDEN NO MORE: Part Two - Born to Ride: The Duval Horsemen and an Aboriginal Triumph That Endured
HIDDEN NO MORE: Part Two - Born to Ride: The Duval Horsemen and an Aboriginal Triumph That Endured
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Sep 1015 min read
Hidden No More — Part One, Milbona, Corumba and Lulu: the beginning of the search
There are some family histories that are handed down in complete sentences. There are names spoken at the kitchen table, photographs placed carefully in albums, dates written in the margins and stories repeated so often that children grow up believing they will always be there. Then there are the histories that survive in fragments. A name written differently in one record and another. A woman described by a European name. A birthplace guessed rather than recorded. A family l
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Sep 910 min read
Eureka Stockade: The Battle the Government Won and the People Remembered
Eureka Stockade: The Battle the Government Won and the People Remembered. This article discusses violence, the deaths of miners and soldiers, and the dispossession of First Nations people. Names of deceased people are included in the historical account. The Eureka Stockade is often described as the birthplace of Australian democracy. That description contains truth, but it can also make the story too comfortable.
Eureka was not a neat founding moment in which everyone stood
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Sep 110 min read
Who Added the Most to Australia’s National Debt? The Governments, Treasurers and the COVID Debt Explosion
Who Added the Most to Australia’s National Debt? The Governments, Treasurers and the COVID Debt Explosion
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Aug 3113 min read
ONE NATION NO MORE: Why I Wrote This Song
ONE NATION NO MORE: Why I Wrote This Song
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Aug 265 min read
Born in Moree: My Family, the Freedom Ride and the Hidden History of Aboriginal Australia
Born in Moree: My Family, the Freedom Ride and the Hidden History of Aboriginal Australia
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Aug 2411 min read
When the Records Speak Our Name Bullcorronda, Mary Ann Quinn and the Wider Story of My Anaiwan Family
When the Records Speak Our Name Bullcorronda, Mary Ann Quinn and the Wider Story of My Anaiwan Family
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Aug 1523 min read
We Come From Somewhere ... My Anaiwan Ancestors, Cultural Survival and the Responsibility That Drives My Advocacy
By Brian AJ Newman There is a phrase at the heart of Sue Pickrell’s account of my ancestor Granny Duval: “She must have come from somewhere.” For Aboriginal families, those words carry a meaning far greater than genealogy. They concern identity, Country, kinship and the relationships connecting one generation to another. They challenge the silence of incomplete colonial records and the false suggestion that a person without a neatly documented European history somehow appeare
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Aug 1510 min read
Gold Coast Property Market Outlook 2026–2028: Rising House Prices, Higher Wages and a Two-Speed Economy
By Brian AJ Newman | 12 August 2026 The Gold Coast is more likely to experience a slower, uneven and increasingly divided property market not a major housing collapse over the next two years. Population growth and an entrenched shortage of suitable housing should continue to support property values. At the same time, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate of 4.35 per cent, high mortgage repayments and a widening gap between wages and property prices will restrict borrowing
Brian AJ Newman LLB
Aug 1211 min read
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