Today on Let’s Talk – Black Knowing, Chelsea & David dig into the debates about race and racism that have been circulating in the media this week, from the response of the NRL establishment to Ezra Mam’s brave decision to call out racism on the field, to the public discussion of allegations against Matilda’s captain Sam Kerr for an incident involving a taxi driver and police officer in the UK. They reflect on the frustrating “takes” on race and racism that have proliferated in this moment, and the violence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men being told to “toughen up” in the face of racism.
In the second part of the show, Chelsea & David turn to local politics and the upcoming local government elections. They’re joined in the studio for a special interview with the only Lord Mayoral candidate who agreed to come on the show: Jonathan Sriranganathan.* Jonno is the Greens candidate for mayor of Brisbane City Council, and in this conversation he talks through some of the First Nations policies that he’s pushing for in the upcoming election, including a commitment to allocating substantial funding to a Musgrave Park Cultural Centre, free long-distance inter-city bus transport connecting communities across southern Queensland (including Brisbane, Inala, Goodna, Logan, Nanango, Kingaroy, Cherbourg, and Murgon), and a commitment for the Brisbane City Council to “pay the rent” by allocating at least 1% of rates revenue (at least 13 million dollars annually) directly to Aboriginal community controlled organisations. He also talks through the Greens commitment to pushing back on the moral panic about “crime” in queensland by focusing on things that actually make communities safer: things like housing justice, free public transport, and support for people living in poverty, rather than more police, prisons and surveillance.
The local government elections are on right now across queensland. The final day to cast your vote is Saturday 16th March, and we know that lots of people forget to vote in local council elections. Even if you haven’t updated your enrolment, it’s not too late. You can head to the AEC website and update your details, and then ask for a Declaration Vote at an early voting booth.
*Note that we requested interviews with the Lord Mayoral candidates from the LNP, the ALP and the Greens. The other candidates were unavailable.
