STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

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

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

LULU — HIDDEN, NOT LOST - The Anaiwan ancestor at the beginning of my family story

HIDDEN NO MORE — FOLLOW-UP Frank and Jack Duval: the records behind the family story

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: Part Two - Born to Ride: The Duval Horsemen and an Aboriginal Triumph That Endured

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