UPDATE: Australia elects first Aboriginal MP
Quick update to Rick’s post:
Ken Wyatt has been elected to Australia’s House of Representatives, making him the first indigenous MP in that country’s history.
But ABC Australia is reporting that Wyatt has been receiving hate mail, something the Aboriginal politician dismissed.
“Let’s move on from that — what’s more important is the way in which we move Australia forward and the thinking that we have and the society that we build on.”
Let’s hope the people of Australia agree.
POST-SCRIPT: It may be more accurate to say that Wyatt is actually the third Aboriginal person to become a member of Australia’s Parliament. Both the late Neville Bonner and Aden Ridgeway were previously elected to Australia’s Upper House, the Senate. However, Wyatt’s election marks the first time in history any Aboriginal person has been voted in to the Lower House, aka Australia’s House of Representatives, an achievement still very much worth noting.
[Image via ABC Australia]
A friend of mine in AU sent me a message that she heard of another Aboriginal in the House of Reps – Kerry Rea, who apparently is a Murri. She was elected in the riding of Bonner and just lost her seat.