Shane Sturgiss, CEO of BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation, On The Indigenous Voice to Parliament

By DOUGLAS MAGALETTI

Shane Sturgiss is the CEO of BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation, a national organisation founded to provide visibility to Queer Indigenous peoples and communities. 

In a conversation with Star Observer, he spoke about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, the organisation he champions, and the challenges ahead. 

Having An Impact And Making A Difference

Sturgiss has been CEO of BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation for the past 18 months.

Asked about what inspires him the most about his role, he smiled and said, “I think the idea of seeing people’s lives change, knowing that there’s a better tomorrow, knowing that the work that I’m doing will have an impact– will make a difference.”

According to Sturgiss, the aim of BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation is to “bring visibility and provide a platform to address the intersectionality of our LGBTIQ+SB Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in order to provide a service where they can identify as their whole authentic self when accessing services.”

He added, “To bring a level of comfort, provide safe spaces, and hopefully educate people on how to address intersectionality for our people and provide those safe spaces to create safer communities.”

The Biggest Challenges Facing Queer Indigenous People

The biggest challenges facing Queer Indigenous people are disparities in health and education as well as “the lack of awareness and acknowledgement of intersectionality and the idea that we are a homogenous group,” he explained.

“The lives of our LGBTIQ+ SB Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people is in a significant deficit compared to that of our non Indigenous Queer brothers and sisters.”

The Upcoming Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum

When it comes to the upcoming Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, Sturgiss stressed the point that, for Queer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this will be the “second time in six years that they’ve invited the entire nation to vote on their rights as humans, and as people, and as citizens. 

As more and more Australians discuss the referendum, Sturgiss asks everyone to “be mindful that what it is you’re talking about affects individuals, it affects an individual’s life.”

“What you are discussing has ground level impact for individuals and when we’re having those discussions do it respectfully and do it with kindness in your heart.”

He continued, “Regardless of where your vote lies. This is still something that needs to be done with respect and dignity because it does involve people’s lives and the negative fallout from that can be a loss of life.”

‘To Right The Wrongs Of The Past’

Sturgiss believes that alot of the “No” campaigning has been around Prime Minister Albanese – tying the referendum to Albanese and politicising it. 

“This is not a political platform,” Sturgiss stressed. “This is a process that has been in the making for decades. That was initiated by Aboriginal people, for Aboriginal people. 

“The fact that there has to have had been political involvement to get certain bits of legislation passed and go to a referendum does not give the politician the right to mess around like a stinky old football because apart from anything else, it’s really disrespectful to the decades of work that had been put in by Aboriginal people to bring this to where it is now.” 

Sturgiss sees a “Yes” vote as a way “to right the wrongs of the past.” 

“We’ve been 235 years without any recognition in the constitution. So by changing the constitution to bring an Aboriginal voice to Parliament, and to recognise Aboriginal tribes, as the first people on this land, is actually just bringing a level of equity to the Constitution that had never existed.”